IRON MAIDEN's NICKO MCBRAIN On 'The Book Of Souls': 'It's An Absolutely Stunning Piece Of Work'

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain was interviewed yesterday (Wednesday, July 15) in the studios of the 98.7 The Gater radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida. You can watch the chat below.

Speaking about IRON MAIDEN's forthcoming album, the 92-minute "The Book Of Souls", Nicko said: "It's an absolutely stunning piece of work. As everybody knows, it's been in the making for a while, and it's definitely worth the wait."

He added: "Every time you make a record, it's the best record you've ever made. This one, without a doubt, is the best record we've ever made. Sonically, it's brilliant, the compositions of the songs are fantastic. It does come in at 92 minutes, but… yeah."

McBrain also talked about MAIDEN's 2016 touring plans in support of "The Book Of Souls". He said: "It's still up in the air as to where and when. It's gonna be a big one, I'm sure. Rod's [Smallwood, IRON MAIDEN manager] told us not to do anything for two years, so… No. We really don't know yet."

A listening party for "The Book Of Souls" will be held on September 3 at Rock N Roll Ribs, the barbecue restaurant owned by McBrain and close friend Mitch Tanne, in Coral Springs, Florida.

"The Book Of Souls" will include "Empire Of The Clouds", an 18-minute track penned by MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear after being diagnosed with a tumor on his tongue late last year.

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris told Kerrang! magazine about the song: "I think it's a masterpiece, actually. I think I can say that because I didn't write it! It sounds like MAIDEN, but it's totally different from what we've done before."

He continued: "Eighteen minutes sounds like a long time, but it's actually such a journey that… Well, it's best just to leave people to listen to it and see what they think. But it's very interesting. It's certainly not boring."

"I think you'll see on this album that there's lots going on. There's a hell of a lot to take in. I think there'll be bits and pieces that will hit people initially, but I think they're going to need a few listens. It's a long album. I think it's a really interesting album. Hopefully other people will think it's interesting as well."

The band announced in May that touring plans to support the album wouldn’t happen until 2016 to allow Dickinson time to fully recuperate after his successful cancer treatment.

"Whenever we do a new album, we always go out with a new stage show; that's exciting in itself," Harris said. "We always feel like every show is sacred these days anyway, and I suppose even more so now after the scare with what's happened with Bruce. It makes everything more important to us."

He continued: "'The Book Of Souls' is a really powerful album, we're really proud of it and we can't wait to come out and play new songs on the tour. We're really looking forward to it."

Due globally on September 4 through Parlophone Records (Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG in the U.S.),"The Book Of Souls" was recorded in Paris, France with producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added earlier this year.