Nicko McBrain, the legendary drummer of IRON MAIDEN, has confirmed that he remains a member of the band despite retiring from touring nearly a year ago. In a recent interview with Jason Green of Waste Some Time With Jason Green, McBrain reflected on his ongoing connection with the band and his potential involvement in future projects.
“I’m still a member of the band, but what does that mean exactly? Well, I’m still part of the family, so I do a lot of work with the fan club, and I’m going out and doing still Iron Maiden-related stuff [at conventions like Son Of Monsterpalooza]. And, yeah, it’s great,” he said ( as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
When asked about the possibility of contributing to a new IRON MAIDEN album, McBrain said, “First of all, there’s no plans to make a new album as yet. That could change. So if that’s the case, maybe I’ll be asked to do a couple of songs.”
However, fans shouldn’t expect a new studio record anytime soon. Band founder and bassist Steve Harris has long expressed his hesitancy when it comes to writing new material, describing the process as intense and exhausting. As noted in a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Harris admitted, “Composing is stressful. I lock myself away and torture myself for a few weeks. I wouldn’t say it’s traumatic, but it’s a lot of work.” While frontman Bruce Dickinson has expressed enthusiasm for creating new music, Harris’s cautious approach suggests that any new album remains a distant prospect.
McBrain also opened up about the health challenges that led to his decision to step back from touring. He suffered a stroke in January 2023, which left him partially paralyzed on his right side. The condition affected his ability to perform fast drum patterns, particularly the high-speed rolls and fills that are a hallmark of IRON MAIDEN‘s sound.
“I had a stroke in ’23, in January, January the 19th, to be exact,” McBrain explained. “It left my right side paralyzed down to the waist and just slightly below. I couldn’t move my leg very well. Anyway, it left me with a handicap of not being able to play fast single-stroke rolls, 16th notes, 32nd notes, a tempo like that, and then on from there. You need two hands to do that kind of speed, and [my right arm] just didn’t work [the same way] anymore.”
He added that the decision to retire from touring was largely his own, in agreement with the band. “We used to have to change the drum fills on various songs over the last two tours… But going forward, there were songs on this new set that I knew I would have difficulty playing, and we wouldn’t want to change them. So, I had a big conversation with Steve [Harris], and I told him, ‘Look, I’m finding it very difficult with all the traveling and the recuperating time.’ He said, ‘Okay, I get it. And maybe it’s best.’ And so it was more of 80 percent me, 20 percent in agreement with the rest of the guys to hang it up. And that’s why I retired.”
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