Nicko McBrain

[UpTheIrons]

Ahh...one of my fav. forums back on...or is it just that I havent been here for long ?

Anyway we can't have a Nicko McBrain ( Iron Maiden ) thread missing. Which drummer doesnt know Nicko's magical right foot ?
Any maiden fans in here, can you actually sence a bit of a jazz feel in his drumming ?
Cause he has been greatly influenced by Jazz in his youth and it appears to me that almost in every song he plays jazz grooves on the ride, while keeping a steady rock back beat on the snare.

[NUTHA JASON]

absolute legend!

saw him rocking the V festival this weekend and the man is still a powerhouse. he has such an odd drumset but boy does he play it. you only have to try to play along to maiden CDs to realise what an individual drummer he is.
and he plays paiste.
in south africa i used to own an 18'' 2002 crash he used at a concert. it had his signature on the back! had to sell it when i immigrated ...weeps.

http://www.drummerworld.com/pics/drum/dpa30/NickoMcBrain1.jpg

j

['67Rogers]

I saw him with Pat Travers back in the mid 80s. Definate power jazz grooves and blazing single bass drum. Totally in the pocket and driving. Uber-drummer! You could get a sense that he LIVES behind the drumset. One of my favorite players.

[CarterB_Junkie]

In a Maiden DVD he said that his first inspiration for starting on the drums was the great Joe Morelo and the classic Take Five track, the guy is over 50 so his first inspirations are jazz drummers as all of the rock drummers of the 60's.


Nicko is just great and still kickin after all these years but don't forget he took also great inspiration from Maiden's first drummer Clive Burr who was also an incredible drummer that now has a serious disease unfortunately.

Nicko was amazing on the Powerslave cd and Live After Death !

Up the Irons, Jazz Fans !

[Superlow]

Nicko is a beast. He definitely has that old school feel to him. He seems to utilize having such a big drum kit as well. He always seems to get off a few of the long winded tom fills in most of the songs.

[Wegadrummer]

one of a kind! he is such a great drummer.. i love his sence of groove and fills, one of my favourite..

[Metal Drummer Will]

I saw him play a week ago at Reading Festival, was great. A mate of mine caught one of his sticks at a concert a while ago and is offering to sell me it lol.

[scarlit]

One of my favourite drummers. Gotta love that kit too.

[Renegade]

I was lucky enough to get tickets to the last concert of the tour, and fund raiser for Clive Burr at Hammersmith last night. It was raisng money for their ex-drummer who has MS and it was Full on amazing! I agree Nicko's kit is pretty insane but he matches up to its size in his playing, his hi hat work on Run to the Hills is pretty dam good! I've also got tickets to his drum clinic in Brighton, I think he's doing a clinic tour of the whole of England so look out....

[ChrisD]

Nicko is awesome.Especially on "Piece of Mind".I had the feeling that his drumming on the last few Maiden albums was not as good as it used to be...then I got their newest album and tracks such as "Montsegur" and a few others are just great!

[Alan Stone]

I'm new to this site and saw the thread develop about Nicko Mcbrain. I was a roadie in one of the early bands he played in. "Chicargo Line" later changed to "The Ax" at about the time Micky, as I knew him, joined. Great bloke, and a great drummer, he helped to make the sound full rather than as previously rather thin.

The band were struggling home after a gigg at the American Airforce base in Hemel Hempstead (I think) and as we left a blizzard started. Getting home was a laugh as the old Thames van the band owned(Tranny LWB were the things of dreams) had at some time worn a sign on the front panel, and when they took it of, they forgot to fill in the screw holes, and we had a dozen streams of blizzard snow ploughing through the front cab freezing our feet and nuts off.

I've caught sight of him on a couple of occasions on TV programmes, but always missed the bulk of the appearances and just caught the end.

He looks exactly like he did when he was 17, speaks the same when I've heard him do interviews, and he is just like he was then. What a great bloke.

[NUTHA JASON]

GREAT STORY THANKS. its nice to hear from folks who actually know the great drummers or knew them personally. hopefully someone like jeff ocheltree will come to our site.


j

[Mcbrain]

Great stories and comments in regards to Nicko... I was lucky enough to meet him backstage at what was then the Irvine Ampitheatre..It was on the Somewhere in Time tour. The man is amazing, with at least 50-100 people around and dying to talk to him as well as get photos with him. He gave me about 25 minutes of his time to just talk and swap a few stories, as well as a few pints each. As for his playing, i personally find him to be my biggest influenece next to Bonham ( RIP ). If your new to Maiden or just want to know what he's all about. Try these 2 songs on for size. Where eagles dare on Piece of Mind and Face in the Sand on there latest Dance of death. WOW....you wanna talk about a FOOT..............Cheers

[on_the_one]

iron maiden, my first love. nicko mcbrain=SUPERB drummer

[SonorG]

Hi,

I was lucky enough to have seen Nicko last night at a clinic in Scotland, all I can say is what a truely genuine guy, great at what he does, funny and had all the time in the world for his fans :-)

Played some great tunes aswell as some solo stuf, his drums sound amazing, almost as good as his old Sonor kits ;-)

[Cuauhtemoc]

Praise him!

