Blaze Bayley has had an amazing career and within the three separate incantations he has consistently delivered. You would be hard pressed to find a Metal artist who has succeeded through so many different forms as a solo artist. A lot of what you read about Blaze Bayley harks back to his career in Iron Maiden; a part from the Blaze Bayley biography “At the End of the Day,” written by a drummer in BLAZE BAYLEY Lawrence Patterson. So in this interview I wanted to explore his solo career, or “careers,” from his departure from Iron Maiden A BLAZE”ing” Beginning.
After you left the board room at the then Sanctuary Offices and were no longer in Iron Maiden what was the first thing that you did? Blaze : I actually can’t remember exactly what I did straight after the meeting actually. But I remember catching a train home to Birmingham and going straight to the pub and getting drunk.
I actually had a bad feeling on my way to the meeting. I caught a taxi after catching the train to London and its registration was 666. And I kid you not, this is the honest truth.
But really after getting this news I was just shell shocked…I really struggled to come to terms with the news and it totally twisted me up from the inside out.
How long after this meeting did you want to begin putting a line-up together? And what was the impetus for you to build a band?
Blaze : That night straight away I took out some blank paper and started writing out things that I could do and I referred to a book that I have used heaps of times that has all different song ideas that I have never used.
My goal was to get the best band together possible using musicians that were unknown and had never recorded. The thing about Britain is that there are so many brilliant musicians, so much talent and it just gets overlooked. And this is what I did.
Think back to the first gig you did as BLAZE. What sticks in your mind now about that first gig back?
Blaze : Wow, I am very hazy on the detail, we did a couple of supports, some being Saxon. I remember an outdoor show that we did in the afternoon on the back of a lorry but the first headline gig was at the Red Rose Theatre and we actually used a sound guy who I had worked with before in Wolfsbane.
How did the writing process begin for Silicon Messiah? Did you have ideas ready before the band was put together or did the songs grow from within the unit?
Blaze : I had already started to write material for the third Iron Maiden album so this is where I started. But the guys on the first two albums were very creative, John Slater is actually a creative giant a brilliant song writer. I remember actually “The Ghost in the Machine” came from some material that Steve Wray sent to me on his audition demo. The album came together really easily and it was a good time for all of us. I think that Silicon Messiah is a great album with a very classic metal sound. My only concern with the album is that I don’t think that it quite captured our sound.
You worked with Andy Sneap as the producer on the first two albums, what did he bring to the creative process of BLAZE?
Blaze : Nothing creative. The songs were all written and well rehearsed by the time we hit the studio. Andy is a great producer and musician, so with him there is nowhere to hide and he will work you until it is right. He will assassinate drummers who are not in time and guitarists who have not done their homework. Andy explained that he was disappointed with the vocal sound on both The X Factor and Virtual XI. We recorded everything digitally and this to me only really gives a one dimensional feel to the vocals. But the real good thing with Andy is that he was more concerned with the vocal performance rather than the recording process and he would have me do takes and search them for the best ones.
I am really proud of this album and what we achieved in this time. I remember Andy Taylor saying, at the Sanctuary Office, as he was clearing up all of the financial pieces to me leaving the band, that I needed to get material out as soon as possible and capitalise on my time in Iron Maiden. So I worked and worked and worked, to get a band together, write material and get it recorded. And we did it, no fuss, heads down and all done as per my advice. So the album was recorded and it just sat with management, nothing happening. It actually sat with SPV, through Sanctuary Management for months, nothing! And then they release the album the same week as Brave New World, no word of a lie. What management company releases two of their artists material in the same week, especially one as big as Iron Maiden’s release, that just doesn’t make sense. I stayed with Sanctuary as they wanted to represent me and they were one of the biggest management companies in the world. But in hindsight, this was a big mistake, and I sincerely believed that the release of Silicon Messiah was sabotaged, even to this day.
The Tenth Dimension musically was the next chapter in line with Silicon Messiah but how did the concept behind the content of the album come about?
Blaze : This album took a hell of a lot of mental energy. It was a concept album but the album still needed to be an album of songs, and not get lost in the story. There were obviously reference points on the songs and the order though. If you sit and read through the lyrics and the story line printed on the insert of the disc you can really get a feel for this. I got the concept of this album through reading and it was something that consumed me. The other guys in the band had their doubts but it turned out so well and the feedback has always been positive.
Blood & Belief was a much darker album to the previous two releases, was this a conscious thing or did the feel of the album reflect how you were feeling at the time?
