"When we first started, he did not want to sound like Iron Maiden": Roy Z on his three-decade creative partnership with Bruce Dickinson

Roy Z.

When Bruce Dickinson split from Iron Maiden in 1993, he barely let the dust settle before finding himself a new creative confidant in Roy Z, the California-based guitarist and producer working with him on 1994's Balls To Picasso and every subsequent solo release.

Bruce might have rejoined Maiden in 2000, but that didn't mean his partnership with Z was done - in fact, the pair have been toiling away at ideas for a new solo album since at least 2012. With The Mandrake Project finally brought to life this week, we asked Roy about his relationship with the Maiden frontman and how things have changed over the years...