Paul Di’Anno Tribute Album Features Rare And Unreleased Tracks

May 1, 2025

With the tragic passing of Paul Di’Anno in October 2024, it was inevitable that a tribute album would be produced. But what tracks do you select from a catalogue that spans an impressive five decades? Di’Anno’s career exploded into life with Iron Maiden’s first two albums. However, the Metal legend was so much more than that. He had an extremely prolific career, producing numerous solo albums and appearing as a guest vocalist with many other artists.

Paul Di’Anno – In Memory Of

Release Date: 16 May 2025

Words: Steve Kenton

Here, Metalville Records have leant heavily on Architects Of Chaoz. The German Metallers collaborated with Paul on their 2015 offering, League Of Shadows, and appear on more than half the tracks in this compilation .

The album itself kicks off with a live recording of Impaler. This rough and raucous track really sets you up for what is, in the main, a fast and furious album. The track was first recorded for the 1992 album, Murder One.

Steve Kenton and Paul Di'Anno — Paul Di’Anno: “Yea, I’ve got a craving for a cheese and pilchard sandwich.”

The second track on the album is a rather obscure Architects Of Chaoz track, Je Suis Charlie. Again, no quarter is given here as Paul and the band plough through the song at breakneck speed. With its thoughtful lyrics, twin guitar attack and galloping bass, it is a bit of a surprise that this particular track is not more widely known.

Switched Off, another Architects Of Chaos track, has a slightly peculiar opening and feel to it. With a seemingly off-key intro, it bursts into life a la Remember Tomorrow. Again, this track surprises you with some excellent musicianship and sympathetic vocals from Paul, covering what is, in essence, the uncomfortable topic of death.

The melancholic atmosphere is soon shattered by a live version of The Beast Arises, and what a track this is. Now I must confess, with its heavy intro, head down, straight into the moshpit attitude and sheer vocal power, it is probably my favourite track on the album.

It epitomizes what Paul could do as a vocalist and who he was. This is a great live track that gives you a solid kick to the cahonas.

On the back of The Beast Arises comes another live offering, Marshall Lockjaw. You can hear that Paul is having fun here, with an abundance of audience participation, a generous helping of top-quality musicianship and a breakneck pace. Yet again, Paul and the band do not fail to deliver.

Two Architects of Chaoz tracks then follow: Rejected and You’ve Been Kissed By The Wings Of The Angel Of Death. The first is, despite its speed, a rather low-key track. Thoughtful lyrics, which come across as a cry for help, break the song up.

The latter is a more typical slice of Paul Di’Anno and very much his modus operandi. This then leads to an unmistakable drum beat. A live version of Running Free, anybody? Well, I don’t mind if I do. And why not?

Absolutely nobody carries this song quite like Paul. This is HIS song, his persona and heartbeat. Every note, every syllable, every screech is perfection.

Apache Falls is the next track and it is a cracker from Paul and the Archtects. With its first nation chanting, opening the track leading into an explosion of power from Paul, the track is like a crazy cross between Adam and the Ants and Iron Maiden. The top-quality fretwork also sounds like a little nod to Dave Murray. It is a great song that really does deserve, nay demands, to be listened to.

For me, the final tracks were slightly disappointing. A live version of Blitzkrieg Bop seemed a slightly odd choice to place on this particular album, while the live version of Killers, recorded at Wacken in 2015, certainly was not Paul at his best – although he was clearly having fun.

For the final track, Paul shows his tender side with a song which is slow and brooding. Soldier Of Fortune highlights the fact that Paul was not one-dimensional. He really was an accomplished vocalist.

Memorial and tribute albums are always difficult to compile. After all, where do you start and finish? Metalville Records certainly had a difficult task in selecting those tracks.

The album will be launched on 16 May 2025, the day before what would have been Paul’s 67th birthday. It features a booklet containing previously unpublished photos, along with liner notes written exclusively by renowned Iron Maiden biographer Matthias Mader.

There will be a Paul Di’Anno Memorial 67th Birthday Show at The Underworld in Camden on 10 May 2025. Doors are 6 pm.

Airforce will hold a London promotion of their new album Acts Of Madness and will pay due respect to their great friend Paul. For the rest of the evening, fans will be able to enjoy an unusual combo concert where the excellent KISS tribute band SNOG and the only official Iron Maiden tribute band HI-ON MAIDEN will perform.

The idea behind this unusual show was to recreate the famous KISS Unmasked Tour from 1980, where Iron Maiden were special guests. The plan is to perform only the songs that KISS played on that tour and those that Iron Maiden played on their tour in 1980 and visually get as close as possible to the look of both bands from 1980.

Tickets are available from The Underworld.

10may6:00 pm10:00 pmPaul Di’Anno Memorial 67th Birthday Show - The UnderworldThe Underworld