Sometimes the best albums are the ones that never quite happened the first time around. Bruce Dickinson‘s 1994 solo effort, Balls To Picasso, never quite captured his original vision, which was even more expansive in scope and ambition. Three decades later, with technology that would make ’90s engineers weep with envy, Iron Maiden’s frontman is finally unleashing the beast he always intended.
More Balls To Picasso arrives July 25 as a completely reimagined version featuring new recordings, orchestral arrangements, and enhanced production. Swedish guitarist Philip Näslund adds heavier guitar work while Brazilian composer Antonio Teoli contributes Amazon indigenous instruments. The project coincides with Dickinson’s first North American solo tour in nearly 30 years, starting August 22—proof that rock legends still fighting for overdue Hall of Fame recognition aren’t done evolving.
It represents what Dickinson calls a “labour of love” that emerged while he was mixing his back catalog for Dolby Atmos. What started as a technical exercise became something far more ambitious, like discovering unreleased Beatles tracks in your streaming algorithm.
The original Balls To Picasso arrived during Dickinson’s Iron Maiden hiatus, establishing his solo credibility with classics like “Tears Of The Dragon.” But this isn’t your typical remaster with better EQ and louder drums. The new version includes part re-recorded, remixed, and newly mastered tracks that reimagine it as a fresh and contemporary release.
Philip Näslund delivers beefed-up rhythm guitars while Adassi Addasi contributes additional work on “Tears Of The Dragon.” But the real wild card comes from Antonio Teoli, who added stunning orchestral arrangements and indigenous instruments from the Amazon to “Gods Of War.” It’s an unexpected blend that highlights how guitar and bass roles in metal evolve beyond tradition—because nothing says heavy metal like Amazonian percussion, right? Actually, it works.
“Shoot All The Clowns” benefits from a horn section featuring musicians from Berklee College of Music, while the entire project receives mixing from Brendan Duffey, who worked on The Mandrake Project. Even original producer Shay Baby provided notes for the reimagining.
The package includes two previously unreleased live-in-the-studio tracks of “Gods Of War” and “Shoot All The Clowns” — because if you’re going to revisit the past, might as well unearth some buried treasure.
This release strategically positions itself between Dickinson’s acclaimed 2024 album The Mandrake Project and his first extensive North American solo tour in nearly three decades, starting this August. The tour includes festival appearances at Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, and Brazil’s The Town Festival.
For collectors, the album arrives in deluxe formats, including a splatter vinyl double LP and tri-panel digisleeve CD. Physical media isn’t dead when you make it this appealing.
More Balls To Picasso proves that sometimes artistic vision needs time to catch up with available technology. When streaming algorithms favor singles over albums and attention spans shrink faster than vinyl pressing runs, Dickinson doubles down on ambitious, full-length artistic statements. That’s exactly the kind of creative stubbornness the music world needs more of.
