Although exploring other careers throughout his life, like becoming a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines, nothing excited Bruce Dickinson more than performing alongside Iron Maiden. While taking a break from the band throughout the 1990s, the singer eventually returned to the heavy metal group. He also produced several solo albums – with his last, More Balls to Picasso, released in 2025. But while loving his career on the stage, Dickinson recently opened up about his cancer battle and how it left him sounding like a “wounded buffalo.”
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Appearing on The Charismatic Voice YouTube channel, Dickinson recalled his time battling a tumor on his tongue. At the time, the tumor grew to the size of a golf ball. When seeking treatment, they apparently found another one on his lymph node about the size of a “strawberry.”
With doctors surrounding him, Dickinson underwent treatment to get rid of the throat cancer. Although the treatment worked, the singer admitted to pushing his voice before the recovery time was up. “I’m the world’s most impatient man, and I tried to sing after about six months, and I was shocked how awful it sounded.”
Bruce Dickinson Went From “Wounded Buffalo” To “Balls Out”
Not giving his voice enough time to heal, Dickinson insisted, “It sounded like a wounded buffalo. It just made this — what is it, Young Frankenstein? When the monster comes out and they’re doing Puttin’ On The Ritz, and he goes, “Ritz”. And that was me. And I was just, like, ‘Oh my God.’ And I was in the bathroom doing it. I was just, Just stop.”
Dickinson explained how the doctors wanted him to rest his voice for 10 months before trying to sing. At the time, it had only been six months. “Gradually my body started to recover, and I got energy back and I started putting on a little bit of weight. So one day I was just walking around the house, and I was feeling all right. So I went, [starts singing a few notes. It didn’t hurt. And then it was there. And then I just thought, ‘I wonder if I could do a little bit of [Maiden’s] Run To The Hills’. And I did. And I went, ‘Oh my God, it’s there. Oh my God.’”
Seeing his voice return, Dickinson understood the importance of rest. And although wanting to perform, he pushed himself to stay on schedule. “ I thought, ‘It’s there.’ And then I went, ‘Right. You know it’s there. So leave it alone. Put it back in its box ’cause you know it’s going to be all right. And the longer you leave it, the more all right it will be when you want to go balls out and start pushing it.’”
Now fully recovered, Dickinson knows his voice isn’t just back – it’s stronger, louder, and ready for the stage.
(Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
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