Paul Di'anno
From:
London,
United Kingdom
Last Known Status: Active
Background
In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno has issued numerous albums over the years, as both a solo artist and as a member of such bands as Gogmagog, Battlezone, Praying Mantis, and Killers.
In the mid-'90s, rumors began to surface that Di'Anno might be rejoining Maiden (after the exit of Dickinson in 1993), but the speculation proved to be false, as Maiden hooked up with former Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley, before reuniting with Dickinson in 1999.
By the dawn of the new millennium, Di'Anno was living in Brazil, still playing music (releasing his latest solo album, Living Dead, in 2006), and overseeing a hotel/restaurant that he owns in England.
Di'Anno is an atheist, and has a tattoo that says "666" and "GOD = SUCKER" on the back of his head. According to his autobiography, he converted to Islam in the 1990s after reading the Koran. However he has subsequently admitted:I think religion kills everybody. I don’t believe in it. ... No, my father was a Muslim, I must admit. But I don’t give a fuck. [1]. In later interviews Di'Anno clarifies that he never was a true Muslim, that he never stopped drinking, but tried to become a better person by applying some of the Muslim philosophies to his life. According to his autobiography, he has claimed to be Muslim, Catholic and even Aboriginie.
The lyrics of the track "The Living Dead" (written by Paul Di'Anno and Paulo Turin) explain his current thoughts about religion. The song is about the suffering in the world that exists despite the fact that people believe in a God.
Latest Paul Di'anno News
Below is our complete Paul Di'anno news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
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OpEd
Diamond's Mine: The Best Of 2024
2024 is finally pinched off from our collective sphincters and as is becoming a far too familiar gripe by now, the state of the world is akin to a two day old Big Mac; neglected, unappealing and probably infested by vermin. However, we once again have been able to rely on the music we love to get us through this dumpster fire of an existence and were given some treats too, not just in the form of incredible albums but also the Acid Bath reunion we all thought would never happen, as well as the equally surprising comebacks of Nevermore and Nailbomb, not to mention The Sword and Slayer. Of course, we also said goodbye to such bands as UFO, Misery Signals and Twelve Foot Ninja and sadly dealt with the passings of former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'anno, ex Great White singer Jack Russell and Blake Harrison of Pig Destroyer and Hatebeak, to name only three dearly missed comrades. Time and metal marches ever on though and as always, we begin this recap by welcoming some new names into the fold.
Best Newcomer
Though it's becoming ever more difficult for new bands to make a name for themselves, there were quite a few who were able to put themselves on the map this year. One early example would be Hellman, from the Chilean capital city, Santiago, who unleashed their debut full length, "Born, Suffering, Death" at the beginning of the year, a very good example of death n' roll, recommended for those of who miss Entombed. There were quite a few bands who released their first albums this year but for me, there was one clear winner... More...
Breaking News
Paul Di'Anno Passes Away At 66 Years Old
Metal Underground has sadly learned that Iron Maiden's first vocalist, Paul Di'Anno has passed away at 66 years of age.
Born in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album "Iron Maiden" and the influential follow-up release, "Killers."
Since leaving Iron Maiden, Paul Di’Anno had a long and eventful recording career with Battlezone and Killers, as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.
Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.
His first career retrospective album, "The Book Of The Beast," was released in September of this year and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving Iron Maiden.
We send our condolences to Paul's family and friends. More...
Report
KK's Priest Brings Their Sermon To London
Some lineups just can't be missed. With the recent release of their sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again" (you can find our review here,) it was inevitable that KK's Priest would be hitting the road in support of the record. The legendary guitarist of Judas Priest fame wasn't alone with his highly skilled band however, as joining the group on their European tour are the superb Swiss traditional metal outfit Burning Witches, and for the UK dates only, former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'anno. With these three names on one bill, it was essential to get to one of these gigs. But could the show deliver on such a promising night of metal? I think we all know the answer to that.
