"We will not, of course, touch the subject of album’s libretto and the comic books, because we’ll be running out of space if we start analysing them. Still, it’s very tempting for me to share a revelation that occurred to me earlier today. I heard the word mandrake for the first time back in 1988, in MAIDEN’s seventh studio album and I haven’t heard it from Bruce since then. Until now, when it is used in the title of his own seventh studio album. I do not know if it is a deliberate move, but I do believe that this is a kind of Ouroboros that perfectly reflects the span of the creative thinking in ‘The Mandrake Project’."

These are just the final lines on STIFF's album review for BRUCE DICKINSON's latest offering.

READ THE FULL TEXT HERE