Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse
Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno is back with new music and a new band.
The former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di’Anno, who sang on the band’s 1979 debut EP (“The Soundhouse Tapes”) and the first two full-length albums (“Iron Maiden” and “Killers”), has had many ups and downs in his career and life since Bruce Dickinson replaced him in Maiden in 1981.
In recent years, Di’Anno has spent a lot of time in Croatia. This new album has been created there with Di’Anno backed up by local musicians. It is fantastic hearing him sing on a hard-hitting heavy metal album. Musically, Di’Anno remains in NWOBHM territory with the new album. The core of Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse band is Di’Anno and guitarists Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante Pupačić Pupi. In addition to playing guitars, the Croatian duo has produced and arranged the album and written most of the songs. Most noteworthy among the session and guest musicians appearing on the record is that one of our favourite British musicians, Becky Baldwin, of Fury and Mercyful Fate fame, plays bass on six of the album’s ten tracks.
The track “Warhorse” is terrific. The song will undoubtedly be a cornerstone of the band’s live performances. Other standout tracks include “Go”, “The Doubt Within”, “Here Comes the Night” and “Going Home”. In addition to eight original songs, we get an unexpected but good Depeche Mode cover, “Precious” (a testament to how good of a songwriter Martin Gore is), and there is a fun version of Chuck Rio’s “Tequila”. It is not a perfect album – the chorus of “Stop the War” is too simplistic and not as good as it could have been. But overall, this is a good metal album marking the return of one of the genre’s legends. Welcome back, Paul Di’Anno!
Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse’s self-titled debut album will be released on 19th July via BraveWords Records.
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