Adrian Smith finds more room to improvise onstage
Better monitoring and cooler stage lighting have made improvising easier for Adrian Smith, though he says Steve Harris often asks him to keep the recorded solos. In a Loudwire interview ahead of Smith/Kotzen's Black Light/White Noise, due on 4 April, Smith also compares his writing partnerships. He and Richie Kotzen build songs together in the studio; Bruce Dickinson often finds lyrics to match Smith's melodies. Smith usually leaves recorded music with Harris, who writes lyrics alone or with him.