Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris is one smart cookie. He knows to strike when the iron is hot and at this point, his band are just about volcanic. Last year's worldwide Somewhere Back In Time tour was a sold-out phenomenon, the ensuing flick, Flight 666, is receiving rave reviews and these New Wave Of British Heavy Metal stalwarts are at an all-time high.
Therefore, he's ushering his fellow band-mates back into the studio late this year in hopes of releasing what will be their 15th full-length in a long and storied career. If they're successful, expect the "Irons to be Upped" for a 2010 tour.
"At the end of the year we'll be writing again, rehearsing and recording at the beginning of next year," guitarist Adrian Smith related to My Park Magazine. "Then we'll be back out on the road again next year. Kevin Shirley [producer] will be working on it with us and we'll probably be doing it somewhere where we've done a lot for recording in the past."
Naturally, there are a lot of expectations riding on this as yet untitled affair. The band's last outing, 2006's A Matter Of Life And Death, was adored by fans and press alike, prompting the sextet to play it in its entirety on tour. That hasn't happened with a Maiden album in, well, decades, so it's a lot to live up to.
"There's always a bit of pressure to follow up the last album. In a way it's good because it motivates you. We never get complacent; we always try our best for our own sake, as much as anything else. As far as pressure for another album, we just do what we do. We've been doing it long enough now. We know what we're doing," Smith laughs.
Therefore, he's ushering his fellow band-mates back into the studio late this year in hopes of releasing what will be their 15th full-length in a long and storied career. If they're successful, expect the "Irons to be Upped" for a 2010 tour.
"At the end of the year we'll be writing again, rehearsing and recording at the beginning of next year," guitarist Adrian Smith related to My Park Magazine. "Then we'll be back out on the road again next year. Kevin Shirley [producer] will be working on it with us and we'll probably be doing it somewhere where we've done a lot for recording in the past."
Naturally, there are a lot of expectations riding on this as yet untitled affair. The band's last outing, 2006's A Matter Of Life And Death, was adored by fans and press alike, prompting the sextet to play it in its entirety on tour. That hasn't happened with a Maiden album in, well, decades, so it's a lot to live up to.
"There's always a bit of pressure to follow up the last album. In a way it's good because it motivates you. We never get complacent; we always try our best for our own sake, as much as anything else. As far as pressure for another album, we just do what we do. We've been doing it long enough now. We know what we're doing," Smith laughs.