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.

Firmly established as a solo artist, Bruce could easily have settled into a cosy routine of pumping out sparky hard rock albums every couple of years, and keeping his still vast fanbase happy. Instead, he took a far more daring route, embracing the cutting edge alt-rock sound of the mid-’90s and conjuring the dark, gritty “Skunkworks” album in 1996. Named in tribute to the alias used by US aerospace titan Lockheed’s Advanced Development Programs, the source of many legendary aircraft designs, “Skunkworks” was originally to be the name of Bruce’s new band, but after concerns that the absence of the singer’s name would limit the new project’s potential, it became the album’s title. Produced by underground rock legend Jack Endino, “Skunkworks” has stood the test of time incredibly well, Bruce’s harnessing of less traditional heavy tropes, the vibrant performances of his young cohorts, and a generous sprinkling of sci-fi imagery, combining to thrilling effect, particularly on album highlights ‘Space Race’, ‘Back From The Edge’ and ‘Inside The Machine’.