Review By Darren McIntyre Images By Scott Anderson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is the sword fencing,airplace flying, air raid siren vocalist of British Heavy Metal Titans Iron Maiden who he regularly tears up stages all over the world. Away from his day job Bruce has given us 7 solo albums which includes his latest offering The Mandrake Project which has given us a couple of singles that have catapulted Bruce firmly back into the spotlight, this latest album takes the listener on a journey through time and will plant you right smack bang in the middle of a real creative piece of music that will grab your attention for sure. Bruce takes The Mandrake Project on the road and has assembled a stellar cast of musicians who will certainly deliver the goods, tonight Bruce stops off in Glasgow at the world famous Barrowland Ballroom where the atmosphere is electric at this sold out show as we await the arrival of this enigmatic frontman to take Glasgow by storm tonight. The intro music bellows through the house PA as Toltec 7 Arrival gets tonight’s proceedings off the ground, the energy in the room reaches boiling point as the band assemble onstage to a deafening roar, Bruce takes centre stage as bellows out are we ready, are we fucking ready which brings a deafening roar, now we have a gig. The intro music fades and we erupt into –
Accident Of Birth – The pounding bass kicks are filling the air as Bruce steps forward and bellows out with his ear bending vocals as the band bring this colossal track to life. Mistheria is front and centre as he brings the wizardry with his keytar that is a real welcome addition to this stellar cast of musicians, the twin guitar assault is just adding depth and swagger to this opening salvo as Bruce belts out Glasgow to a deafening roar. The every charismatic Tanya O’ Callaghan is adding the groove with a full on bassline that is really letting this track give us what we came for tonight, the place is bouncing as Bruce tells us that everywhere else will need to raise the bar as we are fucking mental, we stroll into
Abduction – A shredding guitar riff oozes from the stage as this foot stomping beast comes at us with real venom as the band stands and looks out at the swelling crowd that has shown up @ The Barras for this talisman of the rock world. The rhythm section is giving us a real punchy beat as the cymbal crashes rain down on us we get a slick clean keytar lick that combines well with this fantastic musicianship that is before us, the place is going nuts as the deep bass kicks let this fist pumping rock n roll track leave it’s mark as Bruce gets the vocals firing on all cylinders as the place is already hitting boiling point as the band are kicking ass right now, up next
Laughing In The Hiding Bush – Tanya steps forward and brings deep funking bass grooves that let’s Bruce deliver a real soulful vocal tone that has a killer guitar lick that really gives this track attitude. The boys are delivering slick clean guitar shreds that allow this track the room it needs to breathe as the pounding rhythm section brings snare drum beats that give us cymbal crashes that really get us all hot under the collar as this shredding monster opens and lets Mistheria come for us with a real infectious keytar solo that just stops us in our tracks. The foot stomping riffs are filling the air as the place is just fixed on the stage as the band is extremely tight and on point as we hurtle through this impressive setlist that is on the money, heading for us next is
Afterglow Of Ragnarok – Bruce is looking the part with his trademark beanie hat and custom fit Mandrake Project jacket that has an eye catching blue design on the back. The rhythm section comes in with a solid punching snare kick as the bass drum beats let this track do it’s thing as the deep pulsing bassline drops epic tones that run freely through this sizzling beast. The vocals are reaching every corner of this iconic venue as the crowd joins in with the chorus as we throw our horns in the air as we bellow back and just watch the band smile with each chorus. The place is just buzzing for this guy as he makes a return to Glasgow and boy do we know he has arrived, the track is a real crowd favourite as we sing along and bounce up and down to this real infectious beast, coming up is
Chemical Wedding – As the track comes to life we are chanting Hey Hey hey as Bruce steps forward and lets the track ooze towards us as the crowd bellows out the chorus to the delight of the band as they see the delight on our faces as we salute this incredible artist and his buch of merry musicians. The rhythm section is handing us bass kicks and snare drum beats that tell us we are getting the best from this killer drummer as he covers every inch of his kit, we are stamping out feet and punching the air as a slick guitar solo fills the air as the place is full of voices as Bruce controls the orchestra as we bellow back and just feel the energy pouring from the stage as this is surely a gig of the year for me, there I said it, up next is
