Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith has offered his most detailed reflection yet on the departure of longtime drummer Nicko McBrain, framing the decision as both painful and unavoidable as the band confronted the realities of age, health, and survival.
Speaking in a new interview with Metal Hammer España, Smith addressed McBrain’s exit from Iron Maiden in December 2024, which marked the group’s first lineup change in a quarter century. Looking back on the situation, Smith emphasized the physical toll of the role and the lasting effects of McBrain’s health issues.
“I think the Maiden drumming gig is one of the toughest, for sure. It’s very, very physical. And Nick, he had this stroke… He had a sort of a — not a full recovery. And that, unfortunately, really affected his playing. But thank God he’s doing okay now. But, yeah, it’s a serious thing. And this is life. And let’s face it, we’re not kids anymore.”
Smith went on to explain that the band exhausted every possible option before making the call to move on without McBrain behind the kit.
“It was very difficult. Very difficult. I mean, he tried the tour before last we did, Nick did his best [to keep playing with Maiden], but he knew himself that he couldn’t do what he used to do. So, we had to make the change for the band to continue. And it was heartbreaking, really. Nick was such a big — and he still is, really — a big part of the band, and he always will be. He just had a massive presence. And people love him. We all love him. And he’s an incredible drummer.”
Smith’s comments echo sentiments he shared in an earlier interview with Germany’s Metal Hammer last October, shortly after McBrain publicly announced his retirement from touring and Iron Maiden introduced Simon Dawson as his replacement.
“Yeah, it was never gonna be the same. Obviously, Nick was a massive part. He’s a big personality. It would never be the same. But it was unfortunate. He had a stroke and physically there’s nothing he could do about it, really. He tried — we all tried to help him.”
Expanding on the demands of the role, Smith again underlined how extreme Iron Maiden’s live performances are, even by heavy metal standards.
“I think the Maiden drumming gig is one of the hardest, physically. For two hours live you’ve gotta be really, really on the front foot. And, yeah, he did great to get through those [last couple of] tours, and it was quite amazing — a tribute to him, really. And he was incredible over the years. A lot of people loved him. Well, we all loved him — Well, we still do. And he’ll always be a part of the band, even now. So [it was] very sad.”
Smith also revealed that McBrain personally supported Dawson stepping into the role and continues to maintain close contact with his former bandmates.
“Simon‘s come in, and he knows Nick was a massive part of it. But Nick gave him his blessing and wished him luck. He said to me — I still talk to Nick — he said, ‘Good luck for the tour’ and everything. ‘Cause he still wants the band to do well because he still feels like he’s a bit of a part of it, and he is, really. But it’s nice to keep the music alive. It’s bigger than all of us, really, I think, is to get out there and keep that thing, whatever it is, out there and going.”
Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris previously addressed the situation in a September 2025 interview with Rock Candy magazine, reinforcing that the decision was driven by circumstance rather than choice.
“To be honest, we didn’t really have a choice and had to make the change after Nicko suffered his health issues. It was what it was, and we had a decision to make as to whether we wanted to carry on or not. Obviously we had a tour booked at the time that it happened, and the rest of us all wanted to continue. But ultimately, after we got through all that, it was Nick‘s decision to step away and we all respected the fact that he’d decided to do that.”
McBrain formally announced his retirement from touring on December 7, 2024, confirming that Iron Maiden’s show that night at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would be his final performance with the band. He has since been replaced by Simon Dawson, a longtime collaborator of Harris through British Lion.
While the lineup has changed, Smith’s comments make clear that McBrain’s presence remains deeply woven into Iron Maiden’s identity — even as the band continues forward without him onstage.
