Fear of the Dark Drum Setup: Nicko McBrain's Gear on Iron Maiden's UK #1 Album (1992) | MetalForge
Nicko McBrain recorded Fear of the Dark (1992) on a Yamaha Recording Custom kit with a Yamaha Recording Custom Snare snare.
The complete gear breakdown for Iron Maiden's Fear of the Dark (1992). Discover Nicko McBrain's Yamaha Recording Custom kit and Paiste Signature cymbals behi...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit did Nicko McBrain use on Fear of the Dark?
Nicko McBrain recorded Fear of the Dark (1992) on the same Yamaha Recording Custom kit he'd played since 1985, finished in a custom candy-red lacquer and tuned back to a fuller, more open voice after the tighter barn tuning used on No Prayer for the Dying (1990). The birch shells delivered a fuller, more resonant tone suited to the album's bigger production. The configuration held to his usual layout: a single 22" bass drum, two rack toms, and two floor toms. See the [Nicko McBrain drummer profile](/drummer/nicko-mcbrain) for his full gear history.
What cymbals does Nicko McBrain play?
On Fear of the Dark, Nicko McBrain played Paiste Signature series cymbals — 14" Sound Edge hi-hats, 16" and 18" Full Crashes, a 20" Power Ride, and an 18" China — stepping up from the Paiste 2002 series he'd played on No Prayer for the Dying and every album before it. Across his career, Nicko has used Paiste 2002 (1980s) and Paiste Signature (1990s onward), reflecting a single continuous Paiste endorsement dating back to the early 1980s.
Is Fear of the Dark Iron Maiden's best album of the 90s?
Fear of the Dark (1992) is widely regarded as Iron Maiden's strongest album of the 1990s, and by some measures the band's most commercially successful record of the decade. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, was certified two-times platinum, and produced the title track — one of the band's most enduring live staples, still used to close out concerts decades later. It edges out No Prayer for the Dying (1990) in critical and fan estimation, and preceded a leaner commercial run through the rest of the Bruce Dickinson-less mid-90s. Whether it beats the 1980s classics is a matter of ongoing fan debate, but within the 90s catalog it stands clearly at the top.
When was Fear of the Dark released and how did it perform commercially?
Fear of the Dark was released on May 11, 1992, on EMI in the UK and Epic in the US. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified two-times platinum in the UK. It was also the last Iron Maiden studio album before Bruce Dickinson's departure from the band in 1993, and the final album produced by longtime producer Martin Birch.
How does Fear of the Dark compare to No Prayer for the Dying?
The two albums sit close together chronologically but differ sharply in approach. No Prayer for the Dying (1990) was recorded with deliberate rawness in a barn using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, with Nicko McBrain tuning his Yamaha kit punchier and tighter while keeping his usual Paiste 2002 cymbals. Fear of the Dark (1992) returned to a fuller, more produced sound at Barnyard Studios, with Nicko opening the tuning back up on the same Yamaha kit and stepping up to Paiste Signature cymbals that better suited the album's bigger, more melodic arrangements. Commercially, Fear of the Dark was the clear winner — a number-one, 2x-platinum album against No Prayer's number-two showing. See the [No Prayer for the Dying drum setup article](/articles/no-prayer-for-the-dying-drum-setup) for that preceding chapter.