DI'ANNO
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
As every minor league heavy metal historian can tell you, Paul Di'Anno was the Iron Maiden vocalist who recorded the band's first two albums, "Iron Maiden" and "Killers." For whatever reasons, Di'Anno left the band and was replaced by the now-legendary Bruce Dickinson and the rest, as they say, is history.
But Di'Anno didn't just go away. Instead, he formed his own band, gave it has last name, and has recorded several albums. This CD, "Nomad," differs somewhat from Di'Anno's Maiden outings in a number of ways. The songwriting is nowhere near the level of later Maiden tunes but strong enough to make its point. Although the lyrics are well-written and communicate much, the music - with a foundation based more on guitar than on bass - isn't as fluid as Maiden's stuff. It works well enough but doesn't grab you by the throat like some of "Killers" did.
As far as Paul Di'Anno is concerned, the guy can still sing. His voice isn't as majestic as Dickinson's but some of the charm lies in that added roughness. He can belt with the best of them, however and sometimes, just sometimes, his vocals are reminiscent of the early Maiden days and the latter Dickinson days.
I hate to spend a whole review comparing Di'Anno to Maiden but there's really no avoiding it. Both bands really blossomed from the same roots. Frankly, some of "Nomad" is as good as some of Iron Maiden's most recent releases - it certainly doesn't feel like an embarrassing stepchild. Fans of Maiden will no doubt be drawn to Di'Anno because of the lead vocalist's history but, once there, they'll discover that Di'Anno still has a voice of his own.
Di'Anno: Paul Di'Anno - vocals; Paulo Turin - guitars; Chico Dehira - guitars; Felipe Andreoli - bass; Aguiles Priester - drums.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This
record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it
will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Revised: 23 Nov 2020 20:51:47 -0500.
