| Blaze “Silicon Messiah” SPV , 2000 Gloon: Blaze is ex-Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bailey and a bunch of no bodies, what does this equate to? One of the best metal releases of the year. Blaze the band, has a great future and has forged an identity and sound to call their own. Sure there are still some Maidenism in the music (The Launch, Born as a Stranger) but hey who cares? The band do it better than Maiden ever did when they had Bailey at their disposal. The differences however far out way the similarities and Blaze is definitely no Iron Maiden clone band. Songs such as ‘Evolution’ and ‘Silicon Messiah’ display the heavier guitar sound and different vocal variations, which set the band apart from the Bailey’s ex compatriots. Bailey has finally found the right sound to complement his voice and free from trying to fill Dickinson’s shoes and having to battle Harris’ woeful producing skills (check out Virtual XI) he delivers the performance of his career. I like this album a lot and hope that the band continues to grow and that this isn’t just a swan song for Bailey. A must for lovers of heavy straight up metal. Favourite Tracks – Silicon Messiah, Evolution, Ghost in the Machine Mark – 8/10 SECOND OPINION Lord Pale : Blaze Bailey has produced an interesting heavy album with some influences from his Maiden days , and the annals of thrash history . “Silicon Messiah’s” chorus reminds me of Monkey Magic somehow ?!?! Classic sing-a-long metal . Favourite Tracks – The Brave , Born As A Stranger , Silicon Messiah Mark – 8/10 Blaze ‘The Tenth Dimension’ SPV, 2002 Gloon: Blaze’s debut album ‘Silicon Messiah’ was one of the best ‘surprise’ releases of 2000, now two years on after squashing the ghost of Iron Maiden, the band and the man return to prove that it wasn’t just a one off fluke. ‘The Tenth Dimension’ like its predecessor, continues with the futuristic themes once again with a core set of songs following a concept of sorts. Musically the band again blend the best elements of Thrash, Power and Traditional metal to awesome effect, much like recent Iced Earth releases. In comparison with their debut, ‘The Tenth Dimension’ is a less brooding beast sounding a little less aggressive in parts and more uplifting and rocky in others, however all the elements that made the first album a classic are present here again. There’s the now familiar uplifting battler song ‘Leap of Faith’, the ode to Maiden track ‘Speed of Light’ and of course another killer title cut. A little experimentation creeps into the Blaze sound this time round with the softer ‘Meant to Be’ featuring female vocals and a slower more atmospheric approach. Blaze’s vocals are again amazing, and add yet another argument to why he was never fully utilised during his time with the mighty Maiden. Overall a more than satisfying follow up that cements Blaze’s position among the leaders of modern Heavy Metal. Favourite Tracks – The Tenth Dimension, Kill and Destroy, Nothing Will Stop Me Rating – 8/10 Blaze ‘Blood and Belief’ SPV, 2005 Gloon: To say Blaze’s solo career has been anything short of amazing after being dismissed from Maiden after the god awful Virtual XI debacle is an understatement. Two highly rated albums later Blaze has managed to not only silence his critics but forge an identity and fanbase all hes own without heavily dining out on the ‘ex Iron Maiden’ singer tag. Blood and Belief sees Mr Bailey fully embrace hes experiences and life lessons as subject matter and while small doses of hes self indulgent self belief ranting is tolerable a whole album soon becomes tiresome and takes away from the positive message Blaze tries to get across. Gone are the futuristic themed songs of old and in there place are preachy chest banging by the dozen. Musically the band seems to be getting rockier and more straight-forward rather than the crunching metallic genius of their debut. Blaze’s vocals are once again all quality and despite subject matter and the odd misguided Ozzy impersonation (Alive) this is still essentially at its core pure Blaze. Fans should be sufficiently satisfied and those who haven’t heard Blaze Blood and Belief is as good a pl ace to start as any. Quality modern metal done with old school attitude. Favourite Tracks – Blood and Belief, Soundtrack of My Life, Ten Seconds Rating – 7/10 |
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