Blaze Bayley

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This thread, along with the Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith and Paul Di'Anno threads, is an experiment. When browsing the history of this forum, you will see lots of threads on B L A Z E and Wolfsbane that have drowned after a while, and new members will start similar threads, simply for the sake of discussing his solo works. I thought it would be a good idea to have a central, continuing thread to talk all things B L A Z E and Wolfsbane so people know where to make their comments and ask questions. I will now continue with some basic B L A Z E and Wolfsbane reference.

To date, Wolfsbane have released the following albums:
  • Live Fast, Die Fast (1989)
  • All Hell's Breaking Loose... Down at Little Kathy Wilson's Place (1990)
  • Down Fall the Good Guys (1991)
  • Massive Noise Injection (1993)
  • Wolfsbane (1994)
  • Lifestyles of the Broke and Obscure (2001) (Massive Noise Injection and Wolfsbane together in a 2CD set)
To date, B L A Z E have released the following albums:
  • Silicon Messiah (2000)
  • Tenth Dimension (2002)
  • As Live As It Gets (2003)
  • Blood And Belief (2004)
Here are some useful links for B L A Z E reference:

Official Website
Blazefans (Maidenfans's sister network)

Please note these sites contain more information on B L A Z E's discography, further possibilities of discussion (all three sites have discussion forums) and will probably answer any question you may have.
 
B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

I've added Wolfsbane to the topic title as well. I don't think they're important enough to have their own thread but I recall a couple of discussions about them and this way you can discuss all of Blaze's non-Maiden work in this one topic. Hope you don't mind!

Cheers!
 
B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

I don't consider Wolfsbane a solo band/project, but OK. I'm too tired to go link-hunting for Wolfsbane, but if anybody knows any good link, please tell.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

I actually like Wolfsbane. I have 'Down Fall the Good Guys" on CD, and used to have "All Hell..." on vinyl. They were a great band. It's almost a shame Blaze left them for Iron Maiden. His voce was perfect for the type of music Wolfsbane played.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

In fairness, Wolfsbane was not going anywhere fast. They were good live and made some good records, but never really got past an almost "cult" status. Had Blaze not left Wolfsbane for Maiden, Wolfsbane may have only lasted a short while more.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

Albie said:
In fairness, Wolfsbane was not going anywhere fast. They were good live and made some good records, but never really got past an almost "cult" status. Had Blaze not left Wolfsbane for Maiden, Wolfsbane may have only lasted a short while more.

Yeah, that's of course true, and turning down an offer to join Iron Maiden would be an act of stupidity. I was thinking purely musically. His voice was better suited for the type of music Wolfsbane played than Maiden's music, although I must say that his voice goes well together with the dark atmosphere on 'The X Factor'.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

Blaze can start looking for new musicians (again) -------->


BLAZE Mainman Parts Ways With Touring Lineup - Jan. 7, 2007 

Former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley has parted ways with the members of his most recent BLAZE touring lineup. The departing members — Oliver Palotai (guitar), Luca Princiotta (guitar), Christian Ammann (bass), and Daniel Schild (drums) — have issued the following statement regarding the matter:

"We are in the sad situation to give out the news that the complete current lineup of BLAZE, therefore the authors of this letter, will leave the band.

"In the past years BLAZE was in a difficult situation, regarding finances, management and organization. Finally, during summer 2006, things started to clear up a bit, after working together on all those aspects.

"Most of the songs for the next album have been already written together. Still — in a tough music business today — we were prepared it would be not easy to launch the new era of BLAZE. But we always had the feeling we had a great band, further being really good friends, and being capable of handling that.

"But about four months ago Blaze Bayley got in contact with a new management. The ideas and working style of this management quickly showed to be very different what we, the musicians, considered to be right for this band.

"Blaze Bayley himself decided to stay with the management. Thus a common basis for making music together is not longer existing.

"We thank you for all your support during the past years. Have a happy and successful year 2007.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

The bad news just keep coming in :(
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

Former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley has commented on the split with the members of his most recent BLAZE touring lineup. The departing members — Oliver Palotai (guitar), Luca Princiotta (guitar), Christian Ammann (bass), and Daniel Schild (drums) — issued a statement over the weekend blaming Blaze's new management for contributing to the split. Bayley has since released the following statement via his official web site:

"Dear friends and fans,

"Some of you may be worried about rumours that I am dead. I am not dead.
Some of you may have heard that BLAZE the band is finished. It is just beginning.

"There are inevitable changes in life. We have all been subjected to and endured changes that we didn't want but most of us know that without change there cannot be growth. For things to grow they need strong roots to keep them in the ground so that when the big storms of life come they can survive and are not taken by the wind. A tall building must have a strong foundations so it can stand and be unaffected by the changing seasons of this world, so it is with everything and so it is with my band.

"My roots have been metal music. My foundations have been the loyal fans and friends and family that have stood by me and made me keep believing in the dream I started with, no man could ask for better support.

"I will see some of you in Poland at the Metalmania Festival on 24th March. There I will be with the greatest BLAZE band ever, there I will play the greatest show of my life. All is written."
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

I don't really like the way the management is talking about all this. They're needlessly emotional.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

I'm split on this. On the one hand I don't like the way the new management talks about the old band members and is so needlessly melodramatic, on the other hand I like the prospect of a new Blaze CD every year, more concerts, and  a DVD every second year. Ultimately, however, I hope the spirit and quality of Blaze endures.
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

Former IRON MAIDEN Singer BLAZE BAYLEY To Tie The Knot - Jan. 16, 2007 

Former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE and current BLAZE vocalist Blaze Bayley will marry his longtime girlfriend Debbie on February 14 on the island of Gran Canaria.

