Singer, songwriter, pilot, author, fencing champ, air raid siren, force of nature: Bruce Dickinson is simply a man for whom many of the normal rules and restrictions of life do not seem to apply. Heavy metal’s premier Renaissance man is, of course, best known as vocalist and frontman with Iron Maiden, the greatest British metal band of all time and, some four decades after they originally formed, still one of the most widely adored bands on the planet. But as anyone that has followed Bruce’s story will tell you, singing with Maiden is just one part of his grand, substantial and fascinating musical life. Remarkably, given that he is just as likely to be found flying an airliner, Bruce has amassed a formidable catalogue as a solo artist, releasing six extraordinary studio albums that, at this point, represent his freewheeling efforts to date.

The key moment in Bruce’s evolution as a solo artist unfolded following his departure from Maiden in 1993, after which he joined forces with guitarist and producer Roy Z for 1994’ssophomore triumph “Balls To Picasso”. Backed by Roy’s noted Latino rock crew Tribe Of Gypsies, he began to spread his compositional wings, edging towards a noticeably heavier sound – despite, rumour has it, pressure from Bruce’s label to be more radio-friendly – and flexing those metal muscles with renewed vigour on the likes of ‘Cyclops’, ‘1000 Points Of Light’, the exhilarating ‘Laughing In The Hiding Bush’ and towering prog-tinged power ballad ‘Tears Of The Dragon’, a somewhat oblique, but undeniably affecting paean, to Bruce’s feelings upon leaving Maiden to forge a new path.