Ex-IRON MAIDEN Singer PAUL DI'ANNO To Undergo Knee Surgery In June

The latest episode of the "Talking Metal" podcast includes a new interview Mark Strigl conducted with former IRON MAIDEN vocalist Paul Di'Anno. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below.

Speaking about his upcoming knee surgery, Di'Anno said: "I don't wanna swear… [Laughs] but it's fucked. It's actually fucked. Because this has been [going on for] seven years. I should have done this seven years ago. And now all the ligament is gone and all it basically is is bone rubbing against bone. And, oh my God, it's so painful some days, it's unbelievable. And through my mother, I caught osteoporosis [a progressive bone disease in which the bone density reduces over years] as well. When you get to a certain age. And [I can't be] buggered with that. [I'm like], sod this; I can't be dealing with it. So [fixing] the knee will make it a lot better."

He continued: "We're debuting, at the Rock Hard Festival [in Germany], [my new band] ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ, for the first time. We're doing about four of five new songs and [we'll throw] some old stuff in there, 'cause we've got the opening slot of 45 minutes. And then I'm gonna pay a clinic in Lithuania and I'm off. So, hopefully, [I can] get into surgery around June."

Di'Anno added: "I can't take it anymore. And it will be so nice to be pain-free [after] seven years."

Asked how long the recovery period will be, Di'Anno said: "It's a knee replacement, basically. [I'll spend] five days in the clinic, and then there's… about two miles down the road, there's this big rehabilitation health spa there now. So I've booked it for about fifteen days. [I'll be doing] a bit of swimming, a bit of walking and stuff like that. That'll be great. I should get myself fit as well."

He continued: "I finish with the 'Metal Allstars' on my birthday in Athens on May 17. And then, if I wasn't doing the Rock Hard thing with ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ, I would have probably tried to book [the surgery] almost immediately [following the 'Metal Allstars' tour dates]. I've got most of June… July is free. And then [in] August, I'm back in Argentina, so I should be well recovered by then."

In addition to Paul, ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ features members of Di'Anno's longtime German touring backing group THE PHANTOMZ. The band's debut is tentatively due this summer. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Apache Falls", "When Murder Comes To Town", "Je Suis Charlie", "AOC" and "Switched Off".

Paul Di'Anno's April 9, 2014 performance at Lizard Club in Krakow, Poland as part of the Doładowanie festival was professionally filmed for a DVD, "The Beast Arises", which was released on October 6, 2014 in Europe through Metal Mind Productions and October 7, 2014 in North America via MVD. "The Beast Arises" was also made available on CD, digital and vinyl.

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.