With Iron Maiden coming to play NZ in September, frontman Bruce Dickinson has unleashed his brand new single, ‘Rain On The Graves’, alongside a sppoky music video introducing his live band - featuring Roy Z (guitarist), Dave Moreno (drummer), Tanya O’Callaghan (bass) and Mistheria (keyboard).
‘Rain On The Graves’ is the second single from Dickinson’s forthcoming solo album, The Mandrake Project, which will be released on March 1st.
The song (and video) take inspiration via a visit to William Wordsworth's grave in the Lake District.
Riding on a towering guitar riff, with dramatic keyboards and a commanding vocal performance, it was inspired by a rainy visit to Romantic poet William Wordsworth’s grave in the UK's 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 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!”
Watch the video above and let us know what you think.
