A tour speculation thread, like the one before the current tour?
Oh well, that's really sad. It seems a new album is not that big of a priority for the band now, which is weird, tbh. Steve shouldn't have mentioned about the possibility of being a studio band in the future. They can still record it in the winter (like TBOS) after Maiden's tour (which should be until August, as usual), or early 2026 for an earlier release because I can't see them skipping the whole year just to release it in September.
All that being said, it doesn't look too promising for a new Maiden album in the next few years. The band will want to tour as much as possible.
I think the band will want to record at least 1 more album. The meeting with Kevin at the start of the tour this year is curious.
Bruce will be taking a short break before getting back on the road with his solo tour early next year (probably 1 month). He seems really enthusiastic about music now, and that's why I find it odd that Maiden don't want to release another album sooner. Have their plans changed? Who knows. He won't have much free time to do a concentrate writing with Roy. Most likely he will want to release his next solo album in the next few years.
I don't know if Maiden are really ready to winding down (especially Nicko), but Bruce's passionate activity could be a sign. Or maybe he just wants to tour more. Like Steve. Maiden have always preferred to play live more.