In an period the place stay performances are sometimes polished with pre-recorded components, Iron Maiden stays unwavering in its dedication to authenticity. Frontman Bruce Dickinson has made it clear that the legendary band won’t ever resort to backing tracks or studio methods to boost their stay reveals.
Talking to Basic Rock journal, the 66-year-old vocalist insisted that if the band ever reaches a degree the place they cannot ship a 100% stay efficiency, they’d somewhat step away than compromise their integrity.
“The concept you can flip it into the Disneyland Maiden through the use of backing tracks, a number of methods… No!” Dickinson acknowledged, in response to Guitar.com. “Maiden must be 100% actual — and fuc**ng fierce!”
The singer recalled a current dialog with a fan who praised the band for persevering with to carry out at such a excessive stage, to which Dickinson answered: “Yeah, and we’re doing it for actual. There is no detuning”. When the fan talked about that many artists depend on backing tracks, Dickinson shut the concept down instantly: “I stated: ‘No! No, no! If we use backing tracks, that is the day I stop. Or the day we cease. If it is not actual, it is not Maiden.'”
Bassist Steve Harris additionally added his opinion on the matter, saying that they’re going to know when it is time to cease: “I feel you’d know in your self if you cannot minimize it anymore. And I wish to suppose that we’re nonetheless on the market giving it giant.”
This is not the primary time Dickinson has voiced his disdain for the trade’s rising reliance on synthetic enhancements. Throughout an look on the Wealthy Roll podcast (transcribed by Blabbermouth), he reiterated that the band nonetheless performs songs of their unique key with out detuning – one thing many getting older artists go for to accommodate vocal limitations.
“We nonetheless play all of the songs within the unique key; we do not drop, downtune, and stuff like that. We nonetheless play all the pieces too quick, as a result of we’re all excited. We have by no means performed to click on tracks or like time code and all the pieces else now, ‘trigger I see a whole lot of bands now, and I am going, ‘Cling on a minute. Hey, you sang that with out shifting your lips.’ So there’s all these backing vocals being flown in left, proper, and middle and all the pieces. However we do not do any of that. All the things is analog and actual. So we’re type of old fashioned in that respect. However I feel that pays dividends ‘trigger the viewers understands that actuality is more and more type of uncommon now,” he quipped.
This philosophy is shared throughout the band. Guitarist Adrian Smith additionally criticized the usage of pre-recorded components in a 2019 interview with the New York Publish, expressing concern that music is changing into too reliant on expertise: “I see it with a whole lot of youthful bands, and I do not suppose it is a good factor in any respect. I imply, the music is getting too technical now. You’ve got computerized recording methods, which we use, however I feel we use them extra for comfort than as a result of we have to”
“We have toured with a few bands that use tapes — it is not actual. You are purported to play stay; it must be stay. I do not agree with utilizing tapes … I feel it is an actual disgrace,” Smith concluded.
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