The Ultimate Metal Masterplan: Bruce Dickinson Spills the Beans on Massive Iron Maiden Tour and a Groundbreaking Solo Record!
In a recent interview, iconic frontman Bruce Dickinson once again opened up about his punishingly busy touring schedule and ambitious creative roadmap mapped out for the next several years:
«Honestly, to tell you the truth, my upcoming solo album stands right up there alongside the very best work I have ever done in my entire career. It is a massive step up—a whole level higher than 2024’s „The Mandrake Project“—and it sounds simply phenomenal. Fans will only get to hear the full record next year, though brand-new material is dropping very soon with our very first single. In fact, we’ve just shot a staggering five music videos for it. Everything fits together into one grand, continuous storyline. So this whole immersive universe is going to be deeply intriguing and wildly exciting.
As for how all of this fits in alongside Iron Maiden, it merges together quite seamlessly because everyone in the band, and Steve in particular, genuinely loves the new solo material I’ve put together. Therefore, we’ve got a few special Iron Maiden surprises up our sleeve that I'm not at liberty to talk about just yet. But naturally, next year I will be hitting the road heavily with my solo band to promote and push the record. We’ll share all those details with everyone when the proper time comes. And that time is arriving quite soon. I have no doubt people are going to be thrilled out of their minds».
The legendary singer also shed light on Maiden's ongoing, highly successful «Run For Your Lives» tour, which swept through North America over the summer and deep into the autumn months. The current trek celebrates the momentous 50th anniversary of Iron Maiden, boasting a carefully curated setlist drawn exclusively from the group's foundational first nine studio albums. Following the conclusion of the North American leg, Iron Maiden will cross oceans to conquer Latin America and Oceania, ultimately bringing the mammoth tour to a close in Japan.
«Even though we are performing a setlist that obviously spans the very beginning of our journey all the way up to „No Prayer For The Dying“—meaning roughly the first half of our discography—and these songs naturally come from our distant past, we are constantly hunting for fresh ways to elevate the storytelling and theatrical drama. Whether through striking new costumes or cutting-edge screen production, we now feature breathtaking 3D video screens.
It is an unbelievable show. Truly. And yet, we still have all the signature pyrotechnics, Eddie still stomps out onto the stage, and all that classic heavy metal theater remains intact. As for us musicians, we just go out there and play. We honestly barely even pay attention to the massive production around us because, at our core, we are still just a band playing a sweaty gig in a London club. It's just that our club happens to hold 40,000 people».