Tyranny of Souls

Last updated

Tyranny of Souls
Bruce cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released23 May 2005
Recorded2005
StudioCastle Oaks (Calabasas)
Signature Sound (San Diego)
Dexter's Laboratory [lower-alpha 1] (Los Angeles)
Genre Heavy metal, progressive metal
Length43:35
Label Sanctuary
Victor (Japan)
Producer Roy Z
Bruce Dickinson chronology
The Best of Bruce Dickinson
(2001)
Tyranny of Souls
(2005)
Alive
(2005)
Singles from Tyranny of Souls
  1. "Abduction"
    Released: 2005
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Blabbermouth.net 8.5/10 [2]
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles 8.0/10 [3]
Metal Storm 9.0/10 [4]
Rock Hard 9.5/10 [5]

Tyranny of Souls is the sixth studio album released by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson on 23 May 2005. The cover art is one of the panels of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, a work by renaissance artist Hans Memling. This was his first solo album since rejoining Iron Maiden in 1999, and his last for nearly two decades, until the 2024 release of his follow-up album The Mandrake Project .

Contents

The songwriting on the album was split between Roy Z and Dickinson. During composition, Roy sent recordings of riffs to Dickinson, who was on tour with Iron Maiden. Dickinson subsequently wrote lyrics and melodies. Roy also served as the album's producer and played all guitar parts as well as some supplemental bass guitar and piano parts.

The other players on the album were all connected to Roy Z through different projects. Z, bassist Ray "Geezer" Burke, and keyboardist Maestro Mistheria all contributed to vocalist Rob Rock's 2003 release, Eyes of Eternity . Drummer Dave Moreno and bassist Juan Perez were members of Z's Latin rock band Tribe of Gypsies at the time.

"Kill Devil Hill" is inspired by the successful flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 (see Kill Devil Hills).

"Navigate the Seas of the Sun" is inspired by Erich Von Däniken's theory about extraterrestrial presence on Earth long ago and about man dealing with that in the future. [ citation needed ]

The title track is somewhat based on Shakespeare's tragedy MacBeth , and includes direct quotes and lines from the play throughout the song.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bruce Dickinson and Roy Z

No.TitleLength
1."Mars Within"1:29
2."Abduction"3:50
3."Soul Intruders"3:52
4."Kill Devil Hill"5:07
5."Navigate the Seas of the Sun"5:51
6."River of No Return"5:13
7."Power of the Sun"3:29
8."Devil on a Hog"4:01
9."Believil"4:50
10."A Tyranny of Souls"5:48
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Eternal"5:59

Personnel

Musicians
Production

Charts

Chart (2005)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [6] 58
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [7] 76
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] 96
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] 10
French Albums (SNEP) [10] 101
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [11] 39
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [12] 24
Italian Albums (FIMI) [13] 34
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [14] 75
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [15] 10
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [16] 73
US Billboard 200 [17] 180
UK Albums (OCC) [18] 65

Notes

Related Research Articles

<i>Dance of Death</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Iron Maiden

Dance of Death is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released first in Japan on 2 September and then 8 September 2003 in the rest of the world excluding North America. The album was an analogue recording.

<i>The X Factor</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Iron Maiden

The X Factor is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 2 October 1995 through EMI Records. CMC International released the album in North America. It is the first of two albums by the band to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career. It also saw the departure of the band's longtime producer Martin Birch, who retired shortly after the release of their previous album, Fear of the Dark (1992). The album takes a darker tone than the band's first nine releases, due to the lyrics being based on personal issues surrounding Steve Harris at the time, who was in the midst of a divorce. This is reflected in the cover artwork, which graphically depicts the band's mascot, Eddie, being vivisected by a machine.

<i>Killers</i> (Iron Maiden album) 1981 studio album by Iron Maiden

Killers is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was first released on 2 February 1981 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and on 11 May in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired after problems with his stage performances arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use. Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums until Fear of the Dark (1992).

<i>Fear of the Dark</i> (Iron Maiden album) 1992 studio album by Iron Maiden

Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Released on 11 May 1992, it was their third studio release to top the UK Albums Chart, and the last to feature Bruce Dickinson as the group's lead vocalist until his return in 1999.

<i>No Prayer for the Dying</i> 1990 studio album by Iron Maiden

No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is their first album to feature Janick Gers on guitar, who replaced Adrian Smith. Smith left the band during the pre-production phase, unhappy with the musical direction it was taking, and only having contributed to one song, "Hooks in You". Gers previously worked with singer Bruce Dickinson on his first solo album, Tattooed Millionaire, and had also worked with Ian Gillan, former Marillion singer Fish, and new wave of British heavy metal band, White Spirit.

<i>Skunkworks</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

Skunkworks is the third studio album by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, released in 1996. It is the first and only studio album recorded with the musicians Dickinson put together for the tour supporting the album Balls to Picasso. They disbanded by the end of 1996.

