Bruce Dickinson might be the voice most people associate with Iron Maiden. Blaze Bayley had the unenviable task of following him. But when it comes to the word ālegendaryā, Bayley reckons thereās only one Maiden frontman who truly deserves it: Paul DiāAnno.
And just like that, somewhere in the distance, you can hear thousands of Maiden fans putting their pints down and preparing for an argument. šŗāļø
Because when you start discussing the greatest singers in Iron Maiden history, youāre basically walking into heavy metalās version of a pub debate that has been raging for decades.
Bruce Dickinson?
One of the greatest heavy metal vocalists ever.
Blaze Bayley?
A massively underrated chapter in Maiden history whose era has enjoyed something of a reappraisal over the years.
But Paul DiāAnno?
According to Blaze, thatās where the word legend belongs.
And when you look at what DiāAnno represented ā the danger, punk attitude, unpredictability and sheer rawness of those first two Iron Maiden albums ā you can understand exactly where Bayley is coming from.
š„ PAUL DIāANNO WASNāT JUST A SINGER ā HE WAS EARLY MAIDEN
Before the aeroplanes.
Before the enormous Eddie stage sets.
Before The Number of the Beast turned Iron Maiden into international heavy metal royalty.
Before Bruce Dickinson was sprinting around arenas like a fencing-obsessed history professor possessed by Satan.
There was Paul DiāAnno.
DiāAnno joined Maiden during the bandās formative years and became the voice heard on their first two studio albums:
šø Iron Maiden ā 1980
šø Killers ā 1981
And what albums they were.
The debut remains one of the defining records of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, combining Steve Harrisā galloping bass and ambitious songwriting with the dirt and urgency of punk.
Then came Killers.
Sharper.
Darker.
More aggressive.
And absolutely dripping with atmosphere.
DiāAnnoās voice fitted that version of Iron Maiden perfectly.
He didnāt sound polished.
He didnāt sound theatrical.
He sounded like someone you probably shouldnāt annoy outside a London pub at closing time.
And that was precisely the point.
āļø THE SOUND BEFORE MAIDEN CONQUERED THE WORLD
Listen to early Maiden today and itās remarkable how different the band feels from the enormous stadium beast they eventually became.
Songs including Prowler, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, Wrathchild, Murders in the Rue Morgue and Killers carry a street-level aggression that disappeared as Maiden became increasingly grand and progressive.
Thatās not necessarily better or worse.
Itās simply a different beast.
DiāAnno brought something to those songs that nobody else could completely recreate.
There was menace in his voice.
There was vulnerability.
There was punk.
There was soul.
And there was the feeling that everything might fall apart at any second.
Thatās rock ānā roll, mun. š¤
š¤ THEN CAME BRUCE DICKINSON
Of course, the Iron Maiden story changed dramatically when DiāAnno departed and Bruce Dickinson arrived.
Dickinsonās first Maiden studio album was the small matter ofā¦
The Number of the Beast.
Not exactly easing yourself into the new job, is it?
Released in 1982, the album helped propel Maiden into another dimension.
Suddenly the band had a singer capable of matching Steve Harrisā increasingly ambitious compositions with an enormous operatic voice.
Then came:
š„ Piece of Mind
š„ Powerslave
š„ Somewhere in Time
š„ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
By the end of the decade, Maiden werenāt merely successful.
They were heavy metal royalty.
Dickinson became known as The Air Raid Siren, and for generations of fans his voice became inseparable from Iron Maiden.
Which makes Bayleyās apparent distinction particularly interesting.
Calling DiāAnno Maidenās legendary singer isnāt necessarily the same thing as saying he was technically the greatest.
Legend is something different.
Legend is mythology.
Legend is attitude.
Legend is leaving behind something that can never quite be replicated.
And DiāAnno certainly managed that.
š¤ AND THEN BLAZE BAYLEY WALKED INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE JOB
Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden in 1993.
Imagine being the bloke asked to replace him.
No pressure whatsoever.
Just replace one of the most recognisable voices in the entire history of heavy metal.
Fancy starting Monday?
That job eventually went to Blaze Bayley, previously frontman of Wolfsbane.
Bayley appeared on two Maiden studio albums:
šø The X Factor ā 1995
šø Virtual XI ā 1998
His period in Maiden remains one of the most fiercely debated chapters in the bandās history.
