Nicko McBrain gave an update on his health status during an interview for the Trunk Nation Power Trip Special (via Blabbermouth ).
Iron Maiden 's drummer suffered a stroke in January and revealed that his entire right side was paralyzed from the shoulder down. Now, several months later, he claims to be almost completely recovered (transcription via Rock Bizz ).
“I’m doing well now! I’d say I’m 85 to 90 percent back in strength, but I still have a little less dexterity and speed in my fingers,” he explains. “My fingers are the last things to be strengthened. But I had to change some drum fills. Some fills, which everyone knows me for in certain songs, I had to alter them in rehearsals so I could play the songs.”
“I have to wait until we start doing some rehearsals again to get back to the old style. But I’m definitely getting stronger! I’ve had great support from the band, from Rod Smallwood [Maiden’s manager] and from all the fans. They’ve shown me so much love, it’s incredible,” he concludes.
In the same interview, Nicko also commented that the start of Iron Maiden's current tour was a bit "unstable" for him due to the after-effects of the stroke, but that the last few months have been "fantastic" as he has been gaining more strength.
The drummer revealed that he had suffered a stroke in August after some fans commented on his performance at the start of the band's tour.