I have most of Iron Maiden's albbums but have none that he didn't play on. I can't listen to a Maiden song without Nicko on it. His groove just flows and he has a sense of time that no other metal drummer has. That's because he has a background/resume that most metal drummers wouldn't ever think of having, unfortunately. When we learn different styles it only makes the one that we love to play most better.

I love his playing and hope that Maiden records forever. And please, listen to their newer stuff. It's awesome: Wickerman, Ghost of the Naviigator, Blood Brothers, Fallen Angel, Out of the Silent Planet, Dance of Death, Montsegur, Paschendale, etc...great stuff. Don't get me wrong, the classic stuff is cool but Maiden lives and is still making progress.

[cjl71178]

Nicko is awesome! I always loved his sound and style. I still get chills when I hear the intro to "Two Minutes to Midnight"...those toms....YEAH!

[Nicko Fan]

Hi Guys

I consider my self to be one of nicko's number 1 fans.

I have met him on numerous ocasions.

He has been my inspiration for drumming, and have based my own kit and playing around his style, im currently found the secret of nicko fast triplets when I spoke to him recently. And am making great progress with my dw5000 Nicko's main work horse.

My dream came true when I was able to play the grey sonor hitec kit from Somewhere in time tour (wasted years video, and more recently from here to eternity, and be quick or be dead video) ever since that day I wanted that kit.

Since last year I have been colecting through the internet and various other sources drums and cymbals, and am well on target for next year to have a full size Sonor Nicko kit of my very own.

Paul (Nicko Fan)

[Thinshells]

Hi Guys

I consider my self to be one of nicko's number 1 fans.

I have met him on numerous ocasions.

He has been my inspiration for drumming, and have based my own kit and playing around his style, im currently found the secret of nicko fast triplets when I spoke to him recently. And am making great progress with my dw5000 Nicko's main work horse.

My dream came true when I was able to play the grey sonor hitec kit from Somewhere in time tour (wasted years video, and more recently from here to eternity, and be quick or be dead video) ever since that day I wanted that kit.

Since last year I have been colecting through the internet and various other sources drums and cymbals, and am well on target for next year to have a full size Sonor Nicko kit of my very own.

Paul (Nicko Fan)

How do you like the "power tom" depth drums? Do they have enough definition (punch) or are they just for a really big sound? They used to be everywhere in the 80's but faded away for the most part.

[Johnny_Stacks]

Try these 2 songs on for size. Where eagles dare on Piece of Mind and Face in the Sand on there latest Dance of death. WOW....you wanna talk about a FOOT..............Cheers

Actuly Iron Maidens old drummer Clive Burr ( think it was him, or one of the other drummers. not Nicko i no that for sure ) made the drum line for Where eagles dare. But yes Nicko did play it when he Joined the band. But another song i found simply amazing is Dream of Mirrors when you first start listening to that song you think its easy but listen to the whole thing and you will no what i mean!!

- John

[candlemass]

Hello!!

I'm a huge Iron Maiden fan and have studied a lot of his playing, since I play in an Iron Maiden cover band (Piece of Maiden is the name).

His style of playing is unique, starting from the point he's one of the VERY FEW guys that never used a double bass/pedal (he used only once in the last album, in 'Face in the Sand'). It's a pity we never had enough of his bass drum sounds in Maiden albums (except in the last 2 ones), we missed a lot of his grooves there.

I think that nowadays he's the kind of guy that just sits there and plays, he doesn't care anymore about playing anything difficult, he seems just to want to have fun. Once you have mastered 4 or 5 of his drumlines you can pretty much play 90% of Maiden's material flawlessly. But you'll never sound like him.

As for his personality, I must be very unlucky, I always thought he'd be the easiest guy to talk and get signs/ pictures, but when I met him in the last tour (hanging out in the hotel in the Dance of death tour), he yelled at me "NO SIGNATURES!!", as I had just come close. A guy that was talking to him asked "Aren't you being rude?" and he went "Yes I am!!" so I had to reply with a "F*** off" *Not too loud as I still hadn't got other signs :P*. I was so disappointed that I even began to tell everybody that "Clive Burr outplays him". You know, it's VERY frustrating to be blown off by your idol. That's why I'm afraid of ever meeting Neil Peart.

[Nicko Fan]

Actuly Iron Maidens old drummer Clive Burr ( think it was him, or one of the other drummers. not Nicko i no that for sure ) made the drum line for Where eagles dare. But yes Nicko did play it when he Joined the band. But another song i found simply amazing is Dream of Mirrors when you first start listening to that song you think its easy but listen to the whole thing and you will no what i mean!!

