Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has stated a few times that his band, indeed, is better than Metallica. But, what exactly does he mean by that?
Speaking in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Dickinson discusses his comments and says he has a great relationship with frontman James Hetfield and the guys.
“Look, I’m acutely conscious that when you say things in print, people are going to pick up on things,” Dickinson said. “The stuff about Metallica, quite frankly, was a really good windup. We have a great relationship with Metallica.”
He goes on to say his statements weren’t actually about Metallica.
“It was aimed at the rest of the world to say, ‘We’re back and we mean it. We mean it so much that we’re going to say something pretty outrageous, so why don’t you come to the show and find out. We dare you,'” Dickinson said.
“It’s throwing down the gauntlet,” he added, “and I’m the lead singer. It’s my job. It’s what I do.”
Dickinson first spoke about Iron Maiden being better than Metallica in a 2011 interview with Metal Hammer. Later, in 2014, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich was asked about it during a chat with The Guardian, in which is said, half-joking, “I will always support Bruce Dickinson in whatever nonsense he says.”
Dickinson has a new book out now, called “What Does This Button Do?”
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