Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has paid a late tribute to the former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno and revealed his pick on the best singer of the band.
“I have been thinking of paying tribute to Paul since the day he passed away,” Åkerfeldt reflected on his deep respect for Di’Anno’s impact on metal and on Opeth’s music in a post on Instagram. “His influence on metal music and on Opeth cannot be understated. I remember a vivid conversation with my buddy Jonas Renkse where we almost fought about who’s the better singer for Iron Maiden. All credit and respect to Blaze Bayley, but we’re talking about the older albums that we both grew up listening to.”
Recalling the conversation about who the best Iron Maiden singer was, the singer continued, “Jonas was adamant that the best singer was Paul and not Bruce. ‘Why?’ I asked. Based on the track record Bruce has done way more great albums when Di’anno ‘only’ did 2. However great they are, Bruce has simply had a longer career with Maiden. Jonas reply was ‘his soft voice!’ I got it! Where Bruce is the ‘air-raid siren’ Paul had a more sensitive side to his voice when needed. Songs like ‘Prodigal Son’ and ‘Remember Tomorrow’ (which we did a rather terrible cover of) are great showcases of this beautiful side to the otherwise snarling and confident voice of Paul. On top of that ‘Killers’ is one of the best ‘fist-on-face’ heavy metal records ever released!”
He added that he hasn’t explored Di’Anno’s solo work or other projects like Battlezone, but regrets not meeting him. “I’ve yet to deepen my knowledge of his solo band as well as other projects, like Battlezone. I never met Paul but he stood in front of me in line at an airport once and I got too starstruck (of course) to say hi. Our late, but deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.”
Paul Di’Anno became famous as Iron Maiden’s lead singer from 1978 to 1981. He sang on their first two albums, ‘Iron Maiden’ and ‘Killers.’ After leaving the band, he built a long music career, worked with bands like Battlezone and Killers, and released solo albums.
In recent years, Di’Anno dealt with serious health issues and performed in a wheelchair. Still, he managed to do over 100 shows since 2023. He passed away on October 21 of last year at the age of 66 and was laid to rest on November 21 at the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium in Manor Park, East London, United Kingdom.
