PAUL DI'ANNO'S BATTLEZONE · Fighting Back | BLACK LP

Black vinyl in standard cover. 180g pressing.

Background information about 'Fighting Back'

When you talk about the architects of British heavy metal, Paul Di'Anno stands among the titans — and Fighting Back, the second and final album from his post-Maiden outfit Paul Di'Anno's Battlezone, is a record that absolutely deserves to be pulled out of the shadows and thrust back into the spotlight.

Originally released in 1986, Fighting Back finds Di'Anno in ferocious form, his trademark rasp cutting through every track like a switchblade. This is street-level heavy metal, raw and unpolished, dripping with the grit of London's working-class roots. Tracks like "Welcome to the Battlezone" and "Warchild" hit with the force of a bar fight — all swinging riffs and Di'Anno's snarling, lived-in vocals that sound like he's been through hell and is daring you to join him. There's an urgency here, a desperate energy that the slicker productions of the era never managed to capture. The dual-guitar attack of John Wiggins and John Hurley lays down a foundation that's equal parts melodic and menacing, while the rhythm section keeps things barreling forward like a runaway train. "Running Blind" and "The Land God Gave to Caine" show a band that could write hooks without sacrificing an ounce of heaviness — the kind of anthems that should have filled arenas. The bonus track "Rising Star" is a welcome addition, rounding out an album that feels like a lost relic finally getting its due.

What makes Fighting Back so compelling all these years later is how authentically it captures a moment — the mid-80s metal underground, where the line between NWOBHM grit and the emerging power metal scene blurred into something raw and real. Di'Anno never tried to be Bruce Dickinson, and that's precisely the point. His voice carries a punk-rock sneer, a brawler's swagger that gives these songs their unique character. This is the sound of a man fighting to carve his own legacy beyond the Iron Maiden colossus, and damn if he didn't leave some scars on the way.

For fans of:
Iron Maiden, Saxon, Tank, Raven, Jaguar, Holocaust

Track listing

1. (Forever) Fighting Back
2. Welcome to the Battlezone
3. Warchild
4. In the Darkness
5. The Land God Gave to Caine
6. Feel the Rock
7. Running Blind
8. Too Much to Heart
9. Voice on the Radio
10. Welfare Warriors
11. Feel the Rock
12. Rising Star (Bonus Track)

Manufacturer: 375 Media GmbH, Schlachthofstrasse 36A, 21079 Hamburg, Germany, Contact: 375media.com