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Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has premiered the music video for his recent re-working of his 1994 solo single, Tears Of The Dragon.
This remixed version comes from last year’s More Balls To Picasso, a reissue of Dickinson’s second solo album Balls To Picasso, and emphasises the ballad’s orchestral elements. Watch the new clip, featuring his current solo band members and an incredible interpretative dance performance, via the player below.
Dickinson comments: “When we reimagined the whole More Balls To Picasso album we always wanted to do an orchestral version of Tears Of The Dragon. Antonio Teoli scored it and we recorded it, then we called up the filmmaker Leo Liberti who previously shot a load of live stuff for me in Brazil that was fabulous.”
He continues: “We found this amazing location, an enormous old school brewery that was almost like a renaissance building, and we made up the orchestra so they looked slightly zombified.
“All the HBOH [House Band Of Hell, Dickinson’s backing band] band members are in the video and I gave them all instruments to play. The whole thing was brilliant madness. Leo also came up with the idea of having a ballet dancer interpreting the song, and she was amazing, poetic, and that adds an incredible extra-emotional dimension to the video.”
Dickinson released More Balls To Picasso last July, due to his dissatisfaction with the original album’s mix. He explained that he “beefed up the guitars” and “added some really beautiful work by [Brazilian guitarist] Adassi Addasi on Tears… as well”. The remix was handled by Brendan Duffey, with whom Dickinson previously worked on his 2024 album, The Mandrake Project.
Balls To Picasso was Dickinson’s first solo album following his initial Maiden exit in 1993. The album saw the singer experiment with acoustic, rock and folk textures, standing apart from his then-former band’s iron-clad heavy metal sound. He released three more solo records – 1996’s Skunkworks, 1997’s Accident Of Birth and 1998’s Chemical Wedding – before rejoining Maiden in 1999.
Since returning to Maiden, Dickinson’s put out two more solo efforts: 2005’s Tyranny Of Souls, plus The Mandrake Project. He recorded his next album earlier this year, tracking the songs live at Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl’s California facility Studio 606. Members of Brazilian metal trailblazers Sepultura will make guest appearances.
All the while, Maiden, who formed in 1975, are midway through celebrating their 50th anniversary. The band released the documentary Burning Ambition to cinemas earlier this month, and on Saturday (May 23), they’ll launch the second European leg of their Run For Your Lives world tour in Athens, Greece. The trek will see the band play material from their first nine albums only and cap off with a performance at their own festival, Eddfest, at Knebworth House in the UK on July 11.
