Today the heavy metal world mourns the loss of Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno. Di’Anno was the singer on the first two Iron Maiden albums Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981), as well as the live Maiden Japan EP (1981) and several singles and compilation tracks. While Maiden was at the forefront and, with Def Leppard, the most successful of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) bands, they wouldn’t achieve major commercial success until Di’Anno was replaced by the “Air Raid Siren” Bruce Dickinson for Number of the Beast (1982).

After Maiden, Di’Anno had a lengthy solo stint with Di’Anno’s Battlezone (and several other bands), and even occasionally appeared in Iron Maiden documentaries and social media posts, but his career never escalated beyond the early success he saw with Iron Maiden, and his name and legacy are forever tied to those years.

I absolutely LOVE the Maiden records with Di’Anno, especially the self-titled debut. They got more progressive over the years, with more complicated arrangements and instrumentation, but those first two albums had great youthful energy and an almost-punk edge and rawness that faded quickly after he left. Of course, the three (or more, depending who you ask) albums that followed Di’Anno’s departure are absolute metal classics, and I can’t sit here and say that the Di’Anno records are better than those, but I can say that in this house, they get at least equal or more time on the turntable, and usually with more volume.

RIP Paul Di’Anno. The metal world mourns your passing and thanks you for your contribution to rock and roll! UP THE IRONS!

 Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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