Iron Maiden leader Steve Harris has revealed that the band had to decide whether or not they had a future after longtime drummer Nicko McBrain suffered a stroke in early 2023
McBrain eventually took part in Maiden’s Future Past Tour, but announced his retirement from the road at the end of 2024, saying he was “stepping back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle.”
Now Harris, in an interview in the new issue of Rock Candy, says that McBrain’s stroke forced Iron Maiden to consider their future.
 be honest, we didn’t really have a choice and had to make the change after Nicko suffered his health issues,” says Harris. “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.”
Since leaving, McBrain has continued to play with his Iron Maiden tribute act Tiutanium Tart, and recently launched the Metal Sticks Podcast with Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni.
“Heavy Metal, Drumming and Iron Maiden have been my life, and have given me so much,” says McBrain. “Now David and I can host a show that brings the audience inside the process, celebrating Heavy Metal, Iron Maiden and the amazing community that it embodies. We created the show that we would love to watch as both fans and musicians alike