The Shepherds Bush Empire, located a very short walk from the tube station, is a wonderful venue, it must be said. It's relatively small with a capacity of 2000 and has hosted acts from Charlie Chaplin to the Rolling Stones to Amy Winehouse (and Kid Rock, but we don't talk about that) and feels quite grand upon entry, while the staff were particularly friendly and helpful. This all helps put the attendee at ease as they prepare for the evening, which tonight was kicked off by the heavy metal flag bearers Burning Witches.
With five albums under their belts now, the band appropriately chose one song from each album to represent them in their short set. Burning Witches can work in any environment it seems, from smaller venues like The Dome or The Underworld to the bigger stages such as these, they put in a hell of a performance. Vocalist Laura Guldemond was not only in fine voice, but she understood the audience perfectly and did a great job of getting everyone excited, winning over fans who hadn't heard of them before and delighted those who were already anticipating their set. The quintet tore through the likes of "Wings Of Steel" and "We Stand As One," as well as the brilliant "Hexenhammer," before closing with their eponymous song. Burning Witches continues to be one of the premier young heavy metal bands in the world today with such electric live shows. More...
KK's Priest Announces UK Tour With Paul Di'anno
KK's Priest, the band featuring former Judas Priest members KK Downing and Tim "Ripper" Owens, has announced that they will be embarking upon a tour of the United Kingdom in October, dubbed the "Priests, Killers & Witches" tour. Joining them on the trek will be former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'anno, delivering a set comprised of songs from his Maiden days, and Swiss heavy metal flag bearers Burning Witches.
The tour dates are as follows:
7 October - Birmingham - O2 Institute
8 October - Glasgow - SWG3
10 October - Nottingham - Rock City
11 October - Manchester - O2 Ritz
12 October - London - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Paul Di'Anno Announces Special Shows With Gus G.
Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno has announced that he will be performing two special shows in the Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki on December 14th and 16th respectively, where he will be playing both albums he recorded during his time with Maiden. Joining him for these shows will be Firewind founder and Greece's own guitar hero, Gus G.
Says Gus G.: "Excited to see Paul after many years and honored to play some legendary Iron Maiden by his side. For 2 nights only! Where else?"
Paul Di'anno To Release New Live Album
In the summer of 2006 Paul Di'Anno was asked if he would like to perform with his German band "Phantoms Of The Opera" at a city festival in the small Westphalian town of Waltrop. At that time also with "Fury In the Slaughterhouse" and "Sydney Youngblood". After initial skepticism about how to get the expected pop and disco fans, they decided to play the gig. Especially since the two "Re-Vision" musicians, bassist Gonzo and drummer Dom, who formed the rhythm foundation of the "Phantoms", had a home game. And that scepticism vanished and suddenly turned into pure magic at the moment the band entered the stage. The city festival crowd mutated into an enthusiastic metal crowd, celebrating Paul and his boys through their brilliant gig.
The show was also completely recorded by producer and FOH man Thomas Mergler. At home, however, he found that the recordings were unusable due to an error by the monitor crew.
After more than 12 years Thomas found the tapes again by chance. And he managed to save the old recordings with the help of more modern technical possibilities. More...
Paul Di'anno Cancels North American Tour
Former Iron Maiden vocalist, Paul Di'anno, has announced that his planned tour of the United States and Canada has been cancelled, after what appears (quite clearly) to be an issue with the American booking agent. A message from Di'anno clarifying the situation reads as follows:
"Due to a Snake (supposed USA booking agent) ripping everyone off in every way possible known to man (and a few ways not heard of yet) the USA tour will not be going ahead. After waiting and waiting and waiting and lies and lies and more lies (and then just a few more lies and bullshit) just like happened to many others before me - i have had to admit defeat to this lowlife and forget about the USA tour for now. As you can imagine, money changed hands over there in the USA (not my hands I might add) and keeping me suppressed was the best thing to do whilst it was all stashed away.
"My apologies to the American fans who have been let down and to the various promoters who got so badly burnt in this way.
"This slime bag Snake knows who he is (and so does half of the Metal and rock business) so lets hope his fall is a steep one."
