There are artists who have left an indelible mark on the music industry for many different reasons. Some of them have been undeservedly the recipients of negative comments and yet they continue their journey undeterred and stronger. Blaze Bayley is one such exemplary case in point. A man who started his career with Wolfsbane, became Maiden’s lead singer for five years and for the last 25 years has been going solo, releasing constantly albums to the satisfaction of his small but strong fan base.
I imagine most of you who are at the ripe age of 50 (or something) years old still remember the…shock that we felt when we saw the video clip of “Man on the Edge” at MTV’s Headbangers Ball. You see, Dickinson was an iconic singer who had left a permanent mark on the heavy metal world and simply Blaze was a different singer, or if you prefer, he was not Bruce Dickinson. And yet, in the 2 studio albums that he recorded with Maiden, Blaze left behind at least 4-5 classic songs that to this day even all those Blaze detractors admit that they are among the very good songwriting moments of the Iron Maiden.
The dream lasted a while, Bruce returned and Blaze started down the uphill road to build a solo career. In fact, the start with “Silicon Messiah” and “Tenth Dimension” was encouraging with legendary manager Rod Smallwood emphatically stating that he was happy with Blaze because he wasn’t trying to “exploit” the Maiden sound and was trying to make something of his own. Yes, certainly “Blood & Belief” was not at the same quality level and that’s where the difficulties began for Blaze who found himself without a label, financial support and most importantly faced with serious psychological problems that led him down a very dark path from which he fortunately managed to emerge victorious. It was one of many victorious battles in a war that would last several years.
A few years later and almost out of nowhere Blaze released two truly great albums with the help of an excellent line-up of musicians. If you ask me, “The Man Who Would Not Die” is Blaze’s absolute magnum opus and an album that should not be missing from any record collection. A personal opinion and nothing more. The sequel had its ups and downs again but since 2016 Blaze has found a remarkable stability as a result of his harmonious collaboration with Absolva, who are his band in the studio and live environment. Indeed, all the releases with them are always great with “War Within Me” being a standout (closely followed by the “Infinite Entanglement” trilogy).
Blaze will release his new album entitled “Circle of Stone” and we hope to see him again in our country as part of the tour to promote the album. Speaking of the upcoming tour, I would like to point out to Blaze and his management that it would be good if he plays more songs from his solo career to make people appreciate it more. Yes, I understand that both the promoters and the average metal fan wants to see the Maiden logo on the tour poster and therefore the expected Maiden songs played on the tour. Of course we want that…who doesn’t? But I think there should be a more harmonious balance in the choice of tracks.
In conclusion…is Blaze’s solo recording career important? The answer is unequivocally affirmative. Has he put out mediocre records? Again, the answer is “yes” but in a career spanning so many years, who doesn’t have their mediocre moments? Music is a matter of taste and sure Blaze may not be the best singer in the world but I can easily tell you that he is a musician who fights with all his might, insists on chasing his dream and gets on stage every time giving 110% of himself showing how much fun he has every time. Clearly and obviously. Really now…do you know many musicians with such a remarkable work ethic…?
Sakis Nikas