- John


I'm afraid johnny that you are mis-informed about where eagle dares. Nicko and steve harris came up with the riff for where eagle dares in jersey 1983 long after clive had gone. I heard Nicko explain this at one of his clinics this year.

As for Nicko's deep square tom's I love that sound , and the look of his kit.

You only have to listen to the likes of Somewhere in time and Seventh son of a Seventh son, to hear them beautys, I especially like the little toms.

I don't think that his current Premier drums cut through the same as his classic sonor.

Part of his sound on these albums is to do with his choice of heads.

Ludwig silver dots top, Ebony ambassador bottom. When I tried this combination on my Nicko replica it sounded just like the Somewhere in time kit.

[Thinshells]

I don't think that his current Premier drums cut through the same as his classic sonor.
tried this combination on my Nicko replica it sounded just like the Somewhere in time kit.

I can agree with that. The sonor power toms were thicker shells, with some bubinga in there. They cut like a monster, and had tons of low end.

[Thommy]

Everyone should check out Nicko's performance on the new Iron Maiden DVD "Death On The Road". He is still absolutely incredible............
Sheer power, technique, showmanship and musicality...

[sLarkin20]

His kit is beautiful

[MOONCHILD]

I would like to hear some professional oppinions about this man.He is one of the reasons i play drums today(and IRON MAIDEN offcourse).I know that he is one of the most atractive ones but what do you think about his tehnique?

[harryconway]

Good solid rock drummer. I saw Pat Travers in 1977, I think was the year, and Nicko was drumming for him. But he spelled his name McBain back then. Same kit set up though.

[franklinj]

Ive really gotten into Nicko in the past couple of months. He plays really tastefully, but has the chops to really let loose on a couple of songs. He plays extremely fast single bass (I think after Dance of Death he played double, not too sre though.)

Also, I love those deep, deep toms that his enormous set has. My teacher has a set like that from Darwin Drums (old custom company, keller shells, god awful finishes,) and they sound awesome

[Stu_Strib]

When I was young, I thought he was the best ever. Then I grew up and realized he wasn't. Now that I'm even older, I realize, I really prefer the simpler slower, less bass-drummy metal that he is so good at over the stuff today.

I saw him in concert in 1990 and he was upstaged big time by the drummer from Anthrax. Matter of fact, he was pretty bad. The fact that I remember that far back means it was insanely good, or not so good. It was bad, now that I think about it.

Other than the occassional Maiden release (a couple in the past 10 years) what does he play on?

[Bill Lumbergh]

He's the reason I started playing drums 20 years ago and still one of my favorite drummers ever. Seeing him live was one of the coolest experiences of my life, and he generally seems like an amazingly nice guy. I still rock out to 7th Son at least once a week!

[MOONCHILD]

absolute legend!

saw him rocking the V festival this weekend and the man is still a powerhouse. he has such an odd drumset but boy does he play it. you only have to try to play along to maiden CDs to realise what an individual drummer he is.
and he plays paiste.
in south africa i used to own an 18'' 2002 crash he used at a concert. it had his signature on the back! had to sell it when i immigrated ...weeps.

http://www.drummerworld.com/pics/drum/dpa30/NickoMcBrain1.jpg

j
man why didnt you eat it or something i would

[MOONCHILD]

And thats why i dont like two pedals,its pure power.

[figure_02]

man why didnt you eat it or something i would

Hahaha! nice one! I guess I would've dont it too...

[ventor]

I don´t think he is soooooooo god, I miss some headbanger feeling in the Maiden songs... but he has a very unique style, that should be mentioned. many songs do not impress me, it sounds funny in a special way but not heavy enough, on the only Maiden song I like, Fear of the Dark, the drums are also cool...

[MOONCHILD]

what about that sound on Brave new world album-i dont know about you guys but for me it is awsome pure power snare and rythm cymbal totaly new sound.Does anyone knows which kit he uses now.And one more! Are you soooo happy cause adrian smith is back?

[Butter]

Nicko uses a Premier Gen-X Kit.You can buy some hansigned Kits here...for 5000 Euros ;-)

[sLarkin20]

His kit is beautiful, and their stage shows are amazing. They have the sweetest props.

[Ekim]

His broken-up triplet pattern drive me nuts, but they're fun to attempt at least. Too bad his drum video is almost worthless unless you really wanted to see how his microphones are made in Heillbronn, Germany! (Funny enough, the city my dad was stationed in while in the service!)

But he's a great drummer. He was the first drummer I ever saw live. Somewhere On Tour, Stuttgart, Germany Nov 21st (I think) 1986. Great show. What an experience!

I caught them again on the 7th Son tour too.