Headline News
Paul Di'anno Announces Retirement
Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'anno has posted a short message online via his official Facebook page, in which he has bluntly announced that he will retire next year. His statement reads as follows:
"I am gonna be 'Pulling The Plug' next year 2013, and making it my 'Farewell Tour'...it was good whilst it lasted. Details will follow in the next few weeks/months."
Di'anno began his career with Iron Maiden, with whom he recorded two classic albums before being let go. He went on to front a number of other bands including Killers, Battlezone and Praying Mantis, as well as releasing solo records. For more information about his career, feel free to check out our Sunday Old School columns about Iron Maiden and Di'annos post-Maiden career.
Cauldron Announces Tour With Paul Di'Anno
Canadian heavy metal trio Cauldron has confirmed a North American tour with Paul Di'Anno, which is scheduled to kick off in July. Cauldron will be joining the former Iron Maiden singer, along with Icarus Witch and Widow, for the extensive trek across the USA and Canada.
Cauldron vocalist and bassist Jason Decay comments:
"We're all looking forward to a nice summer tour across North America with original Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno. It will be nice to tour with our old friends in Icarus Witch and Widow again as well. This will likely be the last part of the Burning Fortune touring schedule as we're going to be concentrating on writing, recording and rehearsing for our next album. See you on the road!"
The preliminary tour dates are as follows (venues and more dates to be announced soon):
Jul. 25 - Baltimore, MD
Jul. 26 - New York, NY
Jul. 27 - Foxboro, MA
Jul. 29 - Albany, NY
Aug. 01 - Ottawa, ON
Aug. 02 - Toronto, ON
Aug. 03 - Detroit, MI
Aug. 04 - Chicago, IL
Aug. 09 - Vancouver, BC
Aug. 10 - Seattle, WA
Aug. 15 - Santa Ana, CA
Aug. 24 - Austin, TX
Aug. 28 - Tampa, FL
Aug. 29 - Orlando, FL
Aug. 31 - Raleigh, NC
Sep. 01 - Pittsburgh, PA
Sep. 02 - Akron, OH
View the tour flyer at this location.
Paul Di'anno Cancels Australian Tour
While no explanation has been offered as of yet, former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'anno has announced that his planned tour of Australia, which was scheduled to take place next January, has been cancelled. Paul Di'anno has recently been posting new demo tracks online seeking fan reaction. You can check out two songs he recorded with Greek band Prassein Loga below. More...
Paul Di'anno Posts New Demo Track Online
Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'anno has posted a demo track of a new song online, entitled "Black Boots." You can check it out below. In posting the song, Di'annos Facebook page confirmed that a new CD is in the works, but whether or not, "Black Boots" appears on the record depends on how well it is received. Di'annos last album, "The Living Dead," was released in 2006. More...
Column
Sunday Old School: Paul Di'anno After Iron Maiden
In 1982, British heavy metal band Iron Maiden made what would be one of the biggest decisions of their career when they fired their singer Paul Di'anno and recruited Samson vocalist, Bruce Dickinson. As everyone knows, Iron Maiden then released their third album, "The Number Of The Beast" and subsequently became one of the biggest groups in the history of heavy metal. But what happened to Di'anno after he was sacked? Quite a lot actually...
Following his departure, Di'anno formed a self-titled band, releasing only one album, also called, "Di'anno," before breaking up in 1985. While touring in support of the record, the band angered fans by refusing to perform any Iron Maiden songs, instead focusing on their own material with a few covers thrown in. Before disbanding, the group was also able to release a live video, "Live at the Palace," which is now available on DVD as "Live In London." After his self-titled endeavour, Paul then found himself part of a new heavy metal supergroup called Gogmagog, which was intended to be a rock opera project. The band saw Di'anno reunited with his former Maiden bandmate Clive Burr and also featured original Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis, former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray and White Spirit/future Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers. The band didn't fare well and folded after only releasing a three song EP, "I Will Be There." More...
Paul Di'anno Released From Jail
Paul Di'anno, the former singer for British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden as well as such bands as Killers and Battlezone, has been released from jail after serving two months for benefit fraud.
