Envision Radio Networks’ Hangar 19 recently scored the rare opportunity to interview STEVE HARRIS of IRON MAIDEN. Promoting his first-ever solo release British Lion, Harris took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Hangar 19 host Cutter and parts of that interview aired this past weekend on the show. The full uncut interview is now available.

During this exclusive interview, Harris spoke in great detail about the new album and why he decided to release it out now. Harris explained, “Because it’s finally ready to come out; it’s taken forever and a day.” He joked that “this album took longer than bloody Lord Of The Rings to come out.”

The new album presents the veteran Iron Maiden bassist with the opportunity to play club shows – something that he hasn’t had the chance to do with Iron Maiden in decades. He’s looking forward to the challenge and says that between the smaller shows he’ll play in support of British Lion and the larger shows he’ll continue to play with Iron Maiden; it will be the “best of both worlds.”

Classic metal fans will enjoy hearing Harris ruminate on the issue of sound quality and audio formats (while it’s not his first choice, MP3s are “way better than cassettes or vinyl”), plus he shares the latest on Maiden, including the scoop on how they keep things fresh after so many years.

Listen to the full interview below:

Steve Harris

"Metal" Tim Henderson from BraveWords.com caught up with Harris at Maiden's recent Toronto stop of their Maiden England Tour, at the Molson Amphitheatre. The chat can be seen in two parts below:

A video for the track 'This Is My God', from British Lion, can be viewed below:

The lineup on British Lion is as follows:

Steve Harris - bass

Richard Taylor - lead vocals

David Hawkins - guitar, keyboards

Grahame Leslie - guitar

Simon Dawson - drums

A BraveWords.com review of British Lion can be read here.