Paul Di’Anno has retained his fame from the nearly three years he was with Iron Maiden. From the end of 1978 to September 1981, he was part of Iron Maiden and sang on the band’s first two albums. He did such a good job on those two records that fans still remember him 43 years later. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the bands he was involved with and the solo projects he undertook after his time in Maiden. He got off to a rough start with his first attempt, releasing the album “Di’Anno” in 1984 with a band of the same name. It was a soft, melodic hard rock album with lots of keyboards, which completely clashed with the hard image he had built during his time in Iron Maiden. However, he did release some good material with both Battlezone and Killers, but unfortunately, both bands were overlooked.
So how does it sound now as Paul Di’Anno tries again in 2024 with a new band named Warhorse? Can he succeed this time? First and foremost, I don’t really think Paul Di’Anno expects this to be a huge success. He’s likely left that behind him. He probably just enjoys recording a good album and singing, letting things take their course. To understand Warhorse, it’s important to have some background. Warhorse is a band from Croatia and functions as a trio consisting of Di’Anno and the two guitarists Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante “Pupi” Pupačić from the thrash metal band Rapid Strike. Even though the band has been called “Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse,” it is primarily Madiraca’s and Pupačić’s band. However, the name “Warhorse” is already taken and is under copyright by the British rock band Warhorse, formed by Deep Purple’s first bassist Nick Simper. So, they had to change the name to “Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse” for legal reasons. Paul Di’Anno has struggled with a knee injury for many years, which eventually became so severe that it left him in a wheelchair, where he remains to this day. Fortunately, Iron Maiden fan and author of various Iron Maiden books, Stjepan Juras, took his idol Paul Di’Anno under his wing. He brought Paul Di’Anno to Croatia for treatment. Since then, Paul Di’Anno has spent a lot of time in Croatia and is on the road to recovery. Through Juras’s contacts, Di’Anno ended up in a band from Croatia, with Juras acting as a sort of manager for Di’Anno.
I’ll be honest and say that I’ve given Rapid Strike several chances without really liking it much. So, can guitarists Pupačić and Madiraca create good music outside their main band with Paul Di’Anno on vocals? Well, they are skilled guitarists, and Di’Anno still has a good voice and a knack for strong vocal lines. So, it doesn’t sound too bad. None of the songs are top-tier, as the guys aren’t particularly strong songwriters. But it sounds decent, and all in all, I can enjoy listening to Warhorse. Songs like “Warhorse,” “Stop The War,” and “Here Comes The Night” are quite good. However, I cringe at the cover of The Champs’ “Tequila.” On the other hand, the Depeche Mode cover “Precious” is pretty good. It’s also worth mentioning that there are some cool guest artists on the album. For example, bassist Becky Baldwin from Mercyful Fate is featured on several tracks, and Steve Harris’s nephew Joe Lazarus plays drums on one track. But despite having talented people involved, the truly great songs are missing, and I suspect Warhorse won’t be a major success for Paul Di’Anno this time either. However, he still has reason to be satisfied with the album, which will likely find its fans and followers out there—even if only a handful.
Released July 19th, 2024 on BraveWords Records.
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