PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE (UK/CRO) - Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse (CD, BraveWords, 2024)

RATING: 7/10

I really wish I was writing this under different circumstances. As I'm sure you all know quite well by now, our good fellow Paul Di'Anno - one of the most unique vocalists in the history of heavy metal, a man who redefined many notions associated with heavy music during his time as the frontman of Iron Maiden - has left the building. It seems he was suffering from a number of health issues recently, and the repeated cancelling / rescheduling of his intended final European and South American tours were a clear sign he wasn't doing very well, unfortunately. These were times of rehabilitation for the man, both in his health and his career, and it sucks that he didn't have enough time to really sort himself out - because there's good reason to believe that (though in his typically stubborn, erratic way) he was indeed trying hard to get himself back on track this time. I'm damn sure this "Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse" CD wasn't meant to be the man's swansong when it comes to original music, but that's how things turned out to be, unfortunately - and knowing the singer is now gone to the other side sure gives the listening experience a whole different vibe, adding some extra layers of meaning to what was originally supposed to be an upbeat, no-fucks-being-given ride.

While in Croatia, during his reabilitation process after some delicate knee surgeries, Paul Di'Anno crossed paths with two local guitarists, Hrvode Madiraca and Ante 'Pupi' Pupačić, who are both involved with a power/thrash outfit named Rapid Strike (formely named Azazel) and had a number of more traditional Metal tracks demoed for the purposes of a side project. I don't how just how much Stjepan Juras (an Iron Maiden biographer who have acted as both manager and guardian angel for Di'Anno for nearly a decade, so God bless him) got involved here, but fact is that Di'Anno seems to have enjoyed the songs, and agreed to write lyrics and record vocals for what would become a new metal proposition named Warhorse. Not the most original band name by any means (I'm sure Nick Simper would like to have a word or two with you about it, Paul), but an apt choice when it comes to describe the project's spirit, so nevermind. With the much needed help of a few scenesters to fill the blanks - including some members and ex-members of local heroes Osmi Putnik, as well as bass player Becky Baldwin (now playing with none other than Mercyful Fate) and drummer Joe Lazarus (Steve Harris' nephew, and a much in-demand sticksman-for-hire for many projects and bands) - ten tracks were finished, and now comprise the "Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse" I hold in my very hands. To avoid further confusion, I'll just keep on calling the band Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse, as a way to diferentiate it from any namesakes (and oh yeah, some reviews of the old 1970's Warhorse are indeed a possibility around here) and to make it easier to be found in the blog's index.

As the musical contents, well, it's mostly good, unapologetic heavy metal fun, though not without its flaws. For me, opening track "Warhorse" is the best by far, a simple, yet extremely efficient heavy rocker with lyrics that (although not really making that much sense under close scrutiny) have a nice, somewhat evocative feel to it, like Paul is using this mythical, powerful equine as a metaphor to his own life and (often troubled) times as a metal champion working his way back to the top. I would have toned the gang-shouting down a bit, most of all in the chorus, but it's a truly nice track nonetheless, and perhaps one of the very best songs by Paul Di'Anno since at least the late '90s - and God knows how many dross he did record during this period (we'll get to it eventually). 

Though none of the following tracks work quite as well as this very strong opening, most work under the same formula, with a handful of simple-but-effective riffs put to use in some pretty straightforward heavy metal fare. Paul Di'Anno was never a highly skilled poet to be frank, but he sure had an individualistic way to write lyrics, trying to evoke particular feelings or situations rather than engaging in any serious storytelling - and it works quite well in most of the songs here featured, such as "Get Get Ready" (an uplifting tune about, you know, enjoying rock and roll) and "Here Comes the Night" (ditto), two very catchy tunes that are guaranteed to make old metal geezers shake their heads and pump fists in the air. I also really enjoy "Forever Bound", a good-hearted semi-ballad where Di'Anno express some sincere gratitude to those who had helped him while he was down. Pretty heartfelt lyrics here, and the musicianship also works to good effect. But if you want to hear Di'Anno's voice really shine, look no further than "Stop the War", a song about the war in Ukraine that really allows Paul to stretch his vocal pipes. The man still had it, no doubt about that, and this song proves it.

