“Eddie Van Halen and Gary Moore were kind of animal players!”: Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith says he never wanted to be a virtuoso

Adrian Smith.

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith has spoken to MusicRadar about his formative influences - and why shredding isn’t for him.

Taking time out from Maiden’s US tour, Adrian says: “When I first started playing, my hero was Ritchie Blackmore. But obviously you can't play like that when you start out.”