He is currently planning to embark on a headlining tour entitled, "Running Free Again." A message from the singer reads as follows:
"Back home again, and looking forward to Running Free Again, and seeing you all in a few weeks. Thanks for all the Birthday wishes too. Also, relieved to say, I managed not to drop the soap!"
Headline News
Paul Di'anno Jailed For Benefit Crime
According to the Daily Mail, Paul Di'anno (former vocalist of such bands as Iron Maiden, Killers and Battlezone) has been jailed today after being found guilty of benefit fraud. Di'anno was sentenced to nine months for claiming over £45,000 in benefits. He was told he would serve at least four and a half months of the sentence behind bars before being released on conditional bail.
Di'anno claimed he suffered severe nerve damage to his back that prevented him from working, but he was caught when Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators spotted a YouTube video of him jumping around on stage during a live show in 2006.
The footage, from his own website and video sharing site YouTube, showed the singer energetically moving across the stage, putting his claims in severe doubt.
He admitted the eight counts of benefit fraud at Salisbury Crown Court on February 11.
Powerwolf Confirms Festival Date
Heavy metallers Powerwolf have announced that they will be taking part in this year's edition of the Rockharz Open Air festival, set to take place between July 7-9, 2011 at Airport Ballenstedt in Harz, Germany.
The confirmed line-up includes:
AMORPHIS
CALIBAN
EMIL BULLS
END OF GREEN
FEUERSCHWANZ
FREI.WILD
GRAND MAGUS
HACKNEYED
HAIL OF BULLETS
HAMMERFALL
HYPOCRISY
IN EXTREMO
LETZTE INSTANZ
ORDEN OGAN
PAUL DI'ANNO
POWERWOLF
SALTATIO MORTIS
SEPULTURA
STAHLMANN
TARJA
THE NEW BLACK
TURISAS
TÝR
U.D.O.
Paul Di'anno To Perform Special Set On U.S. Tour
Former Iron Maiden lead vocalist Paul Di'anno has announced that he will be performing the self-titled debut Iron Maiden album from start to finish when he comes back to the United States this December. This is in support of the record's 30th anniversary.
The tour dates are as follows:
December 20 - Foxboro, MA - Showcase Live
December 21 - New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
December 22 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
December 23 - Baltimore, MD - Bourbon Street
December 24 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
December 25 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
December 26 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
December 28 - TBA
December 30 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
January 5 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
January 6 - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
Live Paul Di’Anno Footage Posted Online
Some high quality multi-camera footage of former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno‘s performance at the Mylos club in Thessaloniki, Greece has made its way online. Check it out below:
Di'anno recently announced some Polish tour dates coming up in September.
Paul Di'anno Announces Polish Shows
Solo artist Paul Di'anno has now announced the following upcoming Polish tour dates this September:
Sunday 12-09 Hard Rock Cafe, Warsaw, Poland
Tuesday 14-09 Urania, Olsztyn, Poland
Thursday 16-09 Club Dekompresja, Lodz, Poland
Friday 17-09 Club Estrada, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Saturday 18-09 Club Grudziac, Grudziac, Poland
Sunday 19-09 Club Parlament, Gdansk, Poland
Paul Di'anno Cancels Argentina Shows
Former Iron Maiden vocalist and solo artist Paul Di'Anno has issued the following brief comment about canceling the previously scheduled tour dates in Argentina this coming December: "December Argentina tour is canceled and I am trying to bring the tour forward to October 2010, so watch this space." Additional details on rescheduled dates will be announced as they are made available.
Paul Di'Anno Announces Japanese Shows
Former Iron Maiden vocalist and solo artist Paul Di'Anno has issued the following update about performing three 30th anniversary shows in Japan:
"November 2010, 3 shows in Tokyo now confirmed: 30th Anniversary Shows. Featuring all of the 'Iron Maiden' album and also lots of songs from the 'Killers' album. November: Friday 19th Nov Club Cyclone, Tokyo, Japan, Saturday 20th Nov Club Cyclone, Tokyo, Japan, Sunday 21st Nov Club Cyclone, Tokyo, Japan."