BRUCE DICKINSON Postpones Last Two Shows Of Spoken-Word Tour After COVID-19 Diagnosis In His Household

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson has postponed the last two dates on his U.K. spoken-word tour after a member of his "immediate household" tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The news of the postponement was shared earlier today via MAIDEN's social media sites. The full statement reads as follows: "Due to a member of Bruce's immediate household having tested positive for Covid-19, it is with great regret that the final two shows of his 'Evening With' tour cannot go ahead as planned tonight at the Birmingham Alexandra or tomorrow at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London. Despite Bruce himself having tested negative today and throughout this tour, he now has to isolate for the next 10 days under current UK Government rules. He is understandably very upset that he won't see you all for these final 2 shows but the safety and well-being of the fans, as well as the crew and venue-staff, obviously comes first.

"Please keep hold of your tickets for now and bear with us while we work with our promoter to endeavour to reschedule the dates. We thank you for your patience and understanding, in these still very uncertain times of the global pandemic. We’ll post all news and updates on ironmaiden.com as soon as we have a solution."

IRON MAIDEN's new album, "Senjutsu", will be released on September 3 via BMG. It was recorded in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris.

The video for the LP's first single, "The Writing On The Wall", was made by BlinkInk based on a concept by Dickinson with two former Pixar executives. It followed a month-long teaser campaign and global "treasure hunt" for clues about the track title and concept.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai themed cover artwork, based on an idea by bassist Steve Harris. With a running time of a little under 82 minutes, "Senjutsu", like their previous record "The Book Of Souls", will be a double CD/triple vinyl album.

IRON MAIDEN hadn't released any fresh music since "The Book Of Souls", which was recorded in late 2014 in Paris, France with Shirley.

"The Book Of Souls" was the longest MAIDEN album, clocking in at 92 minutes, with lyrics heavily based in the themes of death, reincarnation, the soul and mortality.