Blaze : Yes, it was a conscious thing. By this point Steve Wray had left, my first wife was gone, I was broke – chauffeuring to the airport to make ends meet and I found out that I had depression. I always had the symptoms of depression but I didn’t know or understand what it was. Medication and support for the depression was a real revelation for me. I was really struggling with SPV, they were forwarding no money and “Blood & Belief” was about the industry, the business actually killing the voice of bands. So it really was a reflection of how I was and where I was at, at this time.
BLAZE to BLAZE BAYLEY
How was writing different for this line-up than the previous?
Blaze : Really this line-up and what proceeded should not have happened! I was living in the Canary Islands, I had left music behind and life was great. We had to get through cultural barriers, foreign laws and immigration, being ripped off by managers and producers and becoming a band! But through all of this we managed to become a unit and write a great album. This album was actually saved by Jase Edwards, from Wolfsbane because it was a realy stop start scenario with the producer we had. The Man Who Would Not Die had a real live feel and it sounded amazing.
The album The Man Who would Not Die is amazing, the song writing, production and artwork. How do you see this album now in the scheme of your back catalogue?
Blaze : I totally love this album, everything about it. I wish I could bottle what happened to make this album the way it was because I would then use it on every album because it went down so well ,it sounds great and the songs are strong.
Promise and Terror seemed to be the perfect progression from TMWWND in every way. Did this album flow like the last in the creative process?
Blaze : We had the same flow on his album. We had no material left over from TMWWND and we wrote this album as a tight unit. The first half of this album is a normal metal album both the songs and concepts and the second half I guess relates to the loss of my second wife. Again, this album went down really well and I am very proud of it.
Your decision to leave the other members of BLAZE BAYLEY was something debated throughout the metal world. Some people felt that it was a crazy move considering the calibre of the releases of the line-up and it was very much established. How difficult was this decision for you and how did you communicate it to the rest of the band members?
Blaze : It was very difficult, I didn’t want this line-up to end! But ultimately we were still fighting immigration laws, we had a terrible debt and we couldn’t support each other in the band, financially. We tried so hard and live, and as a band, things were awesome, but ultimately we had to support ourselves. At this time I was very stressed, I had suicidal thoughts, mentally I was down. I spent a lot of time with my brother and my new partner just talking all of this through, and I guess ultimately, had to take care of myself both mentally and financially. I had to make this decision to feel okay as a person, and to start thinking about my future. This was a terrible decision and a terrible time but ultimately something that I had no real choice in.
From this point Blaze Bayley released “The King of Metal.” Blaze has released an album that is deep, very introspective and dripping with sincerity. It is an album that doesn’t immediately adjust to the metal pallet, but after a few listens you can’t resist its honesty and power. Blaze Bayley is an amazing metal artist and one, whose relevance, becomes more and more apparent as you delve into both his band and solo career. Metal music needs artists like Blaze, because artists like Blaze are the essence of why we are metal fans.
Vaikka täysin Steven biisi onkin, niin Blaze pystyy varmaan aika helposti samaistumaan noihin fiiliksiin, ottaen huomioon miehen kulkeman matkan.
Hieno piisi.
"Living in this place,
Staring into space we find
We might share the corners of our lives
Infinity runs deep,
Eternity that we can't keep
Melting through the frozen wastes of time" Bruce Dickinson - Navigate The Seas Of The Sun
Iivis wrote:Toivottavasti viulusti on mukana myös suomen rundilla.
Luultavasti viulisti Bakker on mukana kaikilla akustisilla keikoilla tänä keväänä, joten hyvältä näyttää.
"Living in this place,
Staring into space we find
We might share the corners of our lives
Infinity runs deep,
Eternity that we can't keep
Melting through the frozen wastes of time" Bruce Dickinson - Navigate The Seas Of The Sun
Iivis wrote:Toivottavasti viulusti on mukana myös suomen rundilla.
Luultavasti viulisti Bakker on mukana kaikilla akustisilla keikoilla tänä keväänä, joten hyvältä näyttää.
...ja enpäs olekaan varma. Neidin sivujen mukaan hän kiertää/kiersi Blazen ja Zwijsenin kanssa tammikuun Etelä-Amerikassa, mutta Euroopan keikoista ei ole mitään mainintaa.
Ja kun nyt vauhtiin pääsin, niin pitää nyt mainostaa tätä: 03 April 2013 - Templet, Copenhagen, Finland
"Living in this place,
Staring into space we find
We might share the corners of our lives
Infinity runs deep,
Eternity that we can't keep
Melting through the frozen wastes of time" Bruce Dickinson - Navigate The Seas Of The Sun
Ei vissiin ollut vielä täällä joten laitetaan viralliset infot...
Blaze Bayley akustiselle keikalle Helsinkiin
Entinen Iron Maiden vokalisti ja ansiokkaan soolouran tehnyt BLAZE BAYLEY saapuu 26.4. Helsinkiin akustiselle keikalle.
