10 Best Metal Drummers Of All Time
8. Nicko McBrain
Iron Maiden burst onto the scene in the early 80's to begin what became known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. However, their start was a bit shaky with the changing of vocalists from the punkishness of Paul Di'anno to human air raid siren Bruce Dickinson.
As the band pillaged through their classic Number of the Beast project, the band lost drummer Clive Burr. How would the band recover? By getting one of metal's greatest technicians. Throughout the band's classic run of albums in the mid-to-late 80's, Nicko McBrain's drumming gave an extra punch to every riff the band wrote. Always a server of the song, each of McBrain's fills was another songwriting feat as he followed the rhythm of the guitars every step of the way.
It is accurate to call what McBrain does busy drum parts, but never to a point where it interferes with the song's overall momentum. Throughout every sonic journey Maiden conjures up, McBrain is always there to maintain the instinctive gallop needed to keep the listener on the edge of their seat.