[Nicko Fan]

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Nicko's Drums

A Real Dead One, Bruce's Leaving Concert, The Angel And The Gambler Video 93/98

Signia Maple (Black Finish)

6x8 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste 2002 Cymbals + Black Symphonic Gong


X FACTOUR 1995/96

Signia Maple (White Finish)

6x8 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste 2002 Cymbals


Virtual XI 1998

Signia Marquis (Flame Red Finish)

6x7 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste 2002 Cymbals + Red Symphonic Gong


Brave New World Tour 2000/01

Signia Marquis (Purple Sparkle)

6x7 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste Dimension Cymbals + Purple Symphonic Gong


Give Me Ead Till I'm Dead, Dance Of Death, Early Years 2003/05

Premier Premier Series (Custom Wrap By Hangman)

Toms Maple Unsupported Shells 6x7 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16

Bass Drum Gen-X (Hybrid Birch&Maple) 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum
14x5.5 Signia Marquis Snare Drum

Premier 6000 Hardware

DW 5000 Pedal & Hihat Stand

Paiste 2002 & Signature + Symphonic Gongs with Custom Painting

[Wile E. Coyote]

Paiste 2002 & Signature + Symphonic Gongs with Custom Painting
I really wonder why...

[Nicko Fan]

I really wonder why...

What's that suppose to mean?

Coyote
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[deadbirdsoup]

i love how he can use his right foot like a double bass pedal almost, its incredible in some songs. another good thing is im going to see them in december!! :)

[Nicko Fan]

im going to see them in december!! :)

Me too, plus my friend's uncle is one of Nicko's mate, so I may be getting backstage pass

[MOONCHILD]

Me too, plus my friend's uncle is one of Nicko's mate, so I may be getting backstage pass
man i hate you is there any chance i can kidnap you so i can ask for a ransom like let say i vip ticket for their concert

[fixmejesus]

When I was young, I thought he was the best ever. Then I grew up and realized he wasn't. Now that I'm even older, I realize, I really prefer the simpler slower, less bass-drummy metal that he is so good at over the stuff today.

I saw him in concert in 1990 and he was upstaged big time by the drummer from Anthrax. Matter of fact, he was pretty bad. The fact that I remember that far back means it was insanely good, or not so good. It was bad, now that I think about it.

Other than the occassional Maiden release (a couple in the past 10 years) what does he play on?

We all get better with age, don't we?

[Wile E. Coyote]

I really wonder why...

What's that suppose to mean?

Coyote
4754
First, we gotta know the difference between a gong (opera gong, thai gong etc...) and a tam-tam. Then we'll talk about using it in a drumset...
What he's using is not a gong.

[Nicko Fan]

What he's using is not a gong.


WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT''S NOT A GONG.

PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO EMAIL PAISTE AND TELL THEM THAT

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This is what Nicko has and It is called a Paiste Symphonic Gong

[rendezvous_drummer]

Nicko McBrain is a huge influence on me. I love his drumming, it's awesome, very heavy but can be very groovy. Aces High is the best Maiden song of all time!!!

[yves]

Maiden have always been a huge influence on me.

I've been listening to them forever.

Where Eagles Dare has such a cool groove...

I have a drum video the Nicko put out many years back... with Maiden fan club members in attendance.. I must dig for it now.

;-)

[Wile E. Coyote]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT''S NOT A GONG.

PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO EMAIL PAISTE AND TELL THEM THAT

Maybe I should then!
A gong gives you a fundamental note. A tam doesn't...

[IronSabbath]

Nicko is my fav drummer dammnit!! But has only been for 2 moths, so I dont know everything. But what I want to know is this. Does he trigger his bass drums when playing live?

[Nicko Fan]

Can you explain Trigger the bass drum?

[infernal drummer]

hmm. i have lots of different opinions about nicko.. sometimes i really really like hes playing .. but i STILL think clive burr is better .. the sound from his toms on the latest ironmaiden live dvd is really really bad in my opinion btw. if any one got some pictures of clive burr's drum kits from the last tour he did, i would love to see them.. in the live cd's i got i dont get to hear his octobans being used.(though i doubt they will sound as great as stewart copelands octobans) and im really curius if they were only used in a solo.. and i really like his setup.. i also like nickos.. hell, i like all the huge drumkits.. even the odd one from dream theater.. where eagles dare is my favorite nicko track.. and also aces high....

[infernal drummer]

Can you explain Trigger the bass drum?

as far as i know.. Ddrum makes them.. it makes the sound of the drums "bigger". so they apparently dont have to hit them so hard.

[Nicko Fan]

No I don't think he does use triggers. He is an old fashoned drummer, that's why he doesn't play double kick.

[Crazy]

I think this guy really grooves woth his ride and bass drum, nice fills also. He's got a sweet a touch on his hi hat and ride bell also.

