Blaze Bayley has paid an unusually generous tribute to a fellow former IRON MAIDEN singer. Speaking to Metal OBS, the vocalist who fronted the band from 1994 to 1999 reflected on Paul Di'Anno, who died in October 2024 at the age of 66 — and placed him above every singer who has followed, himself included.
The two knew each other well from the road. "We were colleagues. Paul was a very funny guy. I think people don't know that about him. He had a great sense of humor," Bayley said. They toured together across russia, all of Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand. "And when we had a good band, and he'd rested well, you could close your eyes and it was like [listening to] the first album, but better. It was like those first two albums, but better. And sometimes he struggled to get rest with his voice, and then other times he'd have a couple of days off, and he'd rested well, and it was just — he sounded incredible."
Bayley's last encounter with Di'Anno was brief, and he clearly still turns it over. "I saw Paul in Wolverhampton and said hi, a quick hello, and I thought, 'Well, next time I see him we'll get to spend more time together.' And that was it. Two weeks after that, he passed away. So it's a lesson in life that when you see people, you've got to think to yourself, 'I don't want this to be the last time. If this is the last time I see them, how do I wanna leave it?' Because it might be. And that's the sadness."
On Di'Anno's standing in IRON MAIDEN's history, he was categorical. "There's different eras of MAIDEN, of course, but only Paul, really, in my mind, only Paul is the legend. After that, we carry the name, we carry the torch of IRON MAIDEN. I may become a legend, [current singer] Bruce [Dickinson] may become a legend, but the legend of IRON MAIDEN belongs to Paul on those first two albums. Because they broke the mold, not just of heavy metal, but of music."
Speaking to Canada's The Metal Voice in June 2025, Bayley had described what he heard in those records: a band with no click track and no interest in anyone's rules, working purely on vibe and timing. "You can hear what Paul does. It just feels like, wow, he's there pissed off and expressive. And that's in his voice."
He has since folded a tribute into his own shows. Bayley now performs "Wrathchild" in his solo set — a song he loves anyway, and four minutes each night given over to remembering Di'Anno.
Source: blabbermouth.net