Nicko McBrain has confirmed he is still an active member of the Iron Maiden “family” and has left the door open for a potential, limited return on the band’s next studio album. The legendary drummer also gave a detailed and harrowing account of the 2023 stroke that ultimately led to his decision to stop touring.
Speaking on the “Waste Some Time With Jason Green” podcast, McBrain clarified his current role, which has shifted from the stage to an ambassadorial one.
“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,” he explained.
When asked about the possibility of playing on a future Iron Maiden album, McBrain was cautiously optimistic.
“First of all, there’s no plans to make a new album as yet. That could change,” he said. “So if that that’s the case, maybe I’ll be asked to do a couple of songs.”
McBrain then opened up about the severe health crisis that forced him off the road. He revealed the exact date of his stroke and its devastating impact on his playing.
“I had a stroke in ’23, in January, January the 19th, to be exact,” he said. “And it left my right side paralyzed down to the waist and just slightly below… it left me with a handicap of not being able to play fast single-stroke rolls, 16th notes, 32nd notes, a tempo like that… You need two hands to do that kind of speed, and [my right arm] just didn’t work [the same way] anymore.”
He explained that this physical limitation, combined with the grueling nature of touring, led him to initiate the “big conversation” with bassist Steve Harris.
“I told him, ‘Look, I’m finding it very difficult with all the traveling and the recuperating time,'” McBrain recounted. He confirmed that the decision to step down was his own. “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.”
His account aligns with that of Steve Harris, who recently told Rock Candy magazine that while the band “didn’t really have a choice” due to the health issues, “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 officially announced his retirement from touring on December 7, 2024, performing his final show that night in Brazil. He has since been replaced by Simon Dawson for all live duties.
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