R.I.P. Paul Di'Anno, 1958 – 2024
"I shall return from out of the fire"
After several years of struggling with various health issues, former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno (civil name Paul Michael Andrews) has died, age 66. Although he fronted numerous bands throughout his career, Di'Anno was, above all, known for singing on the two first studio albums from Iron Maiden, whom he joined as lead vocalist in 1978.
Maiden's self-titled 1980 debut gathered immediate acclaim, Di'Anno's raw punk rock voice complementing ferocious heavy metal energy, progressive riffs and time changes, melodic twin lead guitars, and, above all, unforgettable songs, some of which remain among Maiden's live staples. Although most of the album was penned by Steve Harris, Di'Anno contributed to the irresistible, punky shuffle of "Running Free" as well as the equal parts mystically haunting and progressively hard-hitting "Remember Tomorrow".
The 1981 follow-up "Killers" marked an even bigger success for the band, both in terms of popularity and critical acclaim. And although also mostly penned by Harris, Di'Anno contributed to the blistering title track, easily as memorable as the "Wrathchild", "Purgatory", and "Murders in the Rue Morgue" that flank it. However, on the following tour, it became clear for the rest of the band that Di'Anno's heavy drinking, cocaine use, and all-round erratic behavior and personality were incompatible with the focused, professional direction of the band, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
This signature has seen Paul Di'Anno live in concert with his solo project three times. Knowing fully well what earned him his stage merits, around half of his sets were songs from those two Maiden LPs. And testifying to aforementioned erratic behavior and personality, Di'Anno would often throw scathing remarks at his former band, both on and off stage, just like throughout his life he would face several arrests, charges, and convictions on various grounds such as weapon possession, spousal abuse, and benefit fraud, the latter earning him a prison sentence in 2011.
Apart from six children, Di'Anno leaves behind him a legacy in the world of metal to be reckoned with.
On a personal note, even though this signature's favorite albums by this signature's all-time favorite band are "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" (1988) and "Somewhere in Time" (1986), the band's two first albums, especially the debut, hold a special place with me. And even though the band, Di'Anno included, has later dismissed the production on both albums, I personally consider their dry, garage-y atmosphere irresistibly charming, as though breaking through the vestigial sonic shell of the 1970's, and fully able to carry all those tremendously groundbreaking songs, all of which still hold up today.
Paul Di'Anno was a volatile character, often contradicting his own statements, and often being driven by a confrontational attitude and patterns of addiction. However, he later admitted to many of his personal missteps. Apart from six children, Di'Anno leaves behind him a legacy in the world of metal to be reckoned with. And even though he did come from a punk rock background, his inner, wild animal never letting go of that London East End backstreet jungle, aforementioned legacy never had a more distinctly artistical manifestation than in aforementioned "Remember Tomorrow", the lyrics of which will be relevant to hard-core fans in these very hours:
Tears for remembrance
And tears for joy
Tears for somebody
But this lonely boy
Out in the madness
The all-seeing eye
Flickers above us
To light up the sky
Unchain the colours
Before my eyes
Yesterday's sorrows
Tomorrow's white lies
Scan the horizon
The clouds take me higher
I shall return
From out of the fire
Rock in peace.