New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Having set the rock and metal world alight in
September with the announcement of a forthcoming solo album and Latin American tour dates, further details of Bruce Dickinson's The Mandrake Project are REVEALED today.
The first single to be taken from it will be 'Afterglow of Ragnarok', a dramatic and epic track that introduces the world not just to the music of the album but to the compelling narrative that forms the basis of The Mandrake Project.
It will be released on December 1st as a collectable vinyl 7" single, that includes an eight-page comic book. The single also features Dickinson's original solo demo version of the song 'If Eternity Should Fail', which first appeared on Iron Maiden's album The Book Of Souls in 2015.
"It was important to set the tone of the project with this track," Dickinson explains. "As befitting its title, it's a heavy song and there's a great big riff driving it…but there's also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings… and just wait until you see the video!"
Having already announced Brazilian and Mexican live dates for April & May next year,
Bruce Dickinson and his phenomenal band - which features guitarist Roy Z, drummer Dave Moreno, bass-player
Tanya O'Callaghan and keyboard maestro Mistheria- will continue their touring with a run of European shows, alongside a number of festival appearances in Europe. The dates are below.
Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project European Tour:
18th May - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK
19th May - O2 Academy, Manchester, UK
21st May - Arena, Swansea, UK
23rd May - Rock City, Nottingham, UK
24th May - O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
26th May - L'Olympia, Paris, FRANCE
28th May - 013, Tilburg, HOLLAND
29th May - De Oosterpoort, Groningen, HOLLAND
1st June - Barba Negra, Budapest, HUNGARY
3rd June - Arenale Romane, Bucharest, ROMANIA
5-8th June - Mystic Festival, Gdansk, POLAND *
5-8th June - Sweden Rock Festival, Solvesborg, SWEDEN *
9th June - Rockefeller, Oslo, NORWAY
16th June - Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, GERMANY
17th June - Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg, GERMANY
19 - 22nd June - Copenhell, Copenhagen, DENMARK *
24th June - Zeltfestival Rhein-Neckar, Mannheim, GERMANY *
25th June - Circus Krone, Munich, GERMANY
27 - 30th June - Hellfest, Clisson, FRANCE *
30th June - Rockhal, Esch-Sur-Alzette, LUXEMBOURG
3-6th July - Rockharz Open Air, Ballenstedt, GERMANY *
5th July - Ippodromo
Delle Capannelle, Rock In Rome, Rome, ITALY *
6th July - Bassano Del Grappa, Metal Park, Vicenza, ITALY *
9th July - E-Werk, Koln, GERMANY
13th July - Hala, Zagreb, CROATIA
16th July - Kolodrum Arena, Sofia, BULGARIA
19th July - Kucukciftlik Park, Istanbul, TURKEY
* - festival performance
Dickinson previously revealed, "This album has been a very personal journey for me and I am extremely proud of it. Roy Z and I have been planning, writing and recording it for years, and I am very excited for people to finally hear it. I'm even more excited at the prospect of getting out on the road with this amazing band that we have put together, to be able to bring it to life. As you can see, we're playing as many shows as we can, in as many places as possible, for as many people as we can!"
The Mandrake Project will be Dickinson's seventh solo album and his first since Tyranny Of Souls in 2005. It will be released via BMG worldwide on multiple formats.