I would've liked to hear him in other ventures than Maiden to see how creative he can get in another context

[Nicko Fan]

I saw Nicko this weekend at the Guitar show 2006 in London.

Nicko only played one Maiden song Run to the hills and Bruce Dickinson sang it.

The other songs he played were classic Rock, Deep Purple,Jimmy Hendrix,Queen, and a song called all the Young dudes which I don't know who did it. Nicko was very good, showing off where he could with triplets and accents, and trying to play all the kit in every song. Although I didn't like his version of Tie your mother down, he didn't stop where Taylor did and played Cymbals crashed where there weren't any.

Ta Nicko Fan

P.s Sonor fans will be pleased to know that although his kit was a Premier, the Snare he was using was one or his old Phonic snare drums. Nicko said that he had got it out of retirement to use it for the new album, and had just recorded the first 5 tracks on it.

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[Highway_St*r]

Hey, I really want to know what people think about this guy! He's incredibly underated and I believe of is one of the pionners modern metal drumming, even though he uses a single pedal! His rhythm work with Iron Maiden's bassist, Steve Harris is outstanding!

Tracks to check out:
The Wicker Man
Where Eagles Dare
The Trooper

All of Rock In Rio Live album! wow!!

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Nicko_McBrain.html

[Ulrich87]

Hey, I really want to know what people think about this guy! He's incredibly underated and I believe of is one of the pionners modern metal drumming, even though he uses a single pedal! His rhythm work with Iron Maiden's bassist, Steve Harris is outstanding!

Tracks to check out:
The Wicker Man
Where Eagles Dare
The Trooper

All of Rock In Rio Live album! wow!!

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Nicko_McBrain.html

haha!
I'm sorry but that statement just makes me laugh. To be able to play like he does, with only one pedal, deserves nothing less then a whole lot of credit, imo.
Nicko is one of my fav drummers, and I really like the drumming on "run to the hills".

[moe.ron]

nicko didn't play on run to the hills or on the entire number of the beast album. that was clive burr.

[Highway_St*r]

He plays better now than lars ulrich can! It wasnt Nicko on Run to The Hills!!But he does play a cracking version on the live albums.

[cheesefives]

He plays double bass on the wicker man, watch the music video.

[Highway_St*r]

He plays double bass on the wicker man, watch the music video.
not true! iv seen him in clinic and he played that song with one pedal and says the only time he used double bass was on face in the sand.

[SonorG]

not true! iv seen him in clinic and he played that song with one pedal and says the only time he used double bass was on face in the sand.

yep thats true, the one only song he used double bass, however they used protools to make it smooth as Nicko admits he is no good a double bass plus the only reason he used a double pedal was due to lenght of the song, he can play it with 1 foot but no for very long..

[secondXheartbeat]

its absolutely rediculous that he does all that with his right foot


if i could do that, it would have saved me 250$

[bigfatbobby]

Nicko McBrain is my favourite drummer, I have never seen anything like him in rock/metal. Clive Burr is also pretty amazing, he plays so fast!!! Check out "Another Life" live at Beast Over Hammersmith!!! But Nicko is still better I think, I started playing to music, and I have always loved playing to Maiden, 'cos Nicko makes everything so interesting to play, and the way he plays to Steve Harris is just amazing. One thing I have always wondered is: is it four or five 32th notes he plays as a fill on the Piece Of Mind album, he uses it quite a lot.

[infernal drummer]

my dreams came true.. found a old concert from sun plaza tokyo 1981
KICK ass drumming from clive ! amazing. nicko is fast with single bass drum, But so is clive

songs like genghis khan, innoncent exile and so on .. all the good old stuff.. and here. a solo with CLIVE :) and all though it isnt with his 82 kit (with the octobans) its still pretty good .. but the concert as a whole.. wow .. POWER :D

get the song another life including solo here : http://www.uploading.com/?get=UL9OW9FD

choose "free" if u wish to download

[sonor master]

a godly rock drummer and a funny guy

[mikeybbdrummin]

Anybody know of a good dvd concert w/Nico? Looked, there are a few but dont know which has most drumming or is best.

[infernal drummer]

Anybody know of a good dvd concert w/Nico? Looked, there are a few but dont know which has most drumming or is best.

dont know if its out in dvd form yet.. but i would say live after death is the best.. with nicko.. stunning drum sound. (got it on vhs and cd)

[mikeybbdrummin]

dont know if its out in dvd form yet.. but i would say live after death is the best.. with nicko.. stunning drum sound. (got it on vhs and cd)

Thanks. I will look into it. I found a two dvd set that has 4 -5 different concerts on it. stuff from the 80's and 90's. Its 4-5 hours long. Tower records has it.

