During a new interview with Classic Rock, Bruce Dickinson recalled the time he was attempting to convince Steve Harris to let him rejoin the band after Blaze Bayley’s firing from Iron Maiden:

“Steve was very suspicious. He said: ‘Why do you wanna come back?’ I actually said, ‘I want to come back, Steve, because, in the words of my mates, “The world needs Iron Maiden”, and secondly, I think we can make amazing music.'”

Asked if he felt Iron Maiden needed him more and vice-versa, Dickinson replied:

“Probably. But there was no point in saying that because it would have sounded like sour grapes.

“What I said was: We will sweep away the past by doing an amazing future.

”Though the first words out of my gobby mouth were: Of course we are better than Metallica! People said: ‘You can’t say that.’ I said: I just did. Then they started going: ‘Maybe he’s right.'”