“You thought, ‘Who are these people?’ They've only been playing for a year, and they're proud that they can't play”: Adrian Smith on how Nirvana and grunge negatively impacted Iron Maiden's career trajectory in the ’90s

Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden performs at London Stadium on June 28, 2025 in London, England.

Adrian Smith might be a member of one of the most iconic heavy metal bands of all time, but the Iron Maiden guitarist – whose journey is documented in the new documentary Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition – has recently looked back on a time when the band was impacted by the explosion of grunge.

“In South America and Europe, the band was still big, but in America, I think it struggled,” Smith tells Forbes. “Nirvana came along, and that changed everything.