PAUL DI’ANNO – ‘In Memory Of’ (including previously unreleased music) (2025) HQ *Exclusive*

On May 17 this year, the frontman of the groundbreaking first two IRON MAIDEN albums, PAUL DI’ANNO, would have celebrated his 67th birthday. Unfortunately, we received the bitter news last October that the charismatic singer had passed away unexpectedly at his home in Salisbury.
“In Memory Of Paul Di’Anno” is a selection of the best songs that Paul recorded during his time at Metalville Records. In addition, the release contains as bonus tracks that have never been released in physical form before. “Je Suis Charlie” is a track from Paul’s ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ phase, which was only released digitally at the time and now not available anymore. And there’s the classic “Killers” in a live version from the Wacken Open Air 2015, never released.
Born in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Di’Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, first came to prominence as lead singer of IRON MAIDEN between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album “Iron Maiden” and the influential follow-up release, “Killers”.
“In Memory Of Paul DiAnno” is a fitting tribute to honor this pioneer metalhead – the man, the myth, and especially, the music. Ten tracks equally representing the singers’ two releases for the label – Hell Over Waltrip / Live in Germany, and the Architects of Chaoz album The League of Shadows plus a pair of unreleased bonus tracks from the latter project.

Yeah, it doesn’t hurt that a couple of the tunes are Maiden classics – the coolest thing is how hard these tracks rock. Despite getting the remastered treatment, the five bits culled from ‘Hell Over Waltrip’ spit out a raw energy that makes you almost feel like you’re there.

You could do worse than depositing yourself in the middle of the room, kicking on the surround sound, and turning up the Hi-Fi as loud as you possibly can. That’s not to say that live tracks like “Impaler” or “The Beast Arises” won’t sound just as cool on a vintage boombox. The drums punch hard, the guitars cut like a machete, and vocally, Di’Anno is in fine form.
The band even do gigantic justice to “Running Free” from Paul‘s old outfit and give a blast of extra energy to their take on the Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
Toss in the additional vigor of an audience eating it all up and you can’t help but to wish you were surrounded with the smell of beer, sweat and rock and roll. Di’Anno may have left behind a pretty cool body of studio work, but with live tracks such as these, you’re even more saddened that one of heavy metals iconic voices is forever silenced.

The remaining tracks on ”In Memory Of” are courtesy of Architects of Chaoz, a late career project Di’Anno formed with his at the time touring band. For some, this might seem an odd choice due to the circumstances surrounding his departure from the band.
Nevertheless, tracks like the blistering “Rejected” and hauntingly beautiful cover of Deep Purple power ballad “Soldier of Fortune” stand as a testament to Di’Anno‘s versatility. While he may have been a metal vocalist first and foremost, there’s no denying his ability to pull at the heartstrings of metal.
From the dark allure of “Switched Off” to the thrashing brutality of “You’ve Been Kissed By the Wings of the Angel of Death,” the studio tracks found within this one are signature Di’Anno in every way.

As is customary on specialty releases such as ”In Memory Of”, there are also yummy nuggets included, both attributed to Di’Anno‘s time in Architects of Chaoz. ´
Each are as dangerously delightful as all the other tunes on the album and like those other songs, split evenly down the middle with one live and one studio track. The former, a killer rendition of Iron Maiden song “Killers” from the 2015 Wacken Open Air Festival and the latter, a speedy stomper entitled “Je Suis Charlie.” Both tunes duly deserving of being part of the Paul Di’Anno catalog to the point that you’ll want to listen beyond that first curiosity play.

As expected, there will surely be some fans that will point to ”In Memory Of” as a release just for those who have to have everything Paul Di’Anno or as a good pick up for anyone who doesn’t already own either of his previous Metalville offerings.
I guess that’s a fair statement but to be honest, this tribute to one of metals’ most iconic fallen heroes is an awesome pick up whether you own those other Metalville releases or not. Sure, you can buy it for just the bonus tracks but if this type of metal is your thing, you’ll end up playing it for ALL of the tracks.

Despite featuring material from the latter part of his career, this birthday gift to the world is loaded with all of Di’Anno‘s old school heavy metal piss and vinegar. Enough so to make you want to pull your patch covered denim jacket out of the closet and turn the collar up.
You might even forget about ages’ aches and pains, and uncover a mad desire to climb elbow to elbow into the middle of a huge heavy metal concert audience. Hell, you might even risk injury and bang your head a couple three times! HEY! If you don’t want to do it for yourself, at least do it ”In Memory Of Paul Di’Anno”.
Highly Recommended

1. Paul Di‘Anno – Impaler (live)
2. Architects of Chaoz – Je Suis Charlie (prev. unreleased)
3. Architects of Chaoz – Switched Off… Released
4. Paul Di‘Anno – The Beast Arises (live)
5. Paul Di‘Anno – Marshall Lokjaw (live)
6. Architects of Chaoz – Rejected
7. Architects of Chaoz – You’ve Been Kissed By The Wings Of The Angel Of Death
8. Paul Di‘Anno – Running Free (live)
9. Architects of Chaoz – Apache Falls
10. Paul Di‘Anno – Blitzkrieg Bop (live)
11. Architects of Chaoz – Killers (prev. unreleased live)
12. Architects of Chaoz – Soldier Of Fortune

Paul Di’Anno – lead vocals

Architects of Chaoz:
Christoph Lücker – bass
Dominik Nowitzki – drums
Andreas Ballnus – guitars
Joey Siedl – guitars

Live solo tracks:
D.D. – guitars
Andy – guitars
Gonzo – bass
Dom – drums

Pre order:
napalmrecords.com/english/paul-di-anno-in-memory-of-digipak-cd.html