Joe Bosso at Premier Guitar recently caught up with Iron Maiden guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers to discuss their craft. An excerpt from the interview is available below.

Q: Do you ever come up with guitar parts you think are great, but they’re not quite “Iron Maiden” and don’t make the cut?

Murray: "Absolutely. It’s happened a few times. Obviously, the band has an identity and a sound, so sometimes it’s “Yeah, that’s great, but it’s not right.” I’ve got a few things that never quite made it because they weren’t Maiden. I sit at home and put on a drum loop, and I’ll get an idea and stick it on my iPhone. Sometimes the idea fits, sometimes not. With Maiden, the quality of music is at such a high level that you have to reach high all the time. Anything below par isn’t really going to make it."

Gers: "I think whatever we do sounds like us. Sometimes you’ll bring stuff in that doesn’t quite fit as well as something else, so you’ll go on to another idea. I don’t think I’ve ever brought something in that people said wasn’t Iron Maiden. Perhaps if it was totally blues it might not be Iron Maiden, but you could probably change it and it would work. What I love about Maiden is that there’s no restrictions. On this album, there’s so many different facets of music. I think 'Empire of the Clouds' is almost like a Broadway musical. And you’ve got 'The Red and the Black', which has lots of classical connotations and Celtic riffs. “The Book of Souls” has an almost Eastern vibe to it."

Q: Back in the day, you’d spend months overdubbing and layering. Is there pressure now to get the parts right the first time?

Murray: "No, in fact it’s quite the opposite. I’ll tell you, I actually love working with Kevin, and I love how fast he works, all the Pro Tools and technology he uses. Back in the day, when you used reel-to-reel, everything took so long—it killed a lot of spontaneity. Now everything’s quick and almost on the fly. When we go in and record a track, we’re all playing together, Bruce is singing, and just like that we’ve got the foundation done. After that, when we go in to do the overdubs, I’ll go into the control room and sit next to Kevin, and we go through each of the songs bit by bit, changing things, playing solos or fixing chords. Kevin is fantastic: 'This needs a punch-up. This bit, look at that.' And if you mess up, we can move something around and make it work. I’ll do three or four solos, and then Kevin will go, 'Yeah, I’ve got enough.' So I’ll get a cup of tea, come back, and he’ll play me what he’s put together. Then I’ll go home and learn it for the next tour."

Smith: "We’ve got three guitarists, so it’s hard for everybody to do all that tinkering. If Dave is sitting there doing a solo in 20 minutes, I’m not going to spend five hours working something out. You just can’t do that. Normally the first couple of takes are the best. If there’s anything I’m really unhappy with, I’ll fix it. Maybe I’d have spent more time redoing things in the past, but not now."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Iron Maiden will headline France’s first Download Festival, on Friday, June 10th at Longchamps Racecourse, Paris. They will then fly across to England in Ed Force One, landing at East Midlands Airport next to Donington Park, to close the UK Download Festival on Sunday, June 12th. This will be Maiden’s only UK appearance. Tickets for both festivals go on sale on Friday (October 23rd).

Following Maiden’s new album, The Book Of Souls, hitting the charts at #1 in Germany, the band confirmed four exclusive shows in that country as follows:

- Rockavaria Festival at the Olympic Park, Munich from May 27th - 29th
- Rock Im Revier Festival at Gelsenkirchen from May 26th - 28th
- Wacken on August 4th

One final concert for 2016 in Germany, in Berlin, is being finalized and will be announced soon. Iron Maiden’s complete live itinerary can be found at this location.

About the return to the hallowed ground at Wacken, Bruce Dickinson says : “It’s been some time since our last show and we cannot wait to get back out on tour. Maiden thrive on touring and playing to our fans, it’s what we enjoy the most. We look forward to returning to Wacken!”

Their last shows at W:O:A in 2008 and 2010 were fantastic - in 2016 there will be a huge spectacle featuring old hymns and new hits alike. A true Night To Remember is in the making!

W:O:A promoter Holger Hübner knows exactly why he invited the British metal band to the Wacken Open Air again: “We are honored to welcome Iron Maiden in Wacken 2016. The guys are simply the best in their art and their show is always a highlight of the festival. They are the perfect band for our Night To Remember!”

All tickets will be available at Metaltix.com.

Photo by John McMurtrie