Search - Bruce Dickinson :: Skunkworks (Dlx)

Skunkworks

civilwarhero | Naples, Italy | 04/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Skunkworks marked a key turning point for Bruce Dickinson (not to mention the eventually reunited Iron Maiden). Capitalizing flawlessly on his absolutely incomparable voice, all his works after this move up an echelon, meaningfully and superbly written to best compliment his terrific range and depth. Oddly overlooked during the '90s infatuation with finding "new sounds." Working with some very talented "Gen X" professionals, this effort of the Master puts most of the era's contemporaries to shame. Whatever the chemistry, it's too bad the band didn't stick together for more albums. This is a "must-have" for just about ANY music collector."

The Not-Bruce Album

Jenny Johnson | Dallas, TX | 03/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for Iron Maiden-esque Bruce or something along the same lines as Balls to Picasso or you are a metal purist, this album is not for you.



But if you are open-minded, a fan of Bruce Dickinson's amazing voice, range and creativity, you will absolutely LOVE this one. I've been a Maiden/Bruce fan since Day 1 and at first I was set on my ear by the grunge overtones in Skunkworks (Headswitch)... but it's now a favorite in my collection.



Bruce proves himself a Renaissance Man with the diverse and interesting subject matter (Strange Death in Paradise, Space Race) mixed with introspective peeks (Meltdown, Faith) you don't get from Maiden lyrics and even his own solos.



This one soars."

Falling from grace leaves a cold empty space in the sky

Renfield | Edmonton, Canada | 02/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"1996 marked quite an interesting year in music. Korn had released their abysmal follow-up "Life is Peachy", Sepultura released the Slightly-nu-metal-with-tribal-elements "Roots" (sometimes known as "The Roots of Sepultura"), and Metallica had released their disaster of an album named "Load". And here, Bruce Dickinson released the alternative/grunge-ish "Skunkworks".



Lots of people have panned this album for being not as hardcore as his other ones, though generally I think it's a fantastic album, and a heavily underrated masterpiece. In fact, it's an album I have an addiction to right now! There's lots of great stuff to be heard here, and lots of great lyrics.



"Space Race" starts off the album on an alternative note, and is a great start to what is a fantastic album. "Back From the Edge" is a slightly more upbeat song, and is very typical Bruce. The first single comes next, entitled "Inertia". It's a slightly slower song, but in a good sense. It has a slow start, then gets into a more alternative type song. I must say, the video is quite odd, and I am not fond of the whole "Bruce decapitating himself" bit! "Meltdown" is a great, sort of Soundgarden-ish tune that reminds me a bit of "Spoonman" by Soundgarden.



"Solar Confinement" is a catchy number, and despite the chorus being repetitive is quite singalong-able. "Dreamstate" is a slow-in-the-verses and heavy-chorus song, and one of the best songs on the album.



The best two songs though are "Inside The Machine", a fast paced and catchy tune with a singalong-able chorus, "Headswitch", a song that is very grunge-ish. I like how Bruce sings in the lower octave, it sounds very sinister. "Meltdown" follows, and is a very cool song, despite the chorus being a tad repetitive. The last song, "Strange Death in Paradise" sort of ends the album on a weak note, though the lyrics are pretty cool. Maybe I need to let this one sink it's teeth into me a bit more, I'm not sure.



In short, you either love it or you hate it. I am on the love side, and if you really let it grow on you, you will be listening to this for days!"