Bruce Dickinson is in the midst of getting ready for the release of his upcoming solo record The Mandrake Project. Because of that, he’s been out giving interviews about his new album and his time in Iron Maiden and his solo career. He left Iron Maiden in 1993 after the release of Fear of the Dark and the ensuing world tour. He sat down with Classic Rock to talk about the fan reaction and his solo career.
Bruce’s solo career feels similar enough to his Iron Maiden songs, but still feels different enough to make it really worth listening to. Here’s what he said about leaving Iron Maiden and what he would or wouldn’t have changed.
“I would have done, yes. I wouldn’t have changed that, but I would have done it better [laughs], I would have had more of a plan.”
He also went on to talk about his decision to leave Iron Maiden after Fear of the Dark.
“It was. I realized Iron Maiden was doing its thing and there was nothing anybody could do to change its trajectory. At the time, I was sitting there making what ended up being [his second solo album, released in 1994] ‘Balls To Picasso,’ and I realized that I didn’t have much clue what to do outside of Iron Maiden.”
The Mandrake Project is not just an album, but a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius. Created by Bruce Dickinson, the comic series is scripted by Tony Lee and stunningly illustrated by Staz Johnson for Z2 Comics, released as 12 quarterly issues that will be collected into three annual graphic novels. The first episode was released in comic shops on January 17th, 2024.
You can pre-order The Mandrake Project here.
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