Nicko McBrain is going to present a “spectacular” drum set for Iron Maiden’s The Book Of Souls World.

McBrain told Metal Shock Finland, “There’s something very very special that they’ve done for me on this drum kit, which I can’t really tell you about cos it’s gonna be revealed at the first show. It’s an absolute splendid, spectacular drum set and I think it’s probably gonna top the Somewhere In Time kit and that’s 30 years ago.

Speaking about The Book Of Souls, McBrain stated, “Every album we’ve made is the best album we’ve ever made. If not in people’s interpretation of the music, it was in terms of the way we made it and the bond that we had after all these years. We had the best fun in William Tell Studios in Paris – we wrote in the studio, which is the first time we’ve ever actually done it. The whole album was written in the studio.”

The Book Of Souls World Tour will open in the US in late February with Ed Force One flying in for three shows before, in early March, heading into Central America visiting Mexico, followed by a much anticipated first ever concert in El Salvador and a return to Costa Rica. Ed Force One then proceeds into South America for concerts in Argentina, Chile and a number of shows in Brazil before flying back to the USA at the end of March for ten more cities covering the USA and, of course, Canada in the first two weeks of April.

A long awaited return to Japan follows later in April, and then the band are delighted to be playing their first ever shows in China before heading to New Zealand and Australia for a comprehensive tour during the first half of May. Shows in South Africa, Maiden’s first visit there with Bruce, will be the last port of call before Ed Force One heads to Europe for a very extensive tour starting in late May and finishing in early August. This will the first time Ed Force One has ever been used on any European Tour dates (other than Bruce’s Fan Club trips to shows) and will provide transport there for at least for the first few weeks.

Dates announced so far can be found here (with ticket links).