Keikalla tullaan kuulemaan kappaleita Blazen koko uralta akustisina sovituksina ja lisäksi vanhoja Iron Maiden kappaleita.
Toisena yhtyeena nähdään yksi kovimmista speed metal akteista SOLITAIRE.
Taustamusiikit hoitaa Dj Immu (Metal Warning) joka soittaa koko illan Heavya!
BLAZE BAYLEY-acoustic
SOLITAIRE
Pe 26.4.2013 Helsinki, Club Prkl
Liput 10 € / 15 €. K18. Klo 22:00.
Ovihinta sisältää narikan.
New shows confirmed with Paul Di'Anno:
14.11.13 Finland - Helsinki - TBA
15.11.13 Russia - St. Petersburg - Avrora
16.11.13 Russia - Arkhangelsk - Club A
17.11.13 Russia - Moscow - Music Town
22.11.13 Russia - Belgorod - Centr. Molodzhnikh
23.11.13 Ukraine - Kharkiv - Zhara
After all it's only a game... isn't it?
And after all the adrenalin's gone
What you gonna do on Monday?
Official Blaze Bayley:
In 2014 it is the 30th anniversary of my career as a singer! To celebrate this, I will be releasing a “Best of album” in November 2013. This album will feature songs from previous albums that will be remastered by Rick Plester. I will be touring with this album in 2014. I will also continue to write my next heavy metal album that I am planning to release in 2015.
What songs would you want to see on the best of album?
^Hmm, mitäköhän järkeä on remasteroida noita 5 ensimmäisen albumin kappaleita?
Huvittavaa kommenttia asiaan liittyen Ex-BB rumpalilta facessaan:
Larry Paterson:
Excellent news Bull-Riff Stampede, Nicolas Bermudez, Steve Wray, Rob Naylor, Jeff Singer, John Slater, David Bermudez: We have been informed by somebody that Mr Bayley is putting out a greatest hits album, so the royalties will flow in any day now (as they always have of course). Book the Lear Jet! We're off to Monte Carlo to celebrate!
Best of albumin biisien äänestys näköjään meneillään blaze foorumilla ! Itsehän en näitä biisejä pahemmin tunne mutta jos jotain muuta kiinnostaa niin sinne vain äänestämään http://blazebayley.net/forum/index.php? ... rdseen#new
After all it's only a game... isn't it?
And after all the adrenalin's gone
What you gonna do on Monday?
The Truth Revealed & Meant To Be eiliseltä Helsingin keikalta. Oli hieno keikka. Upea yleisö ja Blazen suoritukset edelleen huippu tasoa Sain houkuteltua pari kaveria messiin ja olivat yllättyneitä meiningistä ja siitä että viihtyivät keikan loppuun saakka mestoilla Akustinen keikkahan kuulostaa ennakkoon aika tylsältä... sitä eilinen ei ollut. Helvetin hauska keikka! Marraskuussa Tavastialla voi olla tiukka keikka luvassa jos saadaan väki liikkeelle. Nyt ei juuri tuttuja paikalla näkynyt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEi77n-Uck0
"Oli kyllä hauska keikka. Harvalla akustisella keikalla pystyy olemaan noin kova meno. =) Solitaire oli mainio myös, kuten aina.
Oliko joku Ristiinassa? Laitettiin Blazen kans pitkiä tekstareita alkuillasta eilen, mm. kritisoin hieman sitä vanhan bändin hajottamista ku on ollu hampaankolossa siitä kuten varmasti monilla enkä oo ehtiny/uskaltanu ottaa asiaa hänen kans puheeksi aiemmin (erotettuihin jäseniin oon ollu paljonki yhteydessä, Nicoon oikeastaan jatkuvasti gmailin pikachatissa), hyvää vastausta sieltä tuli."
Hese, oliko hyvin yleisöä Ristiinassa? Sama settilista?
Makkke, taisin nähä sut ennen keikkaa mutta ku ei oo nähty muutamaan vuoteen (ja muutenki nähty niin harvoin) niin en ollu varma tunnistinko oikein ja myöhemmin ei tullu enää mahista moikata.
Hyvin oli väkeä vaikka ihan täynnä ei ollutkaan keikkapaikka. Settilista vaihtui hieman stadista mutta enimmäkseen sama kuitenkin, hyvä meininki oli kaikin puolin!
Ei hitto.
Mitenköhän mulla on taas mennyt ihan ohi tuo King Of Metal levy.
Kävin samantien tilaamassa tuon äijän sivuilta.
Ja sitä seutaavaan Sountrack levyä äijän elämästä odotellessa.