Bruce Dickinson Dabbles in Outlaw Country on New Song

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has just released a music video for "Rain on the Graves," the slight outlaw country-tinged single from his forthcoming solo album, The Mandrake Project.

The track appears third on the album and is the second single, following the thumping "Afterglow of Ragnarok," which came out in late November of last year. “I had the chorus lyric in my head since I visited Grasmere for a wedding back in 2012,” explains Dickinson, “and it wasn’t difficult years later to create the rest of the song with so much rich imagery in my head!”

The video itself is quite cinematic, adopting a hue that aligns perfectly with the dustier vibe of the music, at least when it comes to the verses. In an interview with Loudwire, Dickinson calls the video "a full-on homage to Hammer [Film Productions]," referencing the historic film studio that released horror classics such as Dracula and The Mummy.

Regarding musical influences on The Mandrake Project, Dickinson also tells Loudwire, "There's bits of Johnny Cash in there lurking, especially on 'Rain on the Graves.'"

"I'm using different areas of my voice that didn't exist 30 years ago," he says, noting, "I can see a lot of things I can do with my voice now that I wouldn't have been able to do 30 years ago. I don't know why, maybe the quality of the voice, especially in the lower registers. I can still do the high, squeaky stuff."

Watch the video for "Rain on the Graves" below.

Look for The Mandrake Project to be released on March 1 and pre-order your copy here.

Bruce Dickinson, "Rain on the Graves" Music Video

Separately from the aforementioned interview, Loudwire hosted an "In Conversation" live event with Dickinson last week (Jan. 16) and the full chat can be viewed below.

The event preceded the release of the first of 12 The Mandrake Project comics, out now on Z2 Comics.