The Mandrake Project

Last updated

The Mandrake Project
The Mandrake Project.jpg
Studio album by
Bruce Dickinson
Released1 March 2024
StudioDoom Room (Los Angeles)
Genre Heavy metal, Progressive metal
Length58:49
Label BMG
Producer Roy Z
Bruce Dickinson chronology
Tyranny of Souls
(2005)		The Mandrake Project
(2024)
Singles from The Mandrake Project
  1. "Afterglow of Ragnarok"
    Released: 30 November 2023
  2. "Rain on the Graves"
    Released: 25 January 2024
  3. "Resurrection Men"
    Released: 26 July 2024

The Mandrake Project is the seventh studio album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, released on 1 March 2024 through BMG Rights Management. The songwriting on the album was split between Roy Z and Dickinson. [1] [2] This is Dickinson's first solo album in nearly two decades since 2005's Tyranny of Souls , marking the longest gap between two studio albums in his solo career. The artist announced a worldwide promotional tour of the album. [3]

Contents

The album was announced on 1 December 2023 simultaneously alongside its first single, a companion comic book series to be published the following year, and tour dates for the UK and Europe throughout Spring and Summer 2024. [4]

Concept and comics

Part of the original announcement for the album explained that it would be a narrative concept album accompanied by a 12-issue comic book series published by Z2 Comics. The story was written by Dickinson, scripted for the comics by Tony Lee and illustrated by Staz Johnson. The announcement stated that the full story would be "a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius." [5]

Songs

The first single released to promote The Mandrake Project was "Afterglow of Ragnarok" on 30 November 2023. The song was released digitally and as a 7" vinyl single in a gatefold sleeve, which included an 8-page prequel comic inside. The B-side of the single featured Dickinson's original solo demo of the Iron Maiden song "If Eternity Should Fail" from the 2015 album The Book of Souls. [4]

"Rain on the Graves" was the second single from the album, released on 25 January by BMG Records and accompanied by a music video similar to the first single. The song features a guitar riff, keyboard sections and a narrative vocal performance. The song was inspired by the Iron Maiden frontman's visit to the grave of Romantic poet William Wordsworth in the Lake District. [6]

"Eternity Has Failed" is a new version of "If Eternity Should Fail" with different music and slightly different lyrics. [7]

Editions and packaging

The album was released in various configurations on both CD and vinyl LP, as well as digitally on all major streaming and download platforms. The CD version had two main configurations on release. The standard CD came in a three-panel full-color cardboard sleeve with a 20-page booklet inside the first panel, containing lyrics and production details. A limited edition version of this included a lenticular cover, which is loose and not glued to the front of the actual case. This edition was exclusive to Walmart in the US and HMV in the UK. [8]

A deluxe limited edition of the CD came in a 7" hardback book which contained a preview of the album's companion comic book series. The CD was in a cardboard pouch inside the book, and the book came in a slipcase. The lyrics booklet from the standard CD was also included. The slipcase had the same cover art as the standard CD, while the book had exclusive cover art by comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Some copies pre-ordered from Dickinson's official online store included a signed photo inside the book. The vinyl LP version came on standard black vinyl, with a limited edition version on blue vinyl and including an exclusive 'M' stencil. Copies of the black vinyl pre-ordered from Dickinson's official online store came with a signed art card. [9]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings for The Mandrake Project
Publication/criticAccoladeRankRef.
Rolling Stone Top Metal Albums of 20245 [10]
The Metal VoiceTop Metal Albums of 20242 [11]
Loudwire Best Metal Albums of 20249 [12]
Metal Hammer Best Albums of 20245 [13]
Classic Rock Best Albums of 20244 [14]
Brave Words Best Albums of 20242 [15]
Something Else ReviewsBest Albums of 20243 [16]
Metal Rules Best Albums of 20244 [17]

Track listing

The Mandrake Project track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Afterglow of Ragnarok" Bruce Dickinson, Roy Z 5:45
2."Many Doors to Hell"Dickinson, Z4:48
3."Rain on the Graves"Dickinson5:05
4."Resurrection Men"Dickinson, Z6:24
5."Fingers in the Wounds"Dickinson, Z3:39
6."Eternity Has Failed"Dickinson6:59
7."Mistress of Mercy"Dickinson5:08
8."Face in the Mirror"Dickinson4:08
9."Shadow of the Gods"Dickinson, Z7:02
10."Sonata (Immortal Beloved)"Dickinson, Z9:51
Total length:58:44

Personnel

Musicians [18]

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for The Mandrake Project
Chart (2024)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] 59
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [20] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [21] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [22] 8
Croatian International Albums (HDU) [23] 28
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [24] 87
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [25] 6
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [26] 2
French Albums (SNEP) [27] 10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [28] 1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [29] 19
Irish Albums (IRMA) [30] 78
Italian Albums (FIMI) [31] 14
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [32] 3
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [33] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC) [34] 2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [35] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [36] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [37] 2
UK Albums (OCC) [38] 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [39] 1
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [40] 1
US Billboard 200 [41] 176
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [42] 30
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [43] 9

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References

  1. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson Explains How 'The Mandrake Project' Grew Into Much More Than Just An Album". Blabbermouth.net . 2 December 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Barrios, Joel (10 October 2023). "Bruce Dickinson: "The Mandrake Project Is Much More Than Music"". Metal Injection. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson band 2024". ironmaiden.com. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Afterglow of Ragnarok – the first single". ironmaiden.com. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Comic the Mandrake Project". themandrakeproject.com. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Rain on the Graves – the first single". ironmaiden.com. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Mandrake Project album: the songs". metalinjection.net. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson solo album". .ironmaiden.com. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Bruce's new track". ironmaiden.com. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. ↑ Rolling Stone Magazine staff (21 December 2024). "Best Metal Albums of 2024". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  11. ↑ The Metal Voice staff (21 December 2024). "Best Metal Albums of 2024". themetalvoice.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Loudwire staff (21 December 2024). "Best Metal Albums of 2024". loudwire.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Metal Hammer staff (21 December 2024). "Best Albums of 2024". metalhammer.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Classic Rockstaff (21 December 2024). "Best Albums of 2024". msn.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Brave Words staff (29 December 2024). "Albums of 2024". bravewords.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "Best Albums of 2024". somethingelsereviews.com. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Best Albums of 2024". metal-rules.com. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  18. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson solo album". .ironmaiden.com. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  19. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 11 March 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1775. Australian Recording Industry Association. 11 March 2024. p. 6.
  20. ↑ "Album Chart 10/2024". oe3.orf.at. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  23. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  24. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 10.Týden 2024 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  26. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson: The Mandrake Project" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  27. ↑ "Top Albums (Week 10, 2024)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  28. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  29. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2024. 10. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  30. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 8 March 2024". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  31. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 10 (dal 01.03.2024 al 07.03.2024)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  32. ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 01.03.2024–07.03.2024 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  33. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  34. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  35. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  36. ↑ "Veckolista Album, vecka 10". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  37. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  38. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  39. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  40. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  41. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  42. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  43. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
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