There are two covers in the package (The Champs' "Tequila" and Depeche Mode's "Precious"), and none of them are particularly interesting IMO, though at least the latter is a not-remotely-obvious song choice and deserves some respect because of that. I'm not that convinced about "Go" either, though this one is also worth a mention in the lyrics department, as Di'Anno (while telling a not very subtle tale about a female companion that seemingly overstayed her welcome) gives quite an interesting tone to the "never will I bend, never will I break anymore" chorus - like he is, once again, singing to convince himself, more than anyone else. "The Doubt Within" is a more convoluted, serious track that manages to create a pretty effective, somewhat ominous atmosphere - but the choice to keep things simple and direct is somewhat ill-advised here IMO, as the song is cut way too short and really deserved some extra minute or two to fully develop its ideas. The football-hooligan shouting that appears in most tracks also gets quite annoying after a while, sometimes sounding like a silly attempt to give some tough-guy quality to songs that didn't really needed it. But these are minor flaws, to be fair, and "Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse" is mostly a pleasant, enjoyable record that never sounds over-pretentious and easily fulfills most of its promises. 

And oh well, I could not finish this review without mentioning the final track, "Going Home". I wasn't at all impressed the first time I heard it, but then Mr. Di'Anno's untimely death was reported and, oh man, did this particular tune gain a whole new meaning or what? Now, this rough-and-ready heavy rocker sounds like Di'Anno is saying goodbye to us all: "and now I'm going home / to the place where I belong / Now I've lived it all / Somewhere I have to atone". As I said earlier, no Nobel-prize-winning poetry here, but these simple lines really carry the message across: his time here was almost finished, and he somehow knew it, and he was ready to get back home. No fade-out here, by the way: the song ends somewhat abruptly, as if the guy singing it didn't wanted to make a fuss in his last hooray. In the end, it's quite an adequate way for a man like Paul Di'Anno to leave the stage: crowd still cheering, guitars still roaring, ready to enjoy whatever else the night has to offer. Hope he's doing fine now, all pain and physical hindrances forever left behind, and let's raise some glasses for one of the true metal legends. Auf Wiedersehen, Paul, now you're forever running free.

Paul Di'Anno (V), Hrvoje Madiraca (G), Ante 'Pupi' Pupačić (G).

01. Warhorse 3:53
02. Get Get Ready 4:29
03. Go 2:53
04. Stop the War 3:30
05. The Doubt Within 3:24
06. Here Comes the Night 3:50
07. Tequila 2:21
08. Forever Bound 4:20
09. Precious 4:16
10. Going Home 3:28

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

DIANNO (UK) - Dianno (LP, FM Records, 1984)

RATING: ***

The final decision of firing Paul Dianno from Iron Maiden, made public in the latter half of 1981, surely saddened and shocked a great proportion of fans, though it was hardly an unexpected development, if truth be stated. The much-loved frontman was (and, in a sense, still is) notorious for enjoying the rock and roll lifestyle without many reservations, and his more sober-blooded bandmates would no doubt tolerate it, to an extent. But, when Dianno started missing shows due to his unhealthy habits, the warning signs were too glaring to be ignored. Being clear for all involved that Maiden was a strong contender for worldwide stardom, unprofessional behavior should be kept out of the picture at all costs, and so poor Dianno was swiftly shown the door (though the man himself had implied on numerous occasions that it was him who decided to jump ship). As we all know by heart, Bruce Dickinson got the gig, Iron Maiden got huge, and Paul Dianno, well… Let’s say he kept things going, surviving through all the ups and (mostly) downs and presenting some interesting (if not always enjoyable) music along the way.

Dianno’s first attempt to find fame and fortune on his own started to take shape in the early months of 1982, when the singer recruited nearly all members from a small London outfit named Minas Tirith, plus guitarists John Wiggins (from the local underground heroes Deep Machine) and PJ Ward to form a six-piece to take England by storm, or something. Initially acting under the name Lonewolf, it’s fair to say that Dianno’s new venture created quite a buzz around themselves at first, playing many well-attended gigs and receiving quite an encouraging response to their newly-penned compositions. Sometime in 1983, the armed-and-ready group adopted the more distinctive Dianno moniker for good – hardly a staggeringly-original choice for sure, but everyone were treating them as the Paul Dianno’s band anyway, so there you have it. It was roughly round the same time that the band started to write an all-new set of compositions, dropping the hard-hitting early material in favor of a remarkably melodic, more accessible style…

