# The Final Frontier Drum Setup: Nicko McBrain's Gear on Iron Maiden's Grammy-Nominated 2010 Epic

> The complete gear breakdown for Iron Maiden's The Final Frontier (2010). Discover the Premier Artist kit, Paiste Signature cymbals, and progressive drumming technique behind the Grammy-nominated 'El Dorado' and Nicko McBrain's most ambitious album.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Nicko McBrain](/llms/drummers/nicko-mcbrain.md)
**Band / Album:** Iron Maiden — *The Final Frontier* (2010)
**Genre:** Heavy Metal / Progressive Metal
**Chart Peak:** #1 UK, #1 US Billboard 200
**Grammy Nomination:** Best Metal Performance — "El Dorado" (53rd Grammy Awards, 2011)

## Overview

Released on August 16, 2010, The Final Frontier represents Iron Maiden at their most progressive and ambitious. Debuting at number one in the UK and the US Billboard 200 simultaneously, it became their highest-charting American album in over two decades. The track 'El Dorado' earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011 — one of the most prominent Grammy recognitions in Iron Maiden's career.

For Nicko McBrain, The Final Frontier presented the most demanding drumming challenge of his 21st-century career. The album's average song length exceeds nine minutes, with several tracks surpassing ten and thirteen minutes. Extended progressive structures required Nicko to sustain concentration and energy across vast dynamic ranges — from atmospheric, near-ambient passages to full-throttle metal at high tempos — within single complete takes.

Recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas (the same facility that hosted Powerslave in 1984), and completed at Sarm West Studios in London, The Final Frontier was produced by Kevin Shirley and Steve Harris. The production is expansive and powerful — Nicko's drums recorded with a force and presence that suits the album's epic scope.

The Final Frontier fills the critical arc between A Matter of Life and Death (2006) and [The Book of Souls (2015)](/articles/book-of-souls-drum-setup). It represents the mature peak of Nicko McBrain's progressive drumming — the album where single-pedal technique, jazz-influenced fills, and sustained concentration across extended song forms came together most completely.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Premier Artist (birch/basswood shells)
- **Snare:** Premier Nicko McBrain Signature, 14" x 6.5", maple shell
- **Cymbals:** Paiste Signature series (expanded three-crash setup)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Premier single bass drum pedal; Premier hi-hat stand; Vic Firth Nicko McBrain Signature sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Clear (kick)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium tension for warmth and power

### Premier Artist Kit — Progressive Configuration

Nicko McBrain recorded The Final Frontier on a Premier Artist kit — his professional setup through the 2000s and early 2010s. The configuration matched the Brave New World era: three rack toms (10, 12, and 13 inch), two floor toms (16 and 18 inch), and a single 22-inch bass drum.

The three-rack-tom layout reflected the demands of Iron Maiden's progressive 21st-century albums. Tracks averaging over nine minutes required a wider fill vocabulary than the two-tom configurations of the 1980s NWOBHM albums. Cascading three-tom sequences over extended passages — heard on 'The Talisman' and 'When the Wild Wind Blows' — built dramatic momentum across multiple minutes of music.

Kevin Shirley's production at Compass Point Studios captured the Premier drums with power and presence suited to the album's epic scope. The birch/basswood shells' punchy, focused transients anchored Shirley's massive production even through the densest arrangements.

The single bass drum remained inviolable. On tracks running nine to thirteen minutes, Nicko McBrain demonstrated what single-pedal technique can achieve in a progressive metal context — sustained endurance, musical feel, and rhythmic precision that double bass cannot match for warmth and swing.

### Paiste Signature Cymbals — Expanded Setup

The Final Frontier required Nicko McBrain's most comprehensive cymbal setup to date: Paiste Signature 15-inch Sound Edge hi-hats, three crashes (16, 18, and 19 inch), a 22-inch Power Ride, an 18-inch Thin China, and a 10-inch Splash.

The expanded three-crash configuration — 16, 18, and 19 inch — gave Nicko maximum dynamic flexibility across extended progressive song structures. Different crash sizes served different intensities: the 16-inch for quick, light accents; the 18-inch for primary section markers; the 19-inch for maximum impact at climactic peaks. This tiered approach to crash dynamics was well suited to songs that built over many minutes from quiet openings to crushing finales.