[Styx]

Yep, this guys the reason I picked up a pair of sticks. My older brother was into Maiden and he thought of himself as a drummer(which he's not hahaha) so I thought I'd impress him by playing air drums to a maiden song with sticks I made from an old chair. I remember the song, it was Aces High. Needless to say my arms were buggered after that but the whole maiden vibe took me from that day on. I'm still a MASSIVE maiden fan and probably always will be Thanks Nicko, you're the greatest.

[stixman]

Ive seen Nicko up close at a guitar fest a while back. Amazing player. ill also see maiden in December! Whos got the new album? What are your thoughts??

[mikeybbdrummin]

I found Rock in Rio. It was really good. Nicos drums sound great. Snare in particular.
I think it was done in 2001.

[infernal drummer]

I found Rock in Rio. It was really good. Nicos drums sound great. Snare in particular.
I think it was done in 2001.

yeah its a okay dvd :)

[infernal drummer]

Ive seen Nicko up close at a guitar fest a while back. Amazing player. ill also see maiden in December! Whos got the new album? What are your thoughts??

well i like it..
its not better than the previus one though, if i should compare only those two..

[stixman]

My fav is still brave new world, its got that epic feel to it. I thing matter of L and D has got that feel back after dance of death. They are selling more tickets if you want to go, get there fast though!!

[obscuras]

Ive got AMOLAD and to be honest, it doesnt stand out. My favourite song is the legacy, its a bit zeppelin ish once you get into the main song

Nicko is in this months edition of Rhythm, but he's endorsed by Drummer magazine :| (UK Magazines)

[SonorG]

Just bought the new Iron Maiden Album.

Its breaking my heart to say this but I'm really not impressed with Nicko on this Album, I love his snare sound but the toms sound horrid, also the drumming seems to not have the energy it once used to, same fills in a lot of the songs, slows down, doesn't seem to flow, maybe its jsut me though..

Wheres Nicko gone, come back please...

What does everyone else make of the Album?

[nicko_italia]

Hello!
I've made a site about Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden.
Check it out here (http://www.nickomcbrain.tk)!!
Cheers!

[deadbirdsoup]

i dnt think it works...good drummer though, just recently saw him with iron maiden, amazing!

[nicko_italia]

I tried to access from my post and I reach the url, what's your problem?
Bye!

[nicko_italia]

Hello!
I'm launching new pages with photos of fans with Nicko McBrain soon. If you want send me your pic and I'll publish it! The e-mail is the contact page of the site.
Thanks.

Nicko McBrain fan's website (http://www.nickomcbrain.net)

[oivind93]

Hello Nicko Mcbrain

Ego is very big iron maiden fan.

ego see very loosely and drag on iron maiden consert!

but ego not drag off mother:(

ego is from norway bronnoysund.

my father is death father death 2003:(

iron maiden is beast band for ever!

you have greet to Bruce, Janick,Dave,Adrian and Steve!


are you MSN? my adress is skummlenissen93@msn.com

please bearning to me!

ego see all iron maiden albums.

are you homepage?

were much see your drumset?

ego is not home page.

ego is very not god to english and ego see you see me!

ego from norway.

Your drumset is very very coold!

IRON MAIDEN IS BEAST!

ego see you answer me!

please answer me to e-post! me e-post adress is skummlenissen93@msn.com


From Oivind Andre Nergaard Svendsen

Norway, Bronnoysund

[bonzolead]

Double-bass Nicko don't. need no stinking double-bass LOL.

Keep Swatting,
Bonzolead

[CASP3Rdrummer]

hi all...

first of all he is one of the best heavy metal drumers ever ! his style is unique. also he is very talented and very flexible at his playing...i was lucky to have the chance to see him live in athens on amolad tour on 11/3/2007 ... his drums and cymbals were amazing escorted by his fantastic playing...as matter of fact his right foot...he trully is fast but not on the wicker man..jeez wats so great about that ? even i can play it.. his speed can be seen somewhere else..i was amazed when i saw/hear him on rock in rio 2001 playing the dream of mirrors (maybe its on studio version too)...i really dunno how he's doing that...Also listen to the Out of the silent planet...just hear the bass on the last chorus...yeah ..thats 1 foot only ... if somebody really know how he manage to that pls imform me ..

casp3r...

[Nicko Fan]

I know how Nicko plays that riff. I can play it myself to a certain degree. First thing that you have to understand about Nicko's Bass drum technique is that his Pedal is very tight indeed and his input to the pedal is very light indeed. I have clips of video's done at drummer live clinics in london and I was also there and what amazed me is how light on the pedal he is, when you practice this you can come up with some amazing riffs. The pattern on dream of mirrors is an old riff I first heard it on Caught somewhere in time and Evil that men do. He simply speeded it up abit you can also here it in the Trooper recently in the Guitar solo section. It is an old Bonham trick where on a rock beat you play double kick in between the Hihat or ride and the snare. When you do it fast with it sounds like the Bass drum is playing with the ride as well and doing a triplet but it isn't.

