Chatting with Overdrive, Nicko also revealed that Bruce recorded all of the vocal tracks for the band’s new album “The Book of Souls” with the disease, and only then had it diagnosed. Maiden thrive on touring and getting out to our fans. The metal band have announced the first run of dates for their 2016 world tour, which will start in the US in February.

For the two shows in South Africa, there will be an exclusive presale for members of the Iron Maiden Fan Club beginning September 15, 2015.

British Metal icons Iron Maiden have released details for their upcoming tour, and will play two shows – one in Christchurch and one in Auckland.

The trek also features shows in Australia and New Zealand, and the band will play their first ever shows in China in May, following frontman Bruce Dickinson’s successful treatment for throat cancer.

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain looked back on vocalist Bruce Dickinson’s tongue cancer battle, confessing that there were times when he though the Maiden gang was over. “We haven’t played in Australia and New Zealand for a number of years, so it will be a pleasure to play for our Antipodean cousins again, irrespective of who wins the dates with destiny at Twickenham in a few weeks’ time!” “All the things we loved about the mid 1980’s from albums such as Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Powerslave and Seventh Son, as well as the better material from post-2000’s Maiden are all present”.

A South African show takes place – the band’s first with Dickinson at the helm – before late May through to August has Iron Maiden playing a “very extensive tour” in Europe.

With their sixteenth studio album Book Of Souls coming in at #2 on this week’s ARIA charts, Dickinson himself will be flying the jumbo jet with band, crew and stage production and equipment in tow – a pretty badass way to enter Australian airspace since their last tour in 2011.