Bruce Dickinson just lately unveiled the first single and music video off his upcoming solo album The Mandrake Undertaking. The music “Afterglow of Ragnarok” premiered accompanied by a cinematic and darkish video, on the opening day of CCXP23, Brazil’s big Comedian-Con occasion in Sao Paulo.
In the course of the unveiling, Dickinson not solely premiered the clip but additionally revealed extra particulars on the album and an upcoming comic collaboration with Z2 Comics. Including to the joy, 2,000 unique comedian variations have been introduced, sending ripples of pleasure throughout the world comedian neighborhood.
The album, recorded at Los Angeles’s Doom Room with Roy Z on the helm (who additionally performed bass and guitars), additionally options keyboardist Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, each reprising their roles from Dickinson‘s earlier solo album Tyranny Of Souls. In a current interview with Brazil’s Omelete, (transcribed by Blabbermouth) Dickinson additional defined the album’s thematic core, intertwining music and comics in an adult-themed 12-episode graphic novel.
The Mandrake Undertaking delves into the enigmatic world of Dr. Necropolis, an orphaned genius grappling along with his identification and the profound implications of a groundbreaking scientific endeavor generally known as “The Mandrake Undertaking.” This bold venture seeks to seize and retailer human souls, opening up a realm of moral quandaries and existential questions.
“So The Mandrake Undertaking is, one, is an album. It is the title of the album. The comedian is a 12-episode graphic novel, form of grownup. There’s numerous stuff in it — there’s numerous intercourse and medicines and violence and every kind of stuff. However it’s mainly a narrative a few man who’s on the lookout for his identification, Dr. Necropolis. He is an orphan, he is a genius, and he hates it, and he hates life, however he is concerned in The Mandrake Undertaking
” And The Mandrake Undertaking goals to take the human soul on the level of dying, seize it, retailer it, and put it again in one thing else. And the man that is operating the venture, Professor Lazarus, has one imaginative and prescient of what is gonna occur with this expertise, and Necropolis has different concepts. And on we go along with the story.”
Dickinson, additionally mirrored on the fusion of music and comics, and reminisced about Iron Maiden‘s previous flirtations with cowl artwork and video video games, resulting in the creation of ‘Legacy Of The Beast:’ “Properly, I believe they do form of go collectively. They actually do. Music and video games, music and comics, comics and video games, they’re all associated.”
Years in the past, Iron Maiden, we have been doing a little cowl artwork, and I stated, ‘Why do not we do a comic book?’, just like the comics that I used to learn once I was a child… After I instructed doing a little covers, comedian covers, we did some single paintings for Iron Maiden, and I assumed, ‘You already know what? That is form of cool.’ Then later, Maiden had a online game known as ‘Legacy Of The Beast’; we nonetheless do.”
Dickinson added: “However what got here with a online game, anyone produced a sequence of comics. And I assumed they seemed unbelievable, however they lacked a narrative. And that received me considering, what should you had an album that had a narrative that could possibly be become a comic book and the 2 issues would work collectively? Because it occurred, they’ve truly grown aside. So, the unique album, in 2014, was gonna be one comedian with the album — that is it.
“Then, COVID occurred, different issues occurred, seven years glided by, and I had a 12-episode graphic novel. And I went, ‘I do not wanna limit the album to being like a script for this.’ These two issues exist individually, however they inform one another. So you’ll be able to have a look at the album and go, ‘Oh, yeah, that is form of associated to the comedian.’ And also you have a look at the comedian and go, ‘Oh, I see that is likely to be somewhat bit associated to the album,’ however they don’t seem to be depending on one another. So you should buy the comedian or you should buy the album — or each.”
The Mandrake Undertaking tracklist reads like a journey with acquainted echoes like “Eternity Has Failed” making a comeback in an developed type from its Iron Maiden roots. This solely provides to the intrigue, showcasing the in depth artistic course of that birthed this long-anticipated report. The album is described as sonically heavy and wealthy in musical textures, that includes a few of Bruce‘s best vocal performances of his profession.
Along with the previously announced 2024 live dates in Brazil and Mexico, the Iron Maiden frontman just lately introduced a handful of European shows. His stay band by way of all these dates will embrace Roy Z on guitars, drummer Dave Moreno, bass participant Tanya O’Callaghan, and keyboardist Mistheria.
And if all that touring wasn’t sufficient to maintain him busy, he has landed himself a role in an upcoming horror film known as Bjorn Of The Useless.
Need Extra Metallic? Subscribe To Our Every day E-newsletter
Enter your info beneath to get a each day replace with all of our headlines and obtain The Orchard Metallic publication.
