Nicko McBrain is open to contributing to a new Iron Maiden album should they make one.
The 74-year-old sticksman has appeared on every album by the heavy metal legends since 1983’s Piece of Mind, but he was forced to quit touring with Bruce Dickinson and co in 2024 after suffering a mini-stroke.
Although Nicko is up for recording “a couple of songs”, touring the record would prove challenging.
Speaking on Berlin’s Star FM, he was asked if a new album had been discussed with him, to which he replied: “No. It’s a moot point right now. I spoke to Steve last week. I didn’t broach the fact of doing an album. He came to my restaurant [in Florida] in February or March earlier this year, and we sat and had a good chat. And I said to him, ‘You [will take] some time off [from touring] next year. Are you going to think about doing a new record?’ And he went, ‘No, I haven’t thought about it, Nick.’ So having said that, that doesn’t mean to say that there may not be an album. It’s just that he’s not prepared yet, as then, to think about doing a record. I know Bruce [Dickinson, frontman] would like to do one.”
Iron Maiden’s last studio album was 2021’s Senjutsu. It has crossed Nicko’s mind that Maiden might be holding off on a new album because of the pressure to tour it. However, they’ve just extended their mammoth Run For Your Lives World Tour after initially planning to take a year off in 2027, with further shows in the US next year.
He continued: “But you gotta bear in mind, if they make an album, you gotta go out and tour it. So there’s another couple of years down the line to, first of all, you’ve gotta get the album made, get it made and distribute it and all that. And then that’s more time, more time. Then you’ve gotta go tour it. Not to say the fact that they don’t wanna go out and tour, but we’re all getting long in the tooth now. And these are high-energy shows. I’m not saying that they’re gonna retire, but here’s the thing: if you do another record, you’re gonna have to go out and tour it. And that’s a world tour, over two years. That’s in my head. I’m thinking, well, is that what’s keeping them from doing an album? I don’t know. But at the minute, there’s no plan on doing a record. But if they do, I would love to do a couple of songs on it. Why not?”
British Lion’s Simon Dawson is the band’s touring drummer in the place of Nicko.
