Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The human tsunami of performance, of the out and out wave that comes in individual form as they refuse to bow and bend to the 100-foot rugged and sturdy cliffs that steadfastly cling to the earth and soil of the land they protect, that is the chiselled beauty to witness when we observe a legend bounce back against the odds and offer the public the spectacle of rampant sound and destruction.
Paul Di’Anno’s name has the status behind him, never forgotten in time thanks to the two Iron Maiden albums he provided vocals for as the group began their impressive climb to the top of the public’s flourishing Metal fraternity in NWOBHM, and over the course of the following forty plus years, that presence has not waned, in some form or another that tsunami has breached the defences and found a way to break down barriers to the thrill of his fans.
In Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse self-titled debut, the survivor, the entertainer and the voice of a multitude of respectable groups and music opinions, returns with a vengeance, and the past cannot get in the way, the cliffs are softened by the warhorse fully decked out in the armour of the day, and that sound, that unmistakable muscle from days gone by is welcomed and to be seen as praised once again.
You cannot keep those with blood rampaging their body down for long, and in the battles Paul Di’Anno has faced I recent years, the struggles and the tough times, all is forced out with a gusto of cool as he rides the warhorse with tough endurance.
Joining Paul is Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante Pupačić Pupi, previously unknown to the multitude, but who outstandingly add the fire to the cannon that pummels the cliffs in onslaught on the twin guitar rampage, and with guest musicians such as Becky Baldwin, Joe Lazarus, and Peter Šantić providing energetic fury on tracks such as Get Get Ready, Stop The War, The Doubt Within, the superb Here Comes The Night, and Forever Bound, as well as the cheeky inclusion of Tequila; what comes across is album of fierce pride, not just a memory connected, not only a reminder of the force that was, but the very sound that could destroy even the most stubborn cliff face, taking it apart with ease as the sound of heavy warhorses snort in the distance.
A rampaging return, scarred and bloodied by the fight, but never once giving in; only biding time to give a performance fit for the ages.
Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse release their self-titled debut album on July 19th via BraveWords Records. Ian D. Hall