Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith has named his favourite of the band’s songs.
During a recent interview with Sonic Perspectives, the 68-year-old names Wrathchild from 1981 album Killers as his pick for Maiden’s standout achievement. He does admit, however, that the Paul Di’Anno-era anthem is “awkward” to perform.
“One of my favourites has always been Wrathchild,” says Smith (via Ultimate Guitar). “That’s a great one. It’s not a great one to play, weirdly. It’s kind of awkward to play. That riff is kind of awkward. But I like the song. I do love the song.”
Smith joined Maiden just before the recording of Killers, replacing Dennis Stratton. The album was the last of two featuring Di’Anno, who was dismissed in 1981 and replaced by current frontman Bruce Dickinson. Di’Anno died last year at the age of 66.
Smith has become one of Maiden’s longest-serving members (his absence from the lineup between 1990 and 1998 notwithstanding) and also performs backing vocals in the band. Elsewhere in the Sonic Perspectives chat, he talks about his friendship with fellow long-standing Maiden guitar player Dave Murray, whom he’s known since his teens.
“When I was 15 years old, back in London, I met Dave Murray,” he remembers. “We became best buddies because no one else in our neighbourhood at that time was into Deep Purple and Free. We were crazy about it. We had long hair already. All the other kids were into soul music, and all the other kids wanted to do was get cars, get married and all that. Nothing wrong with that. But we wanted guitars, to be in a band. That was it.”
He continues: “I mean, we were just obsessed with it. Dave could play the guitar already, and I wanted to be in a band with him. I said, ‘Well, I'll have a go at singing.’ So, that’s how I started. I sang and learned guitar as I went along, and I did that right up until I joined Maiden. I was fronting a band and singing, and I paid my dues in the pubs and clubs, singing through shitty PAs, no monitors, singing myself raw, and loved every minute of it.”
Maiden will tour Europe this summer, playing the first leg of their Run For Your Lives shows. The band will perform material from their first nine albums, from 1980’s Iron Maiden to 1992’s Fear Of The Dark, to celebrate their 50th anniversary. See details of all announced dates below.
Run For Your Lives will be Maiden’s first tour since 1982 without drummer Nicko McBrain. Though he’s still officially part of the band, McBrain retired from the live stage late last year. He suffered a mini-stroke in January 2023 that affected his playing.
Iron Maiden 2025 tour dates:
May 27: Budapest Aréna, Hungary *
May 28: Budapest Aréna, Hungary *
May 31: Prague Letnany Airport, Czech Republic *
Jun 01: Bratislava TIPOS Arena, Slovakia *
Jun 05: Trondheim Rocks, Norway ≠
Jun 07: Stavanger SR-Bank Arena, Norway *
Jun 09: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark *
Jun 12: Stockholm 3Arena, Sweden *
Jun 13: Stockholm 3Arena, Sweden *
Jun 16: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Finland *
Jun 19: Dessel Graspop Metal Meeting, Belgium≠
Jun 21: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK ^
Jun 22: Manchester Co-op Live, UK ^
Jun 25: Dublin Malahide Castle, Ireland *^
Jun 28: London Stadium, UK *^
Jun 30: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK ^
Jul 03: Belfort Eurockéennes, France ≠
Jul 05: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain **
Jul 06: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal **
Jul 09: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland **
Jul 11: Gelsenkirchen Veltins-Arena, Germany **
Jul 13: Padova Stadio Euganeo, Italy **
Jul 15: Bremen Bürgerweide, Germany **
Jul 17: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadium, Austria **
Jul 19: Paris Paris La Défense Arena, France **
Jul 20: Paris Paris La Défense Arena, France **
Jul 23: Arnhem GelreDome, Netherlands **
Jul 25: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany **
Jul 26: Stuttgart Cannstatter Wasen, Germany **
Jul 29: Berlin Waldbühne, Germany **
Jul 30: Berlin Waldbühne, Germany **
Aug 02: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland **
* = Halestorm support
^ = The Raven Age support
** = Avatar support
≠ = Festival date
