drummer Nicko McBrain has revealed the ongoing effects of his mini-stroke last year. The 72-year-old, who joined Iron Maiden in 1982, , but was back on the road for the first dates of the band’s tour the following June. Talking to podcast , McBrain has explained how the TIS still affects his drumming, particularly in relation to one of Iron Maiden’s most popular songs, 1983’s .
“I can’t do a 16-note roll going into 32nd-note rolls anymore,” he says (via ). “What happens is I can play eighth notes, like that kind of groove. I can do doubles, but when I try and play that 16th at that speed, instead of going up and down, it wobbles from left to right, when I start playing fast, when I try to play fast.
So I’ve had to adjust my fills now.” The drummer continues: “I don’t play the fill anymore because I can’t get it..
. It’s the speed of it. I can do everything slow, but I’ve had to make sure that as long as I can keep the groove of the song, which is normally.
..” Last month, McBrain explained that his TIS means he also , the opening track of 1986’s album.
Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! “When we were rehearsing last year for the tour, we were doing to open,” the drummer said during a concert by his side-project Titanium Tart. “Now there’s a middle section, it’s all snare drum on the record. I can’t play it.
As you probably noticed, those of you nerds that are in the .