A ton of new rock and metal albums will be coming our way in 2020, but new Iron Maiden would be the absolute cherry on top. Blabbermouth has gathered some clues that may insinuate the metal legends finished working on a new album this year.

The biggest hint came from producer Kevin Shirley, who worked with Maiden in Paris on 2015's The Book of Souls. The producer took to Facebook yesterday (Dec. 23) to share the ups and downs of his rollercoaster of a year. "...I left my family for Paris, where I spent the next three months working very hard on an unnamed but not-very-secret project," Shirley wrote. "I finished with a loud ringing in my ears."

This is, of course, purely speculation, but anyone who's been to an Iron Maiden show knows how damn loud they play.

Shirley posted a series of photos back in May from his time in Paris, and in the caption of one of them he wrote that he was going to visit a woman who specializes in tinnitus. "I luckily only get it sporadically, usually at the end of a long project, or in live rehearsals," he explained.

Blabbermouth also added that the Italian Iron Maiden website Maiden Concerts uploaded a thread of social media posts that showed the members of the bands, their family members and Shirley were all in Paris at the same time. Frontman Bruce Dickinson also hinted at new music several times throughout their 2019 Legacy of the Beast tour, saying new Maiden songs would be coming "sooner than you think."

Again, this is all speculation, but even the thought of it is exciting enough. Until we get some form of confirmation, see Maiden's 2020 Legacy of the Beast dates here.

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