The rocker is set to tour in support of his new album

Ahead of the release of the album, The Mandrake Project via BMG on March 1st and the start of a four-month tour, Bruce Dickinson has revealed the addition of two new guitarists in the touring lineup.

Swedish-born guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum credited producer Philip Naslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who incidentally played on the current single, “Rain On The Graves”) will add their fire to band members Dave Moreno, Mistheria and Tanya O’Callaghan.

“Sadly, and with regret, guitarist and producer Roy Z will no longer join the band on tour due to some personal commitments,” explains Dickinson. “He will remain in LA to work on some remixing and remastering of the catalog. We all know the show must go on though, and this project is too important to everyone to not be the very best it can be. I’m gutted about Roy because he assembled most of the album and touring band, introducing Mistheria & Dave Moreno to the project and mentoring guitarist Chris Declerq. I’m so excited about what both Philip and Chris will bring on stage together and now my only ambition is to grab a little piece of the audiences’ hearts every night.”

The first chance to see the six-piece live will now be at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California on April 15th with tickets going on sale to the general public on Tuesday, February 20th at 10 am PST via Ticketmaster.

“We’re not afraid of doing some growing up in public” explains Dickinson “so this show will be a close to a rehearsal as you can get – it’s exciting to think what these musicians can do – and will do, when there are over one thousand fans in the room!”

Sonically heavy and rich in musical textures, The Mandrake Project sees Dickinson bring to life a musical vision long in the making. Created with co-writer and producer Roy Z, they have crafted one of the defining rock albums of 2024.

The Mandrake Project is not just an album, but a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius. Created by Dickinson, the comic series is scripted by Tony Lee and stunningly illustrated by Staz Johnson for Z2 Comics, released as 12 quarterly issues that will be collected into three annual graphic novels with the first coming at the end of 2024. The first individual episode was released in comic shops on January 17th and the special Collectors Edition sold out within 48 hours of release.

Dickinson and his phenomenal band will bring the music of The Mandrake Project to life with a major headline tour this spring and summer. Support in the UK, Paris & Tilburg comes from New Zealand up-and-coming rockers Black Smoke Trigger.