RIP Paul Di’Anno

Maiden’s original voice.

Sad news that former lead singer of Iron Maiden, Paul Di’Anno has died at only 66 years old.

The first two Maiden albums, which Di’Anno featured on, the self titled 1980’s “Iron Maiden” and “Killers” released in ’81, reinvigorated metal and were at the forefront of the good old NWOBHM – The New Wave of British Heavy Metal – combining the raw punk sound of Di’Anno’s vocals with raw driving guitar but also that progish twin guitar harmony and melody.

This was the 80s metal that would spawn faster and harder stuff.

They might not have liked the production of the debut but Di’Anno leads them on some standout tracks, not least “Phantom of the Opera”. Running Free and the title track were live staples for years to follow, even with a new singer.

The follow up, “Killers”, was probably even stronger. With tracks like “Wrathchild” and the title track perfect for Di’Anno’s spitting vocals.

Maiden would produce more great albums and would become bigger after Di’Anno was fired in 1981 but those two albums still stack up with the best that followed – and there’s some crackers, how many bands have a run like Maiden’s 80s output, the two Di’Anno releases followed up by “The Number of the Beast” (1982), “Piece of Mind” (1983), “Powerslave” (1984), “Somewhere in Time” (1986), “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” (1988), a seven album run to match anyone.

Who knows how those albums would have worked out with Di’Anno and not Bruce Dickinson, they would have had to be different to suit the different voices, even the different personas of the two singers. But then moved to a more American rock sound with his eponymous band.

Di’Anno, though suffering various health issues, kept gigging right up to the end, it never reached the heights of those three years and two albums with Maiden but at least he reached those heights with Maiden.