BRUCE DICKINSON Unveils Music Video For Second Solo Single "Rain On The Graves"

Bruce Dickinson has unveiled the second single from his upcoming album “The Mandrake Project”, via the music video for “Rain On The Graves”, which plunges us into a dark, gothic world of shadows and secrets, evoking images of foggy English countrysides, soggy moors, and, of course, graveyards. According to the singer, the clip is a deliberate homage to classic Hammer Horror films.

“Rain on the Graves” weaves a tale of a man who encounters the devil in a fog-shrouded graveyard, a classic trope that Dickinson executes with both style and substance, prowling through desolate landscapes and abandoned structures, filled with symbolism and cryptic imagery that will probably have fans deciphering its meaning for weeks to come.

Dickinson‘s voice, which is as powerful and expressive as ever, soars with a mix of defiance and melancholy, and effortlessly shifts from whispered vulnerability to full-blown rock fury, complementing the music’s intensity. Stark black-and-white shots interweave with flashes of vibrant color, symbolizing the struggle between darkness and light.

The song was inspired by a rainy visit to Romantic poet William Wordsworth’s grave in the Lake District. The song grew into a rumination on the nature of mortality and the deal with the Devil that artists have come to feel themselves making ever since Robert Johnson proved it worthwhile back in the 1930s.

“I had the chorus lyric in my head since I visited Grasmere for a wedding back in 2012,” explains Bruce, “and it wasn’t difficult years later to create the rest of the song with so much rich imagery in my head!” It is a classic Dickinson/Roy Z collaboration; a catchy but heavy piece – full of melody but stripping out the spoken vocals of the verses in almost poetic fashion – maybe a further ode to the great wordsmith who inspired the title, somehow juxtaposed with music fit to raise the ghost of Robert Johnson at his metaphorical crossroads.

With a video shot entirely in a wintery Cornwall – again with Director Ryan Mackfall – we get to see Bruce the actor, a preacher no less, making his own deal with the Devil and dragging his ‘House Band from Hell’ into the bargain.

“The Mandrake Project” will be released on March 1st, via BMG. Across ten inventive, expansive, and absorbing tracks, Bruce Dickinson and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy Z, have created one of 2024’s defining rock albums. Sonically heavy and rich in musical textures, it sees Bruce bring to life a musical vision long in the making and features some of the finest vocal performances of his career.

Recorded largely at LA’s Doom Room with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist, the line-up for “The Mandrake Project” was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce’s last solo studio album, “Tyranny Of Souls”, in 2005.

Bruce Dickinson and his phenomenal band will bring the music of “The Mandrake Project” to life with a major headline tour next spring and summer. His touring band features guitarist Roy Z, drummer Dave Moreno, bass player Tanya O’Callaghan, and keyboard maestro Mistheria.

For more information regarding the tour click HERE. For more information on the comic series click HERE.