Hope this helps you.

[CASP3Rdrummer]

:'( thx alot but i still cant understand it exactly...I see you think its same as Evil that men do but on dream of mirrors and out of the silent planet he do it non-stop much faster (than Evil that man do) could you shoot a video or something ...or send a link with that trick...thx anyway

[Gene Smasher]

Nicko McBrain is the king of the hill! He's one of the most distinctive drummers I know, and he does really complex grooves. I'd rate him in the same class as Mike Portnoy. I'm quite surprised that only recently a thread was started on him. He's not like other drummers who display the same grooves, rolls, etc. Here are my favorite drummers of all time:

Nicko McBrain
Mike Portnoy
Ray Herrera
Derek Roddy
Scott Phillips

[Tubs player]

Nicko's playing has a lot of energy which i love. Songs like Aces High or even some slower ones like Brave New World. His fills are fun to play too

[Tubs player]

Nicko is #1. He is one of the influences that got me into drumming. I love his fills and the way he uses the ride cymbal

[Tubs player]

I look up to Nicko. He's one of a few drummers that got me started>
So what do u guys think of him?

[cjl71178]

I love the intro to "Two Minutes To Midnight"...Nicko is the shizzle!

[ROBB]

he's why i started without him i woulnt be a drummer and thad be lame

[gearup]

My band played John Paul Jones Arena this past Saturday for a U.VA. party.
OK>>>Guess who showed up at the gig....YEP, Nicko "Hello mate!" I couldnt believe it. He sat in on my kit and was he smooth. I thought he would probably come up on stage and smash the crap out of my set but he only broke a stick! His playing was precise and clean. ( and fast ) A really nice guy too. He said the band (IM) is putting togeather a tour very soon.

[NUTHA JASON]

just ran across this on youtube.

niko teaching drums. love the accent and the basic honesty of this legendary drummer and wonderful guy ... enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiReZtTqMhc&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrzpJ4cUKYI&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epyL1bHKPPg&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9-C5jgODk&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTc40kfIw5g&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSnnyDEa_NM&mode=related&search=

[PineyplayParadiddles]

I love Nickos skill and technique, he's the sort of player that you can learn from easily.

[NIMBY]

im seeing iron maiden in February, cant wait to see Nicko in real life! hopefully he'll give me a drumstick that i can treasure for all eternity

[English_Youth]

I like Nicko McBrain. Maybe it's just me, but I can sense a real influence from Bonham in his playing. Excellent drummer, a real pride.

[McBrainiac]

Where Eagles Dare...need i say more...

[sam13]

I know how Nicko plays that riff. I can play it myself to a certain degree. The pattern on dream of mirrors is an old riff I first heard it on Caught somewhere in time and Evil that men do. He simply speeded it up abit you can also here it in the Trooper recently in the Guitar solo section. It is an old Bonham trick where on a rock beat you play double kick in between the Hihat or ride and the snare. When you do it fast with it sounds like the Bass drum is playing with the ride as well and doing a triplet but it isn't.

Hope this helps you.

Yes, a good example of the technique your talking about would be Bonham on Achillies Last Stand. Only not as fast as on the Maiden tunes.

[odrummer]

Nicko is the werid thing in drumming ever,
Whether it is the strange noise he makes when he gets tired, or his crazy patterns with just one foot! or the fact he is in 2008 but his haircut is lost back in the 80's, he is still one of those drummers who recreated the meaning of metal drummer.

Rock on Nicko

[PQleyR]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT''S NOT A GONG.

PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO EMAIL PAISTE AND TELL THEM THAT



I think that might be possibly my favourite post I've ever seen on this forum.

Edit: I completely forgot why I came on this thread in the first place, I wanted to ask what people thought about Nicko's unusual counting-in. It seems like he always counts in at a different tempo to the song he's about to play, which to me seems very strange, but it seems to work. See 'Ghost of the Navigator' or 'The Clansman' on Rock In Rio for evidence of this.

[djlouis]

I always tought Nicko's playing like a big band drummer in a rock context in the way he's doing his fills and the the way he set up the figure. There's a lot of Bonham bet there's a lot of Buddy too, I love his fills.

[Terra]

Hi Guys

I consider my self to be one of nicko's number 1 fans.

I have met him on numerous ocasions.

He has been my inspiration for drumming, and have based my own kit and playing around his style, im currently found the secret of nicko fast triplets when I spoke to him recently. And am making great progress with my dw5000 Nicko's main work horse.

My dream came true when I was able to play the grey sonor hitec kit from Somewhere in time tour (wasted years video, and more recently from here to eternity, and be quick or be dead video) ever since that day I wanted that kit.

Since last year I have been colecting through the internet and various other sources drums and cymbals, and am well on target for next year to have a full size Sonor Nicko kit of my very own.

Paul (Nicko Fan)

I loved that grey kit!....looked great.

