'80s Heavy Metal Icon Makes Limited-Edition Announcement for 40th Anniversary
Former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno is being celebrated once again as a special 40th anniversary vinyl edition of Battlezone's Fighting Back has officially been announced.
The news was shared through Di'Anno's official Instagram account, revealing that the classic 1986 Battlezone album will return in two limited-color vinyl variants on 180-gram records.
The release comes through Deko Entertainment and includes a fully remastered and repackaged edition aimed at collectors and fans of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).
The vinyl release continues a wave of renewed attention surrounding Di'Anno's career and legacy following his death in 2024 at age 66. It also arrives during a major year for the singer, who is set to be posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Iron Maiden as part of the 2026 class.
Paul Di'Anno's Legacy Continues Through New Releases
The Fighting Back reissue is not the only major release tied to Di'Anno's legacy this year.
A new live album titled Iron Maiden's Lost Singer is scheduled for release on June 26. The album was recorded in Zagreb, Croatia, during a 2022 performance that became one of the singer's most emotional late-career appearances.
The live set includes performances of Iron Maiden classics such as "Phantom of the Opera," "Wrathchild," "Killers" and "Sanctuary." The newly released version of "Phantom of the Opera" has already been made available ahead of the album launch.
The live album will accompany the upcoming documentary Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer, directed by Wes Orshoski. The film will arrive on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms on June 9.
The documentary features appearances from several major names in rock and metal, including Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris, Metallica's James Hetfield, and KISS co-founder Gene Simmons.
According to the film's official description, the project follows Di'Anno during the later years of his life while documenting his health struggles, his relocation to Croatia, and his return to performing after years of physical difficulties.
"For years there wasn't much to capture," director Wes Orshoski said. "Paul was waiting for surgeries that doctors in the U.K. would not green-light. He was in an incredibly dark place. But once he got to Croatia, fans and doctors gave him the hope he was desperately searching for."
Battlezone was one of several bands formed by Di'Anno after his departure from Iron Maiden in 1981. The group released Fighting Back in 1986 and quickly became known among heavy metal fans for its raw sound and aggressive style.
The original lineup featured Di'Anno alongside guitarists John Wiggins and John Hurley, bassist Pete West and drummer Bob Falck. Songs from the album helped Battlezone build a strong underground following during the height of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.
Over the years, Fighting Back earned cult status among collectors and longtime fans of classic metal. The new anniversary release is expected to attract both original listeners and younger fans discovering Di'Anno's music for the first time.
Di'Anno's influence on heavy metal remains widely recognized decades after his time in Iron Maiden. He sang on the band's first two studio albums, Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981), releases that helped shape the sound of modern heavy metal.
Even after leaving Iron Maiden, Di'Anno continued recording and touring through multiple projects, including Battlezone, Killers, Warhorse and solo releases.
In recent years, fans rallied around the singer during serious health battles that left him performing from a wheelchair. A crowdfunding effort eventually helped him move to Croatia for treatment and rehabilitation, a story heavily featured in the upcoming documentary.
The latest vinyl announcement now adds another chapter to the ongoing celebration of Di'Anno's music and impact on heavy metal history.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 1:25 AM.