It's a bittersweet time for Iron Maiden. About a week ago, news broke out that vocalist Bruce Dickinson is currently battling cancer. However, a new update from drummer Nicko McBrain says the legendary heavy metal act has completed their 16th studio album.

McBrain broke the news of Maiden's next album, which will hopefully still see a 2015 release, during an interview with a radio station -- 98.7 the Gater. “We have made an album,” McBrain says. “The album was ready to go this year… and it still is. We were planning on going out and doing some work around the album, which now, we're all just holding on, and once Bruce is up and running, hopefully in the next couple of months, we'll… You never know when this might happen. You just never know, do you?” he said on a light note. 

Nicko also reassured fans that they can remain optimistic about Bruce Dickinson's battle with a cancerous tumor on his tongue. “We were all blown away when we heard the news. But the great thing is [Bruce is] in great hands back home in England, not only with his family, but his oncologists and all the people that are working with him. They were all very positive, as Bruce has been, through the whole thing.”

Founded in 1975, Iron Maiden are considered one of the most successful and influential heavy metal bands in history, and despite little radio and television backing (as is true for the genre itself) have sold over 85 million records online (till 2010). Their latest studio album “The Final Frontier” (2010) reached the top of the charts in as many as 28 countries. 

Source: Loudwire