Kristina Roberts
Long-time heavy metal band Iron Maiden has just lost its original voice: Paul Di’Anno died at age 66. He was known for his raw, gutsy vocal delivery so defining the sound of Iron Maiden during its heydays.
Born Paul Andrews in 1958 in Chingford, East London, Di’Anno gained notoriety in the heavy metal world with his work on Iron Maiden’s first two albums, Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981). These records assisted in starting the NWOBHM-the new wave of British heavy metal, which blended punk’s energy with the classic riffs of rock. Di’Anno’s hard-rock voice and the adaptation of the sound from Iron Maiden was a formula that would be realized in the future with success.
Iron Maiden had, however departed ways with Di’Anno by 1981, as this was when the band started to gain widespread popularity. He himself said back then that his leering hard-partying lifestyle was not just poisoning him but the band as well. “I was partying non-stop, 24 hours a day,” he was quoted saying looking back on his life at the time. In a interview, he said that he realized that what he was doing was not fair for himself, the band, and the fans. After leaving, Bruce Dickinson took over and guided Iron Maiden through some of its most influential albums and international success.
Even after stepping out of Iron Maiden, Di’Anno continued to make a name for himself in the metal scene. He was performing with bands like Battlezone and Killers and had a really long, eventful career. This summer, he was still touring and playing at rock festivals in Europe, even with all the health problems he’d had in the previous years.
Conquest Music, Di’Anno’s label, issued a statement on behalf of his family confirming his death. Here they stated that Di’Anno “passed away at his home in Salisbury” and, while they refused to comment on the cause of death, they asked his fans to raise a glass in his memory.
Di’Anno’s presence is seen to not only contribute to but almost influence the very genre of heavy metal music. His screeching, powerful vocals served to leave a mark on Iron Maiden’s early work while, incidentally, creating a basis for all subsequent metal bands around the world. Bands like Metallica, Pantera, and Sepultura also claim that Di’Anno inspired them.
Before becoming an Iron Maiden member, Di’Anno had worked as a butcher and a chef while fronting several local bands. In 1977 he came across an opportunity when he met Steve Harris, founding member and bass player of Iron Maiden. Harris needed a new lead singer, and Di’Anno was quite ideal. It was with his arrival that the band sounded out of place in the punk rock environment dominating London’s musical airwaves at the time. Recorded from a demo that was three tracks called The Soundhouse Tapes, the band was looking to create more interest.
This helped make it a cult favorite, selling 5,000 copies via mail order and helping the band gain ground. By the summer of ’79, Iron Maiden had been signed to EMI Records, and their self-titled debut album was out by the following year. Recorded quickly, the album’s mix of punk and metal influence was a huge hit: indeed, it made number four on the UK album charts, establishing Iron Maiden firmly as a key part of the burgeoning metal scene. Success was continued, however, with Killers in 1981. But after the world tour and some personal differences in their ideas and dreams, Di’Anno left the band. He later looked back and said that all the pressures of fame along with his lifestyle had overwhelmed him. “I was on another planet, as well as the rest of the band,” he recalled in an interview with the Rock Hard magazine of 2004.
Iron Maiden indeed went on to become one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal, however, Di’Anno never held any grudges against his former band-mates or his replacement, Bruce Dickinson.
“Everyone thinks that we hated each other, which is [completely wrong],” he said in 2023, countering rumors of past feud. He also dismissed claims that he had not received a fair deal for his involvement in the early recordings of Iron Maiden, saying that he got full market value for his efforts. In fact, even when Di’Anno was wheelchair-bound by lymphedema, he didn’t stop making music. For instance, in 2022 he had to undergo knee surgery funded by his fans, and in 2023 and 2024, he still performed more than a hundred shows. The legend’s career was marked by a retrospective album, called The Book of the Beast, which includes highlights from his solo career as well as remastered versions of such Iron Maiden classics as “Sanctuary,” “Prowler,” and “Innocent Exile.”.
A documentary covering Di’Anno’s life and work is scheduled for release at the end of the year: a fitting tribute to his life and career. Paul Di’Anno’s tenure with Iron Maiden was very short but played a massive role in the creation of this massive metal genre that shall be remembered for generations to come.
