Bruce Dickinson Says His Solo Work Carries More Weight Than Iron Maiden: “There’s a Lot of Heaviness in the Air”
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In his solo work, the frontman leans on heavier downtuning and relies less on layered guitar harmonies than Iron Maiden typically does.
Bruce Dickinson says his solo music leans heavier than Iron Maiden’s — and he’s explained why.
Speaking with Idaho radio station 94.9 and 104.5 The Pick, the frontman noted that his solo records feature more downtuned guitars and fewer harmonized parts compared to Maiden’s signature sound. According to Dickinson, the band’s founder, bassist, and chief songwriter Steve Harris draws on progressive rock influences, which naturally shifts the music in a different direction.
“Maiden, stylistically, obviously, there’s a lot of influence from Steve in everything,” Dickinson explained (via Blabbermouth). “And whilst it’s sometimes heavy, it’s sometimes proggy and things like that. With me, I do go down the prog route sometimes, but I love that kind of bone-crushing detuned [sound]. There’s a lot of heaviness now in the air, which Maiden doesn’t really take advantage of, ’cause I’m not sure necessarily it fits the kind of soundscape that Steve likes.”
Even so, Dickinson stressed that he doesn’t let heaviness limit him creatively. “It’s like having a painter with an unlimited palette,” he said. “You run the risk of spreading yourself thin, but that’s a risk worth taking — you’re supposed to be an artist.”
The singer released his seventh solo album, The Mandrake Project, last year through BMG. In July, he followed it with a new guitar-forward remix of his 1994 album Balls to Picasso. Earlier this month, Dickinson told Metal Hammer that work on his eighth record is already underway, with a release expected in 2027.
He also revealed that Harris recently heard some of the early demos — and gave them high praise. “I didn’t realise Steve was having his physio in the room next door,” Dickinson said. “He came out and went, ‘Is that your new stuff?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘That’s the best stuff you’ve ever done. That’s the best stuff I’ve ever heard from you!’ I went, ‘Well, thank you very much, boss!’”
Meanwhile, Iron Maiden wrapped up the European leg of their 50th-anniversary Run For Your Lives tour earlier this summer, revisiting material from their first nine albums. More dates are expected as the tour continues into 2026.