Di'Anno Doesn't Blame Iron Maiden For Firing Him

K. Wiggins | 03-02-2020

Iron Maiden debut album cover art

Former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno has never been bitter about his departure from the band and in a new interview he admits that the metal legends were right to let him go.

Di'Anno sang on the band's first two studio albums ("Iron Maiden" and "Killers") and they scored success in their native UK, leading the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement.

The band parted ways with Di'Anno in 1981 and replaced him with Bruce Dickinson, and the new vocalist led them to international stardom with their blockbuster "Number Of The Beast" album and a string of successful records that followed.

Di'Anno spoke with Metal Hammer for the latest issue of the UK magazine and reflected on his departure from the legendary group. He said, "I don't blame them for getting rid of me.

"Obviously, the band was Steve's [Harris, bassist] baby, but I wish I'd been able to contribute more. After a while that got me down. In the end I couldn't give 100 per cent to Maiden anymore and it wasn't fair to the band, the fans or to myself."

Paul remains proud of his contribute to the band and metal as a whole. He said, "The two albums I made with the band were pivotal [to the metal genre]. Later on in my life when I met Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura and they told me that those albums were what got them into music, it made me incredibly proud."