[Terra]

Hi Guys

I consider my self to be one of nicko's number 1 fans.

I have met him on numerous ocasions.

He has been my inspiration for drumming, and have based my own kit and playing around his style, im currently found the secret of nicko fast triplets when I spoke to him recently. And am making great progress with my dw5000 Nicko's main work horse.

My dream came true when I was able to play the grey sonor hitec kit from Somewhere in time tour (wasted years video, and more recently from here to eternity, and be quick or be dead video) ever since that day I wanted that kit.

Since last year I have been colecting through the internet and various other sources drums and cymbals, and am well on target for next year to have a full size Sonor Nicko kit of my very own.

Paul (Nicko Fan)
I loved that grey kit!....looked great.

[Storm Drummer]

Nicko is a legend!! i cant imagine Iron Maiden without him!

I had the pleasure of meeting the band while on tour here in Feb, however Nicko was sick so he never left the hotel and i missed out on meeting him!

His kit on this current tour is absolutely GORGEOUS!!

[GodSaveTheQuo]

I just love his way of playing, he has such nice flow to his beats.
I think he is one of the pioners in metaldrumming.
He is the reason why i started to play drums in the first place and he has really shaped my way of drumming.
Just love everytihng about him, his way of playing and offcourse his drumsets.

[xXThe-Fool-In-The-RainXx]

i always thought it would be cool to have a set up like Nicko's. its so uniqueand it looks so fun to play. I just want to be able to play 5 minutes so i can play with all of his toms! :)

[Ian Williams]

Nicko is a legend!! i cant imagine Iron Maiden without him!

I had the pleasure of meeting the band while on tour here in Feb, however Nicko was sick so he never left the hotel and i missed out on meeting him!

His kit on this current tour is absolutely GORGEOUS!!

I agree on Nicko's comment, nevertheless, Clive Burr deserves credit for it's great job with The Irons.

[Ian Williams]

I always tought Nicko's playing like a big band drummer in a rock context in the way he's doing his fills and the the way he set up the figure. There's a lot of Bonham bet there's a lot of Buddy too, I love his fills.

In addition, Nicko has a bit of Ian Paice, Neil Peart, Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts...believe it or not! He has mentioned before.

[mikeybbdrummin]

Happy B-Day to Nicko today. I believe he is 55 today. And still kicking ass.
Three great drummers b-days this month;
6-5; Nicko---55
6-7; Me---40...........great?....................decent?.... .......well ok!!!
6-9;(my favorite) Gregg Bissonette---50
Happy B-Day to us!! ; ^ )

[kgrubb]

I watched Flight 666 last night and I was amazed at nickos foot speed they showed a shot of his foot during one of the songs and it was nothing but a blur. Inspiring to say the least.

[LeeLovesSabian]

Im surprised I haven't seen this thread before.
Considering that he is definitely an amazing drummer.

Probably one of my favorites.

[ThUmPaH]

Yes Nicko's foot is something ....I think the tune you may be talking about is "The Wickerman"....16ths strong and steady.....decent bpm clip too!

Also since it's Maiden related.....I loved Clive as well, I always thought Clive had more memorable hooks and intros: Gangland, Run to the Hills intro and repeating run of the oddly placed 10" tom into the racks ...haha, The Prisoner, Ghengis Kahn, also the snare roll (singles) into the opening verse of Murders in the Rue Morgue to name a few....
Also many people think he played Wrathchild with two hands on the hats (16th notes) ...but was all right hand...needless to say the guys forearm had to be like Popeye's :)
I was surprised when I saw a video of them doing Wrathchild live at a wicked "brisk" tempo and there was Clive righthand only on the hats.

BUT I KNOW...Sorry ...I'm not hijacking the thread away from Nicko haha

Just ,making a point that while Clive had all those memorable hooky intros fills (and a bionic right arm)....Nicko will always have "Where eagles dare"...perhaps the most technical Maiden drum tune there is....well...I would say it's in my op easily the most difficult maiden tune. And Maiden like most bands play the songs a lot faster live (the ole' adrenaline) and the fact Nicko pulls off that crazy stuff on the bass drum is all the more impressive. I read somewhere that Live on Where eagles, Steve Harris wanted him to reinforce the bassline on some spots and asked him to consider adding a dbl pedal or another bassdrum. But Nicko said he wouldn't hear of it...so he shed and shed on the 3 and 4 stroke figures til he had them at his disposal....and ALMOST effortless.But the poor guy had to pull off a full triplet (the 3 strokes) over and over and in a few spots I recall 4 strokes ! starting on the "a" of 4....so (a 1 + a ) ....consistantly. And let's not forget the Intro and the syncopated broken triplet ride pattern...... And if all that wasn't enuff....THEY OPENED with that tune.... :)


Great under-rated drummer.
sorry make that DRUMMERS !