Bruce Dickinson says he was prepared to find a new singer for Iron Maiden during cancer battle

NME

Bruce Dickinson has revealed that he was prepared to find Iron Maiden a new singer when he was battling throat cancer.

• READ MORE: Iron Maiden – ‘Senjutsu’ review: an imaginative instant classic

In 2014, the longtime metal singer was diagnosed with throat and tongue cancer. In 2015, he underwent chemotherapy and treatment for the “golf ball” sized growth on his tongue. In May that year, he was given the all-clear, and began working his way back to singing and performing live with Iron Maiden.

However, the frontman has now revealed in a chat on the Rich Roll podcast – per Blabbermouth – that he was prepared to leave the band and find his replacement so they could carry on performing.

He explained: “When I had throat cancer, the last thing on my mind was, ‘Would I ever sing again?’ The first thing on my mind is, ‘Am I gonna get through this and be alive?’ And the last thing on my mind was would I ever sing again? And I thought, ‘Well, we’ll get to that stage when I’m done and we start trying to sing.’

Dickinson continued: “And I was quite prepared to accept that I might not be able to sing with Iron Maiden again. I might be able to sing, I might be able to vocalise, I might be able to sing in a different way, but if I couldn’t sing the way I have to sing with Iron Maiden, I’ll help them find a great replacement. Because the music is sacrosanct.”

Thankfully for Dickinson, he was soon able to get his singing back to where he needed it to be for Iron Maiden, and the band would go on numerous tours between 2016 and present year.

Iron Maiden most recently released the album ‘Senjutsu’ in 2021. The album scored a four-star review, with Rhys Buchanan writing for NME: “‘Senjutsu’ is an instant classic in Iron Maiden’s 41-year journey. The powerhouse metal sound that’s earned them a religious following in every far-flung corner of the globe remains firm. But here, they take things further; ultimately letting imaginations run wild in an album that’s more confident and idea-packed than ever before.”

In other Iron Maiden-related news, the band’s original vocalist Paul Di’Anno – who had recorded their first two albums, ‘Iron Maiden’ and ‘Killers’ – in October died at the age of 66. The band wrote on on X/Twitter that Di’Anno’s contributions to their early sound “helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades,” and added that his “pioneering presence” would be “fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world.”

The band have also announced a new string of UK and European tour dates for 2025. You can find the full list of dates and ticket details here. 

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