Jimmy Kay from Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to former Iron Maiden drummer Doug Sampson, who appeared on Iron Maiden's The Soundhouse Tapes EP as well as the Metal For Muthas compilation in 1980. Following is an excerpt from the transcrip; the complete audio interview is below.

When asked about Paul Di'anno's audition for Iron Maiden:

"We were knocked out by Paul Di'Anno's audition. From that minute he auditioned he was the vocalist for Iron Maiden. we heard a phenomenal voice one that really suited the band at that particular time, this was a different league, Di'Anno took it to another level. And Paul got the job obviously."
 
When asked about his memories of the recording of Iron Maiden The SoundhouseTapes EP:

"I don't think we did any gigs at that point. Steve Harris said we really need to get a demo together. We would all pay and chip in and we would go to this place called Spaceward Studios, on New Years Eve. It was great it was the first time me and Steve Harris had been to  a studio. Dave had done a bit of recoding before. More than anything I can remember doing 'Strange World'; my personal memories of that was just so haunting it just took on a different feel, it was quite eerie. When I hear it now it still brings back memories of that recording session."

When asked about his memories of the recordings of Sanctuary and Wrathchild on the 1980 Metal for Muthas compilation:

"That was the first time we went to the EMI studio for us to do them and that was a different league as well, this was not a demo this was done in a proper studio.That was quite a jump from what we have been doing. I remember we stayed there right ot the early hours of the morning, me Paul and Dave just crashed out in the corridor at the studio and slept on the floor and I think the executives couldn't believe what they were seeing."

When asked if he would even consider working again with Paul Di'Anno or any other former Iron Maiden members:

"It's funny you should ask because their maybe a possibility that we actually do something with Paul Di'Anno. Hopefully, that would be a great great honour to do something with Paul Di'Anno. Nothing confirmed yet. That might be something in the future, fingers crossed. Dianno is the man, there is no two ways about it, hopefully everything  will work out I really really hope so."

Jimmy Kay also spoke with former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'anno recently, who announced his new band Angels Of Chaoz. He provided an update about his current health situation and spoke about a Battlezone reunion and the songs on the first Iron Maiden album, Killers and the Maiden Japan EP. A few excerpts follow:

When asked about an update on his current health situation:

"I have had some problems with my legs over the years, wear and tear jumping around like a loony on stage and my knees started to give out. What happened is the fluid in the right knee started to get infected and went into my chest and I did a couple of shows in the wheel chair. I went back to Argentina and did some shows and I had a bit of a fall. By the time I got back to England, I went to see the surgeon for my knee. I got home dropped my luggage and then I went off to the hospital, came back in the afternoon and then I collapsed. I was dying of an abscess basically. I was lucky enough I had my phone with me and I called up the ambulance and they took me off to the hospital and I was there for eight months. A huge big abscess on my chest in my clavicle eating my bone and breast bone away. The abscess was the size of a rugby ball, it was huge, they shrunk it with about 40 pills a day for eight months in the hospital. I couldn't move. They are saying it's from the fluid on the knee, but it could have been something else I picked up traveling in South America, India, like what happened to Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper). So now I'm trying to get my knees fixed. I have a special designer knee being built for me at the very cheap sum of 86,000 pounds. I got to pay for that and then I found out from my dentist the other day all the pills I am taking is making all my gums shrink and now I'm going to lose all my teeth as well if I'm not careful. They are going to try and take my right knee out completely towards the next few months obviously the best surgeon in the country he's booked up with other patients I've got to wait for him. They let me out of the hospital after eight months just before Christmas last year and I went into a care home which was a fucking nightmare, the home was where people would go to die, a bunch of 80 and 90 year-olds I was the youngest one there and most of them had dementia."

When asked if he would do a Iron Maiden show with all three Iron Maiden singers on the bill:

"Yes, if something good would come out of it of course I would, yeah. It would be great to see all the guys again"

When asked if he would ever do a resurrect his old band Batttlezone:

"We are in talks at the moment, that's no secret. Me and Steve Hopgood and, Graham Bath are up for it. We’ve been trying to get a hold of John Wiggins who has not been forthcoming at the moment, but my old bass player Colin Riggs will be involved.”