Tyranny Of Souls

2005 Sanctuary Records Official Site

Review by Rob Kern

It’s been seven years since Bruce Dickinson has released his last solo effort, the stellar The Chemical Wedding. In that time we’ve seen him reunite with Iron Maiden and spend a good chunk of those years recording and touring with the Beast that is Maiden. Solo records were hinted at over the years but time constraints always seemed to squelch the rumors as quickly as they started. Luckily, during Maiden’s down time Bruce was able to hook up with long-time collaborator Roy Z and quickly knock out an album during Roy Z’s break in producing the latest Judas Priest disc. A tight window of opportunity could force some to dash off an inferior product that lacks thought and cohesiveness; fortunately, that’s not the case here, Tyranny Of Souls is a welcome addition to the Bruce Dickinson catalog.

TOS opens up with the moody interlude “Mars Within” that segues into the standout track “Abduction.” I’ve always been a big fan of Bruce’s sci-fi and historical lyrics, both solo and with Maiden. “Soul Intruders” follows the science fiction route with a chorus and melody line that harkens back to Iron Maiden’s Somewhere In Time. Not to say the track sounds dated whatsoever, Roy Z’s riffs and guitar work give this a modern feel with confident nod to the past. Fans sometimes splinter into two camps when it comes to Bruce Dickinson; one side preferring the epic, extended Maiden songs and the other side choosing the shorter, more to the point tunes on Bruce’s solo releases. I tend to ride the fence on this argument; at times I prefer an extended Iron Maiden journey but both Brave New World and Dance Of Death had moments that tended to lag on just a bit too long. This is certainly not the case on Tyranny Of Souls; “Kill Devil Hill” clocks in at just over five minutes but the focus and pacing of the song doesn’t let it overstay its welcome.

The midway point sees a slower number, “Navigate The Seas Of The Sun.” No need to worry here, the combination of acoustic guitars and Bruce’s still-stellar pipes make “Navigate…” a worthy listen. Imagine taking a Sunday afternoon cruise in a Corvette and every now and then getting into the gas pedal and burning some pavement, just because you can. That’s the best way I can describe how Bruce applies his legendary voice on this track. “River Of No Return” picks the pace back up followed by the quick hitter “Power Of The Sun” that scores one for the fans that prefer the less-is-more constraint of Bruce’s solo work. The straight-out rock and roll “Devil On A Hog” sounds like it could have came straight from Bruce’s Tattooed Millionaire release. The dark “Believil” is one of the highlights of TOS, moody, sinister lyrics, guitar work that builds slowly to a monster riff and topped off with the soaring air raid vocals of Bruce Dickinson.

The disc wraps things up with the mini-epic title track that leaves the listener hoping it’s not another seven years between Bruce Dickinson solo efforts. Here’s to Bruce finding the time to mount a solo tour to promote this release.

Rating: 86/100