Getting a cancer diagnosis has got to be one of the scariest things in the world. Even if it’s benign and easy to treat, it’s still a growth that, in some way, might have been able to plant your ass in the ground. Yet it’s a realization Nicko McBrain, drummer of Iron Maiden, had to face when he was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer in 2020.

Since then, he’s had the growth surgically removed and goes in for regular check-ups to ensure Nicko is still okay and cancer hasn’t returned. McBrain recently spoke on the University of Miami Health System’s website about his treatment for cancer and how he learned he had it.

When I play drums with the band, I yell while I play. But your voice doesn’t sound the same when you’re speaking to yourself in a quiet room. This happened to me. My voice sounded different than it usually does — like how it sounds after a show or tour. I didn’t feel sick, but I started coughing more when talking on the phone. So, I called my doctor.

McBrain was able to survive the cancer diagnosis and fully recover, so he encouraged anyone experiencing strange symptoms in their body to seek medical attention.

It was very fortunate that I caught it in stage 1 when I felt something different with my voice.

Nicko is now the second member to get some form of cancer. In 2014, vocalist Bruce Dickinson announced that he had a golf ball-sized tumor on his tongue and another on a lymph node on the side of his neck. Dickinson was declared cancer-free after nine weeks of chemo and cleared to perform again.

Iron Maiden is a British heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band’s first lineup consisted of Harris, vocalist Paul Di’Anno, guitarists Dave Murray and Doug Sampson, and drummer Clive Burr.

Iron Maiden’s early music style was influenced by punk rock, but they eventually developed a sound that blended heavy metal with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The band’s first album, “Iron Maiden,” was released in 1980 and was followed by several successful releases in the 1980s, including “Killers,” “The Number of the Beast,” “Piece of Mind,” and “Powerslave.” These albums established Iron Maiden as one of the leading bands in the heavy metal genre and included some of their most famous songs, such as “Run to the Hills,” “The Trooper,” and “Aces High.”

In the 1990s, Iron Maiden continued to release successful albums and tour internationally. The band experienced some lineup changes, with Bruce Dickinson replacing Paul Di’Anno as lead vocalist in 1981 and Adrian Smith and Janick Gers joining as guitarists in the 1980s. In the 2000s and 2010s, the band continued to tour and release new music, and they remain a famous and influential act in the heavy metal scene.