The 15-inch Sound Edge hi-hats represented an upgrade from the 14-inch configurations of earlier albums. The larger diameter provided greater tonal complexity on open-hat passages — essential for the atmospheric sections that define tracks like 'Starblind' and 'Isle of Avalon.' The Sound Edge bottom cymbal design gave cleaner closure on fast patterns.

The 22-inch Power Ride was the centrepiece of the setup. Tracks running nine to thirteen minutes required extensive ride cymbal work — the Signature Power Ride's articulate bell and defined stick sound maintaining rhythmic clarity through Kevin Shirley's dense mix even across long progressive passages.

### Grammy-Nominated 'El Dorado'

'El Dorado' was the lead single from The Final Frontier and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011. It is the most direct, propulsive track on the album — more aligned with Iron Maiden's classic single format than the progressive epics that dominate the record. Nicko's drumming on 'El Dorado' is characteristically driving: single-pedal gallop in the verses, explosive fills into the chorus, Paiste Signature crashes marking section transitions with authority.

The Grammy nomination was one of the most significant external recognitions of Iron Maiden's 21st-century work — validation that the progressive direction initiated with Brave New World had produced music of enduring quality.

## Key Facts

- The Final Frontier debuted at #1 UK and #1 US Billboard 200 simultaneously
- Grammy-nominated: 'El Dorado' — Best Metal Performance, 53rd Grammy Awards (2011)
- Longest average song length of any Iron Maiden album at time of release
- 'When the Wild Wind Blows' at 13 minutes was the longest Iron Maiden studio track at the time
- Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau (same facility as Powerslave, 1984) and Sarm West Studios, London
- Premier Artist kit — three rack toms for extended progressive fill vocabulary
- Paiste Signature cymbals — expanded to three crashes, 22-inch Power Ride, 15-inch hi-hats
- Single bass drum throughout — the lifelong single-pedal commitment across 9-13 minute tracks
- Double Platinum certification in multiple territories
- Fills the A Matter of Life and Death → Final Frontier → Book of Souls arc
- Estimated kit value: $3,000–4,000 (2010)

## Internal Links

- [Nicko McBrain Drummer Profile](/drummer/nicko-mcbrain) — complete career gear history and technique
- [Brave New World Drum Setup (2000)](/articles/brave-new-world-drum-setup) — the reunion album that opened this arc
- [The Book of Souls Drum Setup (2015)](/articles/book-of-souls-drum-setup) — the progressive follow-up

## FAQ

**Did Iron Maiden win a Grammy for The Final Frontier?**
Iron Maiden received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011 for the track 'El Dorado' from The Final Frontier. The 53rd Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011. The nomination was one of the most prominent Grammy recognitions in Iron Maiden's career and coincided with the album debuting at number one in both the UK and the US — making The Final Frontier the band's highest-charting American album in over two decades.

**What drums does Nicko McBrain use on The Final Frontier?**
Nicko McBrain recorded The Final Frontier (2010) on a Premier Artist kit with birch/basswood shells. The configuration featured a single 22-inch bass drum, three rack toms (10, 12, and 13 inch), and two floor toms (16 and 18 inch). His snare was a Premier Nicko McBrain Signature model at 14 by 6.5 inches with a maple shell. The album's progressive demands — tracks averaging over nine minutes — required sustained single-pedal endurance and a wide fill vocabulary across extended dynamic ranges. See the [Nicko McBrain drummer profile](/drummer/nicko-mcbrain) for his complete career gear history.

**How progressive is the drumming on The Final Frontier?**
The Final Frontier represents the most progressive drumming demands of Nicko McBrain's Iron Maiden career. The album's average song length exceeds nine minutes, with 'When the Wild Wind Blows' running thirteen minutes — the longest Iron Maiden studio track at the time of release. Nicko recorded complete takes of each track, sustaining single-pedal endurance, precision, and musical intelligence across massive dynamic ranges. His expanded cymbal setup — three crashes, a 22-inch Power Ride, 15-inch hi-hats, China, and Splash — reflected these progressive demands. For comparison with the preceding album, see the [Brave New World drum setup article](/articles/brave-new-world-drum-setup).

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/final-frontier-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-27 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*