But time has been rather kind to those records.
Particularly The X Factor.
Its darker atmosphere now feels fascinating within Maidenās enormous catalogue, while songs such as Sign of the Cross and The Clansman survived long beyond the Bayley era.
Dickinson himself would later perform those songs after returning to the band.
And The Clansman?
Try hearing that live without shouting āFREEEEEEDOM!ā
Impossible.
Weāve tried.
Science cannot explain it. šš¤
ā¤ļø WHY BLAZEāS RESPECT FOR DIāANNO MATTERS
Thereās something particularly lovely about Bayley speaking so warmly about another former Maiden singer.
Because these three men represent completely different versions of Iron Maiden.
Paul DiāAnno represented the hungry street-level band.
Bruce Dickinson represented Maiden becoming a global institution.
Blaze Bayley represented Maiden surviving one of the most difficult transitions of their career.
Each contributed something important.
But DiāAnno will always occupy a unique place.
He was there before the machine became enormous.
He was there when Eddie was still terrifying parents rather than appearing on aeroplanes.
He was there when Iron Maiden sounded dangerous in a completely different way.
Most importantly, his performances were permanently stamped onto two albums that helped establish what Iron Maiden could become.
š¤ PAUL DIāANNOāS LEGACY
DiāAnno died in October 2024 at the age of 66, bringing an end to one of heavy metalās most turbulent and fascinating lives.
His later years were marked by serious health problems, but he continued performing and remained connected to the music that had made him famous.
Whatever happened after his departure from Maiden, those first two albums couldnāt be rewritten.
Nor should they be.
Put on Phantom of the Opera today.
It still sounds ridiculous.
Put on Wrathchild.
Still absolutely filthy.
Stick on Running Free and try not to imagine a sweaty club full of denim jackets, questionable moustaches and enough cigarette smoke to obscure half the stage.
That early Maiden sound remains alive.
And DiāAnno remains right at the centre of it.
āļø SO WHO REALLY IS MAIDENāS GREATEST FRONTMAN?
Oh, weāre not touching that one.
Weāre stupid, but weāre not that stupid. š
Ask ten Maiden fans and youāll probably receive twelve answers.
For sheer vocal ability and longevity, Dickinsonās case is enormous.
For the raw identity of early Maiden, DiāAnno is irreplaceable.
And Bayleyās contribution deserves far more respect than the lazy ā bloke who replaced Bruceā narrative heās sometimes reduced to.
But perhaps thatās why the word legendary works so well for Paul.
He represents something that existed only once.
A particular band.
A particular London.
A particular moment in British heavy metal history.
Before Maiden conquered stadiums around the world, they were young, hungry and dangerous.
Paul DiāAnno was the voice of that Iron Maiden.
š¤ THREE SINGERS. THREE ERAS. ONE BLOODY MASSIVE BAND.
The beauty of Iron Maidenās history is that every era tells us something different about them.
DiāAnno gave them grit.
Dickinson gave them wings.
Bayley helped carry the flag through uncertain waters.
Then Bruce returned in 1999 and Maiden embarked upon one of the greatest second acts in rock history.
But those first records remain untouched ā snapshots of a band that hadnāt yet realised quite how massive it was going to become.
So when Blaze Bayley looks back at Paul DiāAnno and sees the legendary singer of Iron Maiden, you can understand the sentiment.
Not because Bruce Dickinsonās extraordinary legacy somehow becomes smaller.
Not because Blazeās own chapter doesnāt matter.
But because there was only one Paul DiāAnno.
Rough around the edges.
Unpredictable.
Defiant.
Completely unmistakable.
And forever the voice screaming from the beginning of the Iron Maiden story.
Up the Irons. š¤š„
šø RIFF REPORT VERDICT
Bruce Dickinson became the definitive voice of Iron Maiden for millions.
Blaze Bayley became part of one of the bandās bravest and most fascinating periods.
But Paul DiāAnno helped provide the danger that made people notice Maiden in the first place.
Legend?
Yeah.
We reckon Blaze might have a point there, butt. š¤
What do you reckon? Paul DiāAnno, Bruce Dickinson or Blaze Bayley ā which Maiden era gets your vote? Get the arguments started. Just keep the plastic pint glasses on the tables. šŗš
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies. š¤š“
