Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls

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Mayan Records
Produced by Roy Z

Bruce’s first studio album since 1998s The Chemical Wedding once again reunites him with long time friend, producer and guitar player Roy Z (also responsible for producing Rob Halford’s solo albums and the new Judas Priest album). Roy again produces this one, but this time plays all the guitars and some of the bass. On Bruce’s previous two efforts Roy has shared guitar duties with Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith. Alas, no ‘H’ this time, but that doesn’t stop this being yet another mighty fine release from a true heavy metal master.

Like The Chemical Wedding, this album seems to have a recurring theme throughout its ten tracks. Chemical Wedding was a story based upon poems and paintings by the legendary William Blake. This album doesn’t carry a story like that, but frequently visits a common theme of space travel and aliens. Some of the song titles are obvious: Mars Within, Abduction, Navigate The Seas of the Sun, for example. Some are less obvious, but the lyrics revisit these themes. Bass duties on the album are shared by Roy, Juan Perez and Ray Burke. All drums handled by David Moreno and keyboards by Maestro Mistheria.

In recent interviews regarding the new album, prior to its release, both Bruce and Roy talked about it being a very heavy album. Fans were led to believe this would be Bruce’s heaviest album yet. And while there are moments where this is true (the ferocious double bass drumming on Soul Intruders, the opening riff of River of No Return and album highlight BeliEvil), on the whole it’s really no good enough that you don’t really remember it was meant to be heavier.

Kicking off with the short intro track Mars Within the tone of the album is set wonderfully. A nice riff and some intriguing vocals from Bruce about mankind going to the stars and the stars coming to us. Into first single Abduction and an excellent metal riff and trademark Bruce Dickinson vocals. This is classic Bruce solo material and would not sound at all out of place on either Accident of Birth or The Chemical Wedding. A self-explanatory song about alien abduction, the character being abducted is a pilot, played by Bruce obviously. Soul Intruders follows, with it’s crushing intro. The song doesn’t maintain the aforementioned ferocity of the intro, but is a reasonably heavy song nonetheless. It’s about lost travellers of space and time. Nice. Another classic Bruce track.

The album continues to get better and better with the next three tracks. Kill Devil Hill is reasonably heavy, the vocal delivery is a little different to normal for Bruce, and it brings a welcome change. It seems to be about some people leaving their planet to try and discover a new one after destroying it. Navigate The Seas of The Sun is the only soft track on the album. It’s almost entirely acoustic, with an almost folky delivery from Bruce for much of the song. There’s a couple of soaring vocal parts, but otherwise Bruce keeps it fairly subdued. It features three amazing guitar solos, one acoustic and two electric, from Roy, possibly his best on the whole album, but it does start to repeat itself a little too much at the end. The song seems to continue the story started in Kill Devil Hill, and tells of the people that left Earth to explore. It also seems to suggest that they have forgotten their life on Earth but are now starting to remember what it was like and want to find it again.

Lastly, River of No Return seems to continue the story further, telling of how the people now “orbit a different sun for eternity, doomed to tell no one”, but still remember their past lives but can never go back. It’s heavy in places, softer in places, a true tour-de-force. Something like Book of Thel, only not as long.

The next two tracks allow Bruce to be a little less serious and a little more straight-ahead rock. Power of The Sun and Devil On A Hog are the least impressive of the tracks on the album. They both have good riffs, both are fast paced, both have great metal solos but they’re both just not as inspiring as the rest. Maybe a nod towards Bruce’s leaving Iron Maiden in the early ’90s in Devil On A Hog? “I used to be at God’s right hand, but I quit that show to do my one night stands”. Who knows? (except Bruce, obviously)

The album gets back on track, so to speak, with the final two tracks. Album highlight BeliEvil is the most “evil” sounding track on the record. Bruce almost speaks the verses in that little snarl he can do, the intro and verse riffs are haunting, and the chorus is very heavy, with Bruce turning in a classic soaring performance. Lastly the title track, promised to be an epic but only actually as long as the other tracks on the album, it does however have that epic sound and feel to it. Another excellent track to complete a superb album.

It’s hard to say whether this is better than The Chemical Wedding or Accident of Birth, but it definitely comes close. It is far more exploratory; Bruce tries a few different things, while still maintaining that classic heavy metal sound he achieved on the previous two albums. Lyrically, it’s not his best, but he is still proving to be a much better lyricist than Iron Maiden main man Steve Harris (bass and principal songwriter). His lyrics are complex in places and catchy in others, each at the right time within the context of the song. Pure heavy metal from one of its greatest masters.

“ a classic soaring performance ”

Tracklist: Mars Within / Abduction / Soul Intruders / Kill Devil Hill / Navigate The Seas of The Sun / River of No Return / Power of The Sun / Devil On A Hog / BeliEvil / Tyranny of Souls

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Heavy Metal, Bruce Dickinson