Tyranny Of Souls

Everything was going well for Bruce Dickinson in 2005. His reunion with Iron Maiden had been heralded by fans around the globe, the band had released two new albums and were still killing it live, and Bruce had time to do his flying as well. Yet he'd always planned on releasing another studio album, and thus set to work on that with his staunch amigo Roy Z. This time around, the duo would create the killer breath of wind that is Tyranny Of Souls, an updated look at the Bruce Dickinson solo canon.

The Chemical Wedding was a very heavy album, but this record seemed in many ways like it intended to top its predecessor. The openings to "Abduction" and "Soul Intruders" for instance, feel like an eruption of aggression, although it's quite controlled to suit the creators. There are also some more lush moments, though, including the ending to "Kill Devil Hill" and all of "Navigate The Seas Of The Sun", but as a whole it's well-balanced to keep things in check.

On the lyrical side, Bruce dips his toes in several subjects, from Shakespeare and demons to aliens and the Wright brothers. What is displayed thus is a mosaic of interests from the singer, and it's all pulled off quite well indeed. The album also features two rather controversial tracks in "Devil On A Hog" and "Believil" - ask some fans and they'll tell you that they're fantastic, and ask others and they'll tell you that Bruce was really scraping the barrel this time around. As with everything else, it's all in the ears of the listeners.

Tyranny would prove to be the last solo Bruce record to date (although he's teased a further outing over the years). It's a strong piece to end on, certainly. Perhaps it doesn't scale the heights of Accident Of Birth or The Chemical Wedding, but then, it doesn't need to. It's a very good piece of the Dickinson pie.