Mind you, the fact that most responses to the “Dianno” LP (released by FM Records in the early part of 1984) drifted from less-than-enthusiastic to sheer derision should hardly surprise anyone, given that it’s really nowhere near the intense, dynamic approach of Iron Maiden. In fact, the vocalist and his cohorts made a conscious move towards AOR waters, with prominent use of keyboards, multi-layered backing vocals, drums that echo all over the place and all that. It was a much-vilified album by the time of its release, and I can’t see it receiving any major rehabilitation anytime in the future: let’s face it, it’s all dated as hell, and there’s precisely zero innovative and/or adventurous music going on, so it’s not like we’ve been missing out on a record ahead of its time or anything.

That all said, I would like to point out that the LP is actually not that bad, you know. Once you manage to dismiss the fact that it’s bloody Paul Dianno from Iron Maiden who’s singing on it, it can easily pass out as a decent record from reasonably talented musicians, trying their luck with a formula that was getting a mostly positive response from the rock community at the time. By the time the band entered the studio, John Wiggins was no longer around, but both Ward and new axeman Lee Slater do a very good job with the solos (not that their music really needed two guitarists, but nevermind). The keys (performed by Mark Venables) serve to far more purpose than simply sugar-coating the tracks, and bassist Kevin Browne does a commendable job too, with some interesting appearances here and there. Paul Dianno himself will never be ranked among the most technically-gifted singers in metal, but it’s always nice to hear his highly distinctive voice in full power, and he managed to deliver the goods in pretty respectable fashion as well. OK, most of the lyrics are pretty brain-dead to be honest, but I guess anyone who ever listened to more than a dozen metal records in life is well aware that sophisticated poetry was never the genre’s forte, so just don’t dwell too much on it and you’ll be fine.

The album starts with “Flaming Heart”, a song that may become something of a guilty pleasure for many listeners: it’s all radio-friendly and silly, but it’s also a good deal of fun if you’re in a lighthearted mood. Next comes “Heartuser”, a bluesy tune that 80’s-era Whitesnake would not at all be ashamed to call their own, and following track “Here To Stay” is nothing too impressive, admittedly, but it has a nice instrumental interlude halfway through. Unfortunately, the nondescript “The Runner” paves the way for a number of unspectacular compositions (“Antigua”, “Bright Lights”, “Tales of the Unexpected” etc.) that add little to nothing to the album’s strengths. “Bright Lights”, in fact, even reminds me of none other than Gogmagog (not a personal favorite around here, you see), so all the dismissive never-took-any-of-these-songs-too-seriously talk from Paul Dianno should be taken with a pinch of salt if you ask me. Curiously, the LP regains some steam towards the end, with both “Road Rat” and “Lady Heartbreak” (two surviving songs from the Lonewolf days, incidentally) being very acceptable hard/heavy tunes with a fair bit of replay value.

Even with the tepid response to the LP, Dianno (the band) kept things going until at least the end of 1984, going as far as to recording (with much-traveled Frank Noon handling the drumsticks) a session for BBC’s “The Friday Rock Show” (broadcast on October 5th of that year) and even being captured for a live video (a mildly interesting watch if you’re as curious about NWOBHM as me, but don’t lose any sleep trying to locate a copy). They also released a Japan-only single, coupling “Flaming Heart” with a quite anodyne version to “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (yeah, that one), but you can easily live without it too unless you’re an obsessive completist. Despite their good efforts to regain momentum, Dianno were already fighting a losing battle by this stage, and mainman Paul Dianno decided to disband the whole venture in the early months of 1985. Few ever mourned the band’s passing, I’m afraid, but you can do far worse than buying a copy of this LP (it never received an official CD reissue, as far as I’m aware) if it’s offered at an inexpensive price. Some copies were issued in blue vinyl, and a fair number of sleeves have a sticker announcing the presence of an ex-Maiden stalwart on the record, but these variations should not justify any inflated numbers, as they're both not hard-to-find and/or particularly collectable.

Mark Venables and Kevin Browne would both have a stint with Airrace, but had little time to contribute to the band’s fortunes before it became history as well. The keyboardist now seems to enjoy a successful career as a journalist, while Browne kept a career in music with both engineering and the odd session work. There’s a certain Lee Slater playing guitar in Australia, and he also seems to have been doing the rounds in the UK in the past, but I would like to have more conclusive evidence before drawing any decisive connections here. As for Paul Dianno himself, he would soon be recruited by the infamous Jonathan King to briefly join the Gogmagog fiasco (already mentioned around here, and I’m not in the mood to revisit it for a second review, you see), but his fortunes would finally improve later in 1985 when Battlezone started to take shape. We’ll get to it eventually…

Very special thanks to Discogs for sleeve and label scans!

