Bruce Dickinson has reflected on the fan outcry which followed his departure from Iron Maiden in 1993.
In a brand-new video interview with Metal Hammer, the legendary heavy metal vocalist admits that he didn’t understand the controversy around his exit, saying that he doesn’t feel the same “tribal thing” that many people have with their favourite bands or football teams.
“My wife did tell me this afterwards: ‘You know the problem was, when you left, it didn’t matter if you’d made the best record in the world – nobody could listen to it,’” Dickinson recalls, referring to his 1994 solo album, Balls To Picasso.
He elaborates: “‘Nobody was gonna give it a shot because it was just so overwhelming that you weren’t there in Maiden anymore.’ And I was just like, ‘I don’t understand that.’ It’s the same reason why I don’t support a football club. I support the best football club; I don’t support a football club.
“I don’t get that tribal thing. I understand that it’s why people love Maiden a lot, I understand that, but I find it hard to locate that inside me as a general way of going about my life.”
Dickinson left Maiden due to creative frustrations, wanting to explore other musical avenues and dedicate himself to his solo career. His solo debut, Tattooed Millionaire, had come out in 1990 and been a moderate chart success, reaching number 14 on the UK charts and seven in Finland. It was certified Silver in the UK 10 days after it came out.
After releasing Balls To Picasso and three more solo albums – 1996’s Skunkworks, 1997’s Accident Of Birth and 1998’s The Chemical Wedding – Dickinson reunited with Maiden in 1999. He reclaimed his spot from his replacement Blaze Bayley, with whom Maiden had released two divisive albums, The X Factor (1995) and Virtual XI (1998).
Talking to Hammer, Dickinson says that his return, along with that of guitarist Adrian Smith the same year, sparked a “creative explosion” as the band wrote 2000’s acclaimed Brave New World.
“It really was a brave new world for us,” he explains. “Everything I’d learnt during that time away all went into the pot. If I just stayed where I was, I think Maiden would still be going – as long as Steve [Harris, bassist/founder] wants to tour, Maiden will still be going – but I’m not sure that it would be as big as we are now.”
Dickinson now balances his solo career with Maiden, having released the albums Tyranny Of Souls (2005) and The Mandrake Project (2024). Last month, the singer revealed that he hopes to record his next solo album in January 2026.
After that, he’ll return to the road with Maiden. The second European leg of the band’s Run For Your Lives world tour starts in May and will be capped off by a blockbuster show at Knebworth House in the UK in July. From August to October, they’ll bring the production to North and Central America.
Watch Hammer’s full video interview with Dickinson below.
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