Bruce Dickinson will record his next solo album live in January.
The Iron Maiden frontman has set him and his band the challenge of recording the follow-up to 2024’s The Mandrake Project completely live, insisting he only intends to “redo it” if it “really stinks”.
He told Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho on his Talk Is Jericho podcast: “We’re doing it old-school, live, in January.
“[We’ll be] going into the studio and recording everything on the floor.”
Bruce explained: “We’re doing it, everybody on the floor, with the intention of keeping it all. Not with, ‘Oh, we’re gonna do it, everybody on the floor, and then we’re gonna keep the drums and re-record everything.’ No! The idea is, we’re gonna keep it all. Only if it really stinks will we redo it.”
The songs were demoed in April, before being redone in August.
Early next year, the musicians will return to the studio for three weeks, during which Bruce hopes to have completed “85, 90 percent” of the recording.
Praising his band, he added: “Everybody’s pretty switched on.
“You didn’t need to tell anybody twice. Really, really impressive; musical chops, off the charts.”
At the age of 67, Bruce shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
After wrapping the 2025 leg of Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary Run For Your Lives tour in early August, Bruce and his solo band kicked off their North American trek in California on August 22, which concluded on October 5.
Iron Maiden have a busy schedule in 2026, with the continuation of the Run For Your Lives tour May through to July.
The heavy metal titans recently announced a huge headliner at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England on July 11.