Paul Dianno (V), PJ Ward (G), Lee Slater (G), Kevin Browne (B), Mark Venables (K), Dave Irving (D).

01. Flaming Heart

02. Heartuser
03. Here to Stay

04. The Runner

05. Tales of the Unexpected

06. Razor Edge

07. Bright Lights

08. Lady Heartbreak

09. Antigua

10. Road Rat

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

GOGMAGOG (UK) - I Will Be There (12'', Food For Thought, 1985)

 RATING: *

It's no secret to any dedicated Heavy Metal fan that even the most well-regarded musicians of the genre are vulnerable to some painful mistakes from time to time. I mean, they're human beings after all, right? Unfortunately, some of these regrettable experiences end up being immortalised in vinyl or CD format, becoming either a laughing stock or a ghost from the past to haunt some otherwise serious and extremely respectable artists. Gogmagog's sole EP from 1985 is one of those vinyl disasters: a venture that seemed to be very promising at first, but soon revealed itself as an unmitigated musical tragedy.

I mean, the unsuspecting metalhead can easily get quite excited about it, looking at the band credits. Paul Di'Anno (the already legendary ex-singer of Iron Maiden), Clive Burr (another ex-Maiden stalwart, who also handle the sticks for Samson), Janick Gers (ex-White Spirit and Gillan guitarist), Neil Murray (bass player of Gary Moore and Whitesnake fame) and Pete Willis (who lend his guitar talents to the immensely popular Def Leppard for a number of years). Looks promising, huh? And maybe it could have been a NWOBHM monster in its own right, if these undeniably capable musicians were willing to concentrate their efforts into being a proper band. Something that never was the case, unfortunately.

In fact, Gogmagog is an idea that came from the mind of Jonathan King, a record producer and band manager that went as far as to head Decca Records during the 60s and 70s, being also responsible for discovering highly successful groups such as Genesis, Bay City Rollers and 10cc. Considering that the most accesible branch of NWOBHM could be an interesting niche (and a shortcut for some ready cash, of course), King decided to assemble a Heavy Metal supergroup, enrolling some household names in British heavy music and hoping to get the show on the road with a huge stage production and massive media coverage. As you all can see by now, it never was the case of great musicians choosing to join forces in a new band: Gogmagog was pretty much the result of a series of phone calls, proposed contracts and commercial viabilities.

Some of the musicians invited to the venture refused to took any role in it, namely bassist John Entwistle (ex-The Who and then a solo artist) and drummer Cozy Powell (world-wide famous for his stints with Rainbow and Whitesnake). But Mr. King somehow managed to convince (outwit?) some well-respected players to sign the dotted line. To their credit, it's worth noting that some of the guys were in a slightly difficult situation at the time. Paul Di'Anno was trying to reassess his situation after a very poorly-received solo album; Pete Willis was still to figure out what to do after his departure from Def Leppard; and Clive Burr, after a brief period with french heavy rockers Trust, found no success in his post-Maiden project Stratus, in which he was helped by some ex-members of Praying Mantis. All things considered, it's not unreasonable to infer that these musicians saw in Gogmagog, more than a good money-maker, a genuine chance to put their careers back on track. Soon they would find out just how wrong they were...

Some people have suggested that the 3 tracks featured in the Gogmagog EP were taken from a larger batch of recorded numbers, perhaps sessions for an intended LP that never came out. It's not true, I must reveal: the three songs are (fortunately, I guess) the only ones Gogmagog ever laid on tape, in a very quickly-assembled recording session aimed to convince promoters to finance an UK tour. The songs were written by Jonathan King himself with the help of Russ Ballard - a much in-demand songwriter in the first half of the 80s, who wrote some good NWOBHM songs such as "Tonight" (Tokyo Blade) and "Riding with the Angels" (Samson). The fact that the material wasn't anything to set the world ablaze, though, wouldn't encourage any music entrepeneurs to splash the cash and, in spite of Jonathan King's best efforts (at least I suppose he made his best efforts, you know), not a single show ever took place. The recruited musicians surely figured out in no time how hopeless the whole venture was and jumped off the Gogmagog wagon in a matter of weeks, maybe secretly wishing none of it would ever see the light of day.

