Watch Iron Maiden discuss the making of Senjutsu

Iron Maiden have released a short video from the studio during the recording of their forthcoming album, Senjutsu. Talking from Paris’ Studio Guillaume Tell during the sessions in 2019, the clip features bassist Steve Harris, singer Bruce Dickinson and producer Kevin Shirley shedding some light on the recording process, writing and studio choice.

“Nothing was wasted, even odd little bits that would happen,” says Bruce, which is partly how the Irons ended up with a double album, coming on September 3.

Eagle-eyed viewers will note that Bruce has a pair of crutches next to him. Well, we have the goods on that. In our recent exclusive cover story, he explained that this was the result of breaking his Achilles tendon during recording. Not that it stopped him finishing the album, or completing Maiden’s Legacy Of The Beast Tour.

“I did the last couple of tracks of recording on crutches, in a boot – one of those big boots you have to wear to immobilise your leg,” he said. ​“So, I bust it at the end of April (2019). Thirty-six hours later I was on the slab having it stitched back together. And then 24 hours after the operation, I was in the studio, singing, with my leg the size of a fucking balloon."

READ THIS: Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson on the shows that made him who he is

“It was a month in a boot. It took it off and then I had another two weeks of rehab," he elaborated. "Then I had four months to try to learn to walk again before the tour. That tour of America and South America, all those big shows, I couldn’t walk properly, so I just faked it. Nobody figured it out. I was running around, but I was running around differently. I learned to move without using my calf muscles, which is difficult, but I couldn’t do it anything conventional. So I couldn’t jump, and I couldn’t run, and walking quickly was an issue. But if you walked like a crab, it was alright!”

Iron Maiden headline Saturday night at Download 2022.

Watch the video for the first single from Senjutsu, The Writing On The Wall, now.

READ THIS: The 10 best Iron Maiden music videos