BRUCE DICKINSON · Skunkworks | BLACK 2LP

Black double vinyl in gatefold cover with printed inner sleeves.

Background information about 'Skunkworks'

Let's be real for a second: when Bruce Dickinson dropped Skunkworks back in 1996, a lot of folks didn't quite know what to make of it. Coming hot off the heels of his solo masterpiece The Chemical Wedding... wait, no, that came later. This was the album where Bruce went full-on alternative rock, grunge-infused, and honestly? It rules. Now remastered and pressed on double vinyl for 2017, this reissue gives the record the presentation it always deserved.

The Iron Maiden frontman stepped way outside the comfort zone here, trading galloping metal riffs for fuzz-drenched guitars, spacey atmospheres, and a raw, almost garage-rock energy. Tracks like "Space Race" and "Back from the Edge" hit with a swagger that's pure 90s alt-rock, while "Inertia" and "Faith" reveal a more introspective, almost melancholic side of Dickinson's songwriting. "Solar Confinement" and "Dreamstate" lean into the sci-fi themes that Bruce has always loved, but filtered through a lens of thick, distorted guitars and pounding drums. The whole thing sounds like a band locked in a room, cranking their amps to eleven, and just going for it. This is not your dad's Iron Maiden — this is Bruce Dickinson unshackled, exploring new territory with a hunger that's palpable in every riff and every snarled vocal line. The 2017 remaster breathes new life into these tracks, bringing out the low-end punch and the grittier edges that made this album a cult classic.

For fans of:
Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, The Cult, Danzig, Therapy?

Track listing

LP 1:
A1. Space Race
A2. Back From The Edge
A3. Inertia
B1. Faith
B2. Solar Confinement
B3. Dreamstate
B4. I Will Not Accept The Truth

LP 2:
C1. Inside The Machine
C2. Headswitch
C3. Meltdown
D1. Octavia
D2. Innerspace
D3. Strange Death In Paradise

Manufacturer: Universal Music GmbH, Mühlenstrasse 25, 10243 Berlin, Germany, Contact: www.universalmusic.com