While there's no sign of an official release date as of yet, Bruce Dickinson's new solo album is expected to be a feast for the senses. Well, that is, according to the man himself, who recently predicted that we're all going to totally "dig it" while sharing that he's "very proud" of the finished result.
Iron Maiden's frontman offered his thoughts on the forthcoming project during a Q&A session in Helsinki on January 19, where he was giving a spoken-word appearance.
When questioned by a fan as to when we'll get to hear it, he responds (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): "Soon. Obviously, there's gonna be a Maiden tour in between me finishing the album and then you hearing it later. I won't tell you when. It'll be a surprise. Not really. But there's been a lot of things around this particular record; it's been a long time.
"The record itself is, I think… I'm very proud of it. I think it's gonna be quite special. I think you'll really dig it," he continues.
"There's some other stuff that I'm doing around it that's hopefully gonna be quite interesting as well. So I've got a lot of things I'm gonna be doing and be busy doing this year preparing it all. That's all I can tell you at the moment. And there will be a tour. And we will be coming, I hope, to Helsinki."
In March 2022, Dickinson told Consequence that he had been working on the album "on and off" since the release of his previous solo offering, 2005's Tyranny of Souls. He said: "But between lockdowns and albums and Maiden tours and everything else, I'm looking for a clear space to actually nail and say, 'Okay, this is what it's gonna be,' and get [Bruce's longtime collaborator Roy ['Z' Ramirez] to put some backing tracks down. And then we can do it.
"So we're at the point now where we've already got — I don't know — anywhere between 50 and 70 percent of the material for the album, depending on what we pick, from things we've already got. And I think we'd like to tweak it a little bit."
Watch the Q&A below:
Earlier this month, Iron Maiden launched a range of Royal Mail postage stamps, featuring a mix of live shots from throughout the band's career, as well as four illustrations starring band mascot Eddie the Head.
The stamps, which were designed in partnership with the band and their management company Phantom Music, are amongst the last to feature the head of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and are available to buy from the Royal Mail now all as part of a Presentation Pack containing 12 stamps priced at £17.70.
Iron Maiden: The Future Past tour 2023
May 30: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 31: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
Jun 03: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
Jun 07: Bergen Koengen, Norway
Jun 13: Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
Jun19: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Jun 24: Dublin 3 Arena, Ireland
Jun 26: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Jun 28: Leeds, First Direct Arena, UK
Jun 30: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Jul 03: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, UK
Jul 04: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Jul 07: London O2 Arena, UK
Jul 08: London O2 Arena, UK
Jul 11: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Jul 13: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Jul 15: Milan The Return of The Gods Festival, Italy
Jul 18: Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi, Spain
Jul 20: Murcia Estadio Enrique Roca, Spain
Jul 22: Bilbao Bizkaia Arena Bec!, Spain