Merry Doors To Hell – Bruce leads the clapping chorus as a sweet clean guitar lick oozes towards us as the band comes with a solid groove that allows Bruce to step forward and really bring his soaring vocals to the party as this place is feeling the love on this colossal Saturday night in Glasgow. The rhythm section is hitting us hard with punchy snare drum beats that really give this track depth, emotion and real quality, we get a slick guitar riff that is joined by keytar sounds as Tanya steps forward and drops awesome bass tones upon us on what is a real gritty rocking track that is letting us feel the awesome tones hitting us tonight as we just watch in awe of this incredible musician, hitting us next is
Gates Of Urizen – This is a real mellow affair as cymbal taps echo all around us as a cool guitar pick pours from the stage as Bruce lets his awesome vocals come for us. The mellow laden arrangement is just building and building as we watch in amazement as the track hits us with deep bass kicks that command the room, basslines are dropping deep,sweet tones that just wrap themselves around this mesmerising composition as the band just offload with cool riffs and snare drum punches that are wrapped in epic guitar licks that are just insane as the boys bounce off each other and really deliver something special let me tell you, we are bellowing out the chorus as Bruce the band leader gets us marching in perfect timing, up next
Ressurection Men – Killer bassline drops a deep funking foot stomping groove as sweet guitar licks are wandering freely through the intro as this killer track comes to life. There is a real 90’s feel to this track as we get a punchy bass kick that really opens this track up as the band assembles and just erupts with sheer joy, we have the soaring vocals filling the air as the bass kick fill the air and lets this swashbuckling track tell it’s own story. The whole gig is just a joy to witness as I have never heard Bruce sounding better as he ploughs his way through this colossal setlist like a knife through butter, we are again bellowing out the chorus as the deep pulsing bassline hits us with all it has as Tanya strolls around the stage and delivers epic tones that are just awesome, we stroll into the most recent single release
Rain On The Graves / Drum Solo – The track bursts into life with a sludgy guitar riff that allows Bruce to lend his vocals to this fantastic track that just keeps on giving and giving. Tanya is dropping epic bass grooves all through this fantastic track that is getting us singing along as this sold out crowd bellows back as we shout out hey hey hey to Bruce’s delight. The twing guitar assault is just bringing the depth that this track deserves as Mistheria drops his awesome keytar tones on us, we are getting a meaty rhythm section that is punching through the track with killer snare drum beats as the bass kicks allow the groove to wrap itself around us, the drum solo is a real piece of work that sees Dave offload with a solid pounding beat as Bruce hits the bongos and helps Dave complete his task and complete it he does, next up
Frankenstein – The track comes to life with a rasping guitar riff that has keytar tones flowing through it as this snare drum beast comes for us with all it has. The slick guitar licks are flowing effortlessly through the venue as this killer track kicks in the doors and lets us feel the full force of this colossal unit as they delve deep into their souls and hit us with everything they have tonight. This is a real monumental instrumental that just has layer after layer of delicious tones that are popping in the mouth deliciousness, we are heading to the business end of the gig as we roll into
The Alchemist – A shredding power drenched guitar riff wanders freely through the gig as Bruce lets his awesome vocals get this monster track off the ground. The rhythm section is delivering a sweet punchy snare drum beat as the bassline gives this track depth, swagger and bags of attitude as we watch in awe as this fantastic frontman delivers a flawless vocal assault on Glasgow tonight, the place is bouncing and feeling the sweat pouring from our brows as the band come at us with wave after wave of awesome musicianship that lets us know that Bruce is back and hopefully it won’t be too long till we see him again. I missed the last couple of tracks as I was downstairs interviewing the openers tonight Black Smoke Trigger.
Bruce Dickinson –
Bruce Dickinson – Vocals
Chris Declerq – Guitar
Philip Naslund – Guitar
Tanya O Callaghan – Bass
Mistheria – Keys / Keytar
Dave Moreno – Drums
Setlist –
Accident Of Birth
Abduction
Laughing In The Hiding Bush
Afterglow Of Ragnarok
Chemical Wedding
Many Doors To Hell
Gates Of Urizen
Ressurection Men
Rain On The Graves / Drum Solo
Frankenstein
The Alchemist
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