PAUL DI’ANNO’S BATTLEZONE
“Killers In The Battlezone 1986 – 2000”
Boxed Set Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

For my 1,000^th review to appear on Metal Gods TV, I am very pleased to bring you the boxed set ‘Killers In The Battlezone’ – featuring the legendary British heavy metal singer Paul Di’Anno (ex-Iron Maiden, Lonewolf, Killers, and of course Battlezone).

Paul Di’Anno is a heavy metal singer from the UK whose name will probably always be inextricably linked to that of Iron Maiden, the world conquering metal band he fronted from 1978 to 1981, recording their first two ground breaking albums ‘Iron Maiden’ (1980) and ‘Killers’ (1981). Following his departure from Iron Maiden, Di’Anno fronted a series of bands in the early 1980’s, including Lonewolf, Di’Anno, and the supergroup Gogmagog before forming Battlezone in 1985. Releasing two albums in quick succession – ‘Fighting Back’ (1986) and ‘Children Of Madness’ (1987) – Battlezone split up soon after.

Di’Anno’s new band Killers released two studio albums and three live albums over the next decade, and it is the bands third live one ‘Live At The Whisky’ – recorded at Los Angeles’ Whisky A Go Go in 2000, that is featured in this boxed set. A real treat for Iron Maiden fans, the band revisits and embraces the songs that originally made their singer famous, with versions of ‘Wrathchild’, ‘Remember Tomorrow’, ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ and ‘Sanctuary’, alongside Killers originals such as ‘Impaler’ and ‘Protector’, as well as T Rex’s ‘Children Of The Revolution’.

‘Killers In The Battlezone’ is a three album boxed set from Di’Anno, containing his two mid-eighties albums as Battlezone, plus his later band Killers, caught live. For any fan of British heavy metal, Paul Di’Anno and Iron Maiden are perhaps two of the greatest founders of the classic sound of traditional metal. Iron Maiden’s first two albums featuring Di’Anno, set the foundations for heavy metal, paving the way for thousands upon thousands of bands to follow. While Iron Maiden went on to rule the world, Di’Anno never quite reached the dizzying heights of his former employers – but still managed to permanently etch his name into heavy metal history, with the two mid-eighties albums by his band Battlezone, (in my opinion) two of the best albums of his (after ‘Maiden) career!

With ‘Fighting Back’ – aptly titled as Di’Anno was fighting back with a brand of traditional heavy metal that was clearly influenced by the eighties NWOBHM evolution that he was so much a part of with Iron Maiden – Di’Anno delivers a gritty, angry, and attitude laden vocal performance. The songs on the album are a mix of fast, aggressive, and highly infectious. The head bang ability is top shelf, the sing a long ability off the charts, with Di’Anno’s instantly recognisable voice sounding better than his ‘Maiden days. If you’re looking for a raw, unadulterated British metal album that defines the sound of the legendary NWOBHM, you won’t go far wrong with this one…

…nor will you go far wrong with Battlezone’s sophomore album ‘Children Of Madness’ – released just a year after ‘Fighting Back’. Featuring a more polished sound than the bands debut, ‘Children Of Madness’ is a rollicking rampage of classic “foot on the monitor” traditional heavy metal. While bands such as Judas Priest, Saxon, and (of course) Iron Maiden were taking British metal to the next level and conquering the world, Battlezone would sadly, remain a level down, and would eventually split up before the eighties ended. However, both Battlezone albums remain etched into heavy metal history, and are quintessential listening for anyone wishing to learn more about the history and development of the NWOBHM.

Di’Anno’s new band after Battlezone, Killers, released their phenomenal debut album ‘Murder One’ in 1992 – a pure and unabashed traditional heavy metal album. Every song harked back to the classic era of the NWOBHM evolution – and included a cracking cover of the T-Rex song ‘Children Of The Revolution’. And it’s the majority of this album, and some Iron Maiden oldies, that feature on the live CD ‘Live At The Whisky’. Recorded in 2000, ‘Live At The Whisky’ captures the raw energy of the band, as they storm through originals such as ‘Impaler’ ‘Marshall Lokjaw’ and ‘Protector’, along with ‘Maiden classics such as ‘Wrathchild’, ‘Remember Tomorrow’, and ‘Phantom Of The Opera’.

Overall, a must have addition to everyone’s collection of British heavy metal, or anyone who’s a fan of legendary singer Paul Di’Anno.

BOX SET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ALBUMS

Battlezone: Fighting Back (1986)
Battlezone: Children Of Madness (1987)
Killers: Live At The Whisky (2000)

https://www.pauldianno.com/

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