Week 25 wrap-up: Maiden, Ozzy, Manowar, and more

For a while now, former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno have been stuck in a wheelchair in Croatia awaiting triple knee surgery. Physiotherapy, lymphatic drainage treatment... Poor guy went through all sorts of shit already. And so far, his fans have been raising money for these surgeries.

But this Tuesday, an announcement came from Kastro Pergjoni, owner of Cart & Horses – the London pub where Maiden cut their teeth in the late '70s and early '80s with Di'Anno on vocals:

"I am very excited to announce that the Iron Maiden team have kindly agreed to cover the remaining cost of Paul Di'Anno's operation. Not only are Iron Maiden the best band on this planet, they are kind-hearted and supported by an amazing team. As a result of this fantastic news, I will be closing the fundraising on the 21st June 2022".

That's class, right there. Especially seeing as how Di'Anno has made some thinly-veiled bitter remarks about Maiden through the years, (some of which I've personally witnessed). However, it was only recently that Di'Anno met with Iron Maiden bass player and band leader Steve Harris backstage after Maiden's gig in Zagreb, and the two were on friendly terms, having also stayed in touch over the years.

If you haven't yet, you can watch the short clip of the two here.

Being in good recovery from his recent neck surgery, everyone's Ozzy has just announced the release of a new, star-studded album, "Patient Number 9", set to hit the streets on September 9th.

Here, check this track list:

01. Patient Number 9 (feat. Jeff Beck)
02. Immortal (feat. Mike McCready)
03. Parasite (feat. Zakk Wylde)
04. No Escape From Now (feat. Tony Iommi)
05. One Of Those Days (feat. Eric Clapton)
06. A Thousand Shades (feat. Jeff Beck)
07. Mr. Darkness (feat. Zakk Wylde)
08. Nothing Feels Right (feat. Zakk Wylde)
09. Evil Shuffle (feat. Zakk Wylde)
10. Degradation Rules (feat. Tony Iommi)
11. Dead And Gone
12. God Only Knows
13. Darkside Blues

... And apart from the above mentioned guitarists, the album features appearances by Duff McKagan (Guns n' Roses), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age; Eagles of Death Metal), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Rob Trujillo (Metallica; ex-Suicidal Tendencies; also formerly with Ozzy himself).

How about that?! Not only is The Ozz successfully recovering, but then he pulls a piece of news like this. I mean, it's probably been long underway, but still...

Well played, Oz. Damn well played.

Oh yeah, and if you wanna see the video for the title track, which is totally directed by Todd McFarlane – yes, the guy who made the Spawn comics – here it is.

Song's pretty meh, so as an opener, it doesn't exactly bode well for the album altogether. Some interesting guitar work from Jeff Beck, though; especially towards the end. And overall, it's just nice to still have Ozzy alive and kicking.

30 years ago, Manowar, in their accustomed larger-than-life attitude, opened their 7th album, "The Triumph of Steel", with the Iliad-based +28-minute composition "Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts". And now, they've done something similar: Released a digital EP based on The Odyssey, called "Highlights From the Revenge of Odysseus" - partly in ancient Greek!

For the collaboration, Manowar have worked with two of Greece's most famous actors: Kostas and Konstantinos Sakis - father and son, respectively. Manowar bassist and band leader Joey DeMaio declared the following about the release:

"[W]e had the inspiration to write this song, which I was thinking could be a very long normal song - like maybe 10 minutes - 'The Revenge Of Odysseus'. And it just got out of hand - it just kept growing and growing. It started out with, 'Maybe it'll just be in English.' Then it was, 'Maybe it'll be in Greek.' And then it became not just Greek - ancient Greek. And then something like famous narrators. And then it became, 'No, we're gonna take one of the most famous, if not the most famous actor in Greece.' And then his son is gonna play the part of Telemachus. And it just got bigger and bigger and bigger."

Also, Rotting Christ vocalist Sakis Tolis not only translated the source material from English to ancient Greek, but is also featured on one of the tracks.

Says DeMaio about the collaboration:

"It was a pleasure and privilege to work with Kostas and Konstantinos, Sakis and everyone else who was involved in this narration," DeMaio said. "I call Kostas 'the Greek Orson Welles', not only because these two giants share many remarkable talents and outstanding voices, but also for being equally passionate to deliver a perfect narration while being humble and kind at the same time! We can't wait to share everything with our fans".

Here's the track list:

01. Athena's Theme
02. Telemachus - Part I (with Konstantinos Kazakos and Sakis Tolis)
03. Where Eagles Fly (with Chiara Tricarico)
04. Odysseus and Calypso - The Island of Ogygia (with Kostas Kazakos)
05. Immortal

Also, there's been put a new statue of Lemmy at the Hellfest festival in France currently being executed, because the old one, erected six years ago, was crumbling due to plaster deterioration. And not only does this new one look like solid metal (as it should be); it also contains some of Lemmy's ashes.

The enshrinement ceremony took place right after Scorpions had ended their set, joined onstage by former Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell for "Rock You Like a Hurricane"

At the ceremony, former Motörhead and current Scorpions drummer Mikkey Dee stated the following:

"Thank you, Hellfest, for making this happen. Me and Phil are very proud, and proudest of all is, of course, Lemmy! Now he is part of a great festival forever, and hopefully there will be many more to come all over the world so as Lemmy and Motörhead can remain a part of the rock'n'roll world which he lived in his whole life".

Also, former Hanoi Rocks vocalist Michael Monroe recently revealed on Instagram that he has received a part of Lemmy's ashes in a custom made bullet, a series of which were sent to Lemmy's close friends and loved ones, also including Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford.

One day, I'll get my hands on one of those bullets.

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