Adrian Smith teases unseen footage in upcoming official Iron Maiden documentary

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith was asked if he has seen the band’s impending feature documentary, “Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition,” in a recent interview with Gastão Moreira of Brazil’s Kazagastão, as per Blabbermouth. The documentary will only be available in theaters starting on May 7, 2026.

Yeah, I have. And I really enjoyed it, which might sound funny, but when there’s something on a big screen about you, it can be a bit — you wanna hide behind the chairs. But I think it’s a good document of the band, and I think fans will enjoy it. There’s a few things in there that have never come to light before, and it goes into depth on a few things. So I think people are really gonna enjoy it.

Smith also discussed the book “Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams – The Official Visual History,” which was released in hardback throughout the world in the fall of 2025. With unmatched participation from band members and management, the book charts the development of one of heavy metal’s most prominent bands and is a spectacular visual celebration of the band’s first 50 years.

I love some of the old photos. It’s almost like a different life back in the ’80s when I was in the band, a different person. But I love the stuff in it, like Steve Harris’s diary, talking about getting just a couple of bucks to do a show and having to buy guitar strings and petrol and counting all the pennies. Stuff like that is priceless. It’s great that he’s kept that stuff.

When asked if he believed that joining Iron Maiden with singer Bruce Dickinson elevated the group, Adrian responded as follows.

I can’t really talk about myself, but Bruce definitely did, because as much as we love Paul [Di’Anno], I don’t think he had the same mindset as Bruce, the same determination to succeed, commitment. Bruce was all about commitment and professionalism, and he could sing night after night after night. And that’s what the band needed to do. They needed to go on the road — they needed to go on the road for six, eight months at a stretch. And that’s what rock bands have to do. No one’s gonna hand them success with, ‘Okay, we’ll play you on the radio. You’ll be stars.’ There’s none of that.

As far as myself, yeah, I’ve, I’ve been a part of it. I think we all worked hard to get to another level. Maybe, hopefully my contributions, writing-wise, helped. A lot of the singles that we used, ‘Flight Of Icarus’ and ‘Wasted Years’ and stuff like that, were my ideas, my songs — ‘2 Minutes To Midnight’ — co-writes, really. So, I feel like I hopefully contributed in that way, or do contribute.

Upcoming shows:

MAY

• 23 – Athens, GREECE – OAKA (Anthrax)
• 26 – Sofia, BULGARIA – Vasil Levski Stadium (Anthrax)
• 28 – Bucharest, ROMANIA – Arena Națională (Anthrax)
• 30 – Bratislava, SLOVAKIA – Národný Futbalový Štadión (Anthrax)

JUNE 2026

• 02 – Hannover, GERMANY – Heinz von Heiden Arena (Megadeth)
• 10 – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome (Evergrey)
• 17 – Milan, ITALY – San Siro Stadium (Trivium)
• 22 – Paris, FRANCE – Paris La Défense Arena (Evergrey)
• 28 – Lyon – Décines, FRANCE – Groupama Stadium (Anthrax)
• 29 – Antwerp – BELGIUM – Middenvijver Park (Epica, Testament, Doro, Fleddy Melculy)

JULY 2026

• 07 – Lisbon, PORTUGAL – Estádio da Luz (Anthrax)

August 2026

• 29 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *

September 2026

• 03 Montréal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau *^
• 05 Harrison, NJ – Sports Illustrated Stadium *^
• 09 Boston, MA – TD Garden *
• 11 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live *
• 12 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion *
• 15 Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium *
• 17 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
• 19 Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater *
• 22 Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *
• 25 Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium *^
• 29 San Antonio, TX – Alamodome *^

* Megadeth ^ Anthrax

• Wednesday, November 7, 2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena (with Megadeth)
• Wednesday, November 11, 2026 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)
• Friday, November 13, 2026 – Melbourne, Australia – AAMI Park (with Megadeth)
• Sunday, November 15, 2026 – Sydney, Australia – Allianz Stadium (with Megadeth)
• Wednesday, November 18, 2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)