Oh well, it was surely a case of wishful thinking, as Mr. King would never lose a chance to make some money out of it. The "I Will Be There" 12'' LP actually came to be released in 1985 via Food For Thought. Although King offers an implausible version of the events surrounding the band and its sole release (click on the image to read for yourself), now the world had the chance to make their own minds about the Gogmagog fiasco. To be fair, I think the title-track is a reasonably good mid-tempo number with some good ideas on display (and Paul Di'Anno does a commendable job here too), so it's not a total disaster when it comes to musical merits. But the other two songs featured ("Living in a Fucking Time Warp", which rips off Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight" in major fashion, and "It's Illegal, It's Immoral, It's Unhealthy, But It's Fun") are not only bad: frankly, both are terrible. The record as a whole has a unmistakeable feeling of fraud, like someone who did not have a single clue on Heavy Metal trying to deceive some unwary listeners - and let's face it, that's pretty much the exact case here. 

As I'm sure you all already figured out by now, Gogmagog's EP is a plain embarassing release (although the artwork is actually not bad at all), one that may only appeal to the most obsessive Iron Maiden completists - and not on musical grounds, readers take note. It comes as no surprise to learn that the five musicians involved weren't exactly proud of the whole debacle - Jannick Gers and Pete Willis mentioned it in not-remotely-fond terms in later interviews, admiting with point-blank honesty that it was little more than a shameless cash-in, whereas Paul Di'Anno simply refused to comment on the subject for the time being. Fortunately, all the guys managed to move on, with different levels of success. Paul Di'Anno formed Battlezone and Killers (and also recorded a number of quite bizarre, not-very-respectable projects such as the "Original Iron Men" series), but later decided to just keep playing the same old Maiden songs all over the world - something that I always found to be quite sad, as I'm sure he could have done better with his music career. Today, he's engaged in a so-called Farewell Tour (his health being quite problematic for over a decade), a jaunt that recently visited my home country Brazil (I didn't attend any of the concerts, unfortunately).

Neil Murray would later record with Black Sabbath, Bow Wow, Fastway, Badlands, Brian May, Tony Martin and countless others. Pete Willis soon started his Nightrun project, later renamed as Roadhouse and that came as far as to release an eponymous album of not-really-impressive melodic rock in 1991. Nowadays, he lives a good live outside of music, running a property management company in Sheffield, UK. Janick Gers would be lost in the wilderness for a number of years before Lady Luck smiled to him - at first with Bruce Dickinson's solo project, later as a member of the mighty Iron Maiden. Clive Burr had his ventures too, sitting at the drumstool in bands such as Praying Mantis, Desperado and Elixir before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis - a disease that ultimately (and sadly) led to his demise in early 2013. I'm thankful for all the good music, and may God rest his soul.

And what about Jonathan King, you ask me? Well, I guess he wasn't done with Heavy Metal just yet, and soon became the manager of Briar, a youthful British band that released a nice and enjoyable album called "Too Young" in 1985. Lured by the tales of glory of Mr. King, the once-promising foursome delivered a second album called "Crown of Thorns" in 1987, a truly dismal LP which even presents a terrible reworking of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" for no fathomable reason. Briar even re-recorded the lenghty-and-stupidly-titled "It's Illegal, It's Immoral, It's Unhealthy, But It's Fun" (a composition that takes the let's-repeat-the-name-of-the-song-over-and-over choruses to a whole new level) in a later single before giving up for good in the early-to-mid 90s, in one of the most unfortunate sequence of events in the entire NWOBHM. After experiencing some huge problems with The Law (he even endured some time behind bars for child abuse, an indictment he always vehemently denied), Mr. King went to play a major role in the successful careers of musical endeavours such as The Corrs and Chumbawamba. No further connections with the Heavy Metal universe, fortunately.

Paul Di'Anno (V), Janick Gers (G), Pete Willis (G), Neil Murray (B), Clive Burr (D).

01. I Will Be There 04:35

02. Living in a Fucking Time Warp 03:14

03. It's Illegal, It's Immoral, It's Unhealthy, But It's Fun 03:30

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!