<i>Accident of Birth</i> 1997 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

Accident of Birth is the fourth studio album by Bruce Dickinson, released on 3 June 1997 through Castle Communications' sub‑label Raw Power in the UK and through CMC International in the US.

<i>The Chemical Wedding</i> (Bruce Dickinson album) 1998 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

The Chemical Wedding is the fifth solo album by English heavy metal singer Bruce Dickinson, released on 15 September 1998 through Dickinson's own label Air Raid Records. The record draws some inspiration from the works of William Blake, featuring sung and spoken excerpts of his prophetic works and poetry, and with cover art from his painting The Ghost of a Flea, although the name of the album and its title track derive from the Rosicrucian manifesto the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz. As with the previous album, it featured Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith, then a member of Dickinson's solo outfit. This is the last Dickinson's album before he and also Adrian Smith rejoined Iron Maiden the following year.

<i>Tattooed Millionaire</i> 1990 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

Tattooed Millionaire is the debut solo studio album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, released in 1990.

<i>Balls to Picasso</i> 1994 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

Balls to Picasso is the second solo album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, released in 1994. It is the first album in Dickinson's solo career that was released after he had officially left Iron Maiden.

<i>Virtual XI</i> 1998 studio album by Iron Maiden

Virtual XI is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 23 March 1998. It is the band's second and final album with Blaze Bayley on vocals. It also marks the first album to utilise a slightly modified logo, with the letters R, M, and N the same size as the other letters as opposed to them being extended. This goes on for the next few albums, until The Final Frontier, in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Z</span> American guitarist

Roy Z is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Bruce Dickinson, Halford, and Judas Priest. He also is the founder of Tribe of Gypsies, a Latin-influenced hard rock band. Roy also helped write and produce the band Life After Death in 1996.

<i>Rock in Rio</i> (album) 2002 live album and video by Iron Maiden

Rock in Rio is a live album and video by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, recorded at the Rock in Rio festival, Brazil in 2001 on the last night of the Brave New World Tour. The band played to approximately 250,000 people; the second largest crowd of their career and with the relatively recent return of lead singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith to the band, they recorded their fifth live release.

<i>A Real Live One</i> 1993 live album by Iron Maiden

A Real Live One is a live album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 22 March 1993. The album tracks were recorded at 9 different venues in Europe during the Fear of the Dark Tour in 1992. This album features songs from the Somewhere in Time (1986) through Fear of the Dark (1992) eras, while counterpart A Real Dead One only contains songs from the pre-Somewhere in Time albums.

<i>Holy Hell</i> (Rob Rock album) 2005 studio album by Rob Rock

Holy Hell is a heavy metal album released in 2005 by Rob Rock. It is his third solo release and is known for being his heaviest and most aggressive album to date. It was produced by Roy Z who is also known for producing solo albums by Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson. Roy Z is also credited for performing some of the guitar and bass parts on the album. Other contributing musicians include guitarist Carl Johan Grimmark of Narnia fame, drummer Bobby Jarzombek who has played in bands such as Riot and Halford, and Edguy and Avantasia mainman Tobias Sammet who duets with Rob Rock on the closing track, "Move On".

<i>Somewhere Back in Time</i> 2008 compilation album by Iron Maiden

Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980 - 1989 is a best of release by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, containing a selection of songs originally recorded for their first eight albums.

<i>The Book of Souls</i> 2015 studio album by Iron Maiden

The Book of Souls is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album, and also their longest to date, with a total length of 92 minutes and 11 seconds. Its launch and supporting tour were delayed to allow vocalist Bruce Dickinson time to recover from the removal of a cancerous tumour in early 2015. It is also their first album to be released on Parlophone, since the end of their 30-year relationship with EMI Records.

<i>The Book of Souls: Live Chapter</i> 2017 live album and video by Iron Maiden

The Book of Souls: Live Chapter is a live album and video by Iron Maiden, recorded throughout their 2016–2017 The Book of Souls World Tour. Released on 17 November 2017, the album was produced by Tony Newton, with Steve Harris serving as co-producer. This makes it the band's first live album since 2002's Beast over Hammersmith not to be produced by Kevin Shirley.

<i>The Mandrake Project</i> 2024 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

The Mandrake Project is the seventh studio album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, released on 1 March 2024. The songwriting on the album was split between Roy Z and Dickinson. 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.

References

  1. Prato, Greg. "Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls review". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. Bergman, Keith. "Bruce Dickinson - "Tyranny of Souls"". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. Popoff, Martin (18 April 2005). "Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles . Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  4. Tombale, Pierre (27 August 2005). "Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls review". Metal Storm . Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  5. Kühnemund, Götz (25 May 2005). "Review Album des Monats : Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls". Rock Hard (in German). No. 217. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  7. "Ultratop.be – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  9. "Bruce Dickinson: Tyranny of Souls" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  10. "Lescharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  12. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2005. 21. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  13. "Italiancharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  14. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  15. "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  17. "Bruce Dickinson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  18. "Bruce Dickinson | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 26 December 2022.