Blaze first met Debbie in the WOLFSBANE days in 1989 at a RHYTHM DAMAGE gig at the Arts Center in Tamworth, England and they remained friends while following their separate careers, and now they have finally decided to tie the knot.

In other news, BLAZE's management is currently putting together at least two Big Bash shows for 2007 — one in Dudley, U.K. and the other in Pratteln, Switzerland.

Commented Bayley: "I really missed the Big Bash last year. It's become a tradition for me and so many of the longtime fans. This year I'm gonna make up for missing last year by doing the biggest most spectacular show ever. We could have the new album out by then, but even if we haven't, we will be playing some of the new songs. I want to run a poll so the fans can choose what WOLFSBANE and IRON MAIDEN songs we play. We don't know the exact dates yet but we know it's in December and I'm hoping tickets will be in April when the online store reopens."

BLAZE's March 24 performance at the Metalmania festival in Katowice, Poland on will be filmed for future DVD release. According to a posting on the group's web site, a camera crew will follow the band and crew around from the moment they arrive in Poland until after the show. This will be BLAZE's first appearance with the band's new, as-yet-undisclosed lineup following the recent departures of Oliver Palotai (guitar), Luca Princiotta (guitar), Daniel Schild (drums) and Christian Ammann (bass). According to Blaze, "the set we play probably will be a mix of some of my songs from 'X Factor' and 'Virtual XI' with IRON MAIDEN and a few songs from my own BLAZE albums."
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

BLAZE, the band fronted by former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley, has lined up the following dates:

Mar. 24 - Katowice, POL @ Metalmania Festival
Apr. 13 - Barcelona, SPA @ Razzmatazz 2
Apr. 27 - Reichenbach, GER @ Die Halle H2O
May 12 - Tamworth, UK @ The Palace
Dec. 15 - Dudley, UK @ JB's (Big Bash)

BLAZE's March 24 performance at the Metalmania festival in Katowice, Poland on will be filmed for future DVD release. According to a posting on the group's web site, a camera crew will follow the band and crew around from the moment they arrive in Poland until after the show. This will be BLAZE's first appearance with the band's new, as-yet-undisclosed lineup following the recent departures of Oliver Palotai (guitar), Luca Princiotta (guitar), Daniel Schild (drums) and Christian Ammann (bass). The group's setlist will be as follows:

01. Speed of Light
02. The Brave
03. Futureal
04. Alive
05. Tough as Steel
06. Man on the Edge
07. Virus
08. Ten Seconds
09. Two Worlds Collide
10. Kill and Destroy
11. Look for the Truth
12. Silicon Messiah
13. 10th Dimension
14. Born as a Stranger
15. Sign of the Cross
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

Prodigal Son said:
I actually like Wolfsbane. I have 'Down Fall the Good Guys" on CD, and used to have "All Hell..." on vinyl. They were a great band. It's almost a shame Blaze left them for Iron Maiden. His voce was perfect for the type of music Wolfsbane played.
Yeah but the members of the band were considering changing their music style and kick Bayley. That's why he left Wolfsbane for Maiden. Maiden had asked Blaze before this if he wanted to join the band, but he thanked no beacuse he wanted to be loyal to Wolfsbane :smartarse:

That's what the Run To The Hills book says...
 
Re: B L A Z E / Wolfsbane

BLAZE BAYLEY On Joining IRON MAIDEN: 'I Felt Like The Luckiest Guy In The World' - Apr. 4, 2007 

Blasting-Zone.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE vocalist Blaze Bayley. Several excerpts follow:

Blasting-Zone.com: What ultimately led to the demise of WOLFSBANE?

Blaze Bayley: "We'd been together for quite a while from the start, really. For all of us, WOLFSBANE was our first serious band. What happened was we were offered the support slot for IRON MAIDEN around the U.K. I think it was thirty one sold out shows, which is a lot of shows in the U.K, so we did that, got to know the guys and everything. When they were looking for a singer for a replacement for Bruce Dickinson, they knew me, knew what I was like onstage and everything, so they asked me if I'd like to have an audition. I've always liked IRON MAIDEN… they're one of the first bands I listened to when I started to get into metal, so I was definitely interested. I went along and had an audition with a lot of other people, got very, very luck and managed to get the job. That's how it came about. I went off and joined IRON MAIDEN, made some albums and did some tours. It was very sad to see the end of WOLFSBANE, but I couldn't pass on the chance to become the singer for IRON MAIDEN."

Blasting-Zone.com: Were you initially surprised when you were offered the job?

Blaze: "Well, the audition process is quite lengthy. You have to learn ten of the classic MAIDEN songs and sing them and at the second audition, you're invited back to sing in the studio as well so they would know what you sound like live and on the record. I really didn't think I would get the job because my voice is so different than Bruce Dickinson's. He's much more of a technical singer and I'm much more of a blood-and-guts singer, ya know? I'm more about the emotion and the passion of the song. When they chose me, I was very, very surprised that they had chosen somebody with a very different voice. But if you listen to the two albums that we made, they're just slightly different. The music's just slightly darker than what MAIDEN had been doing before. I was absolutely over the moon that I got it, but I never really expected to. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world when I got the job."

Blasting-Zone.com: In all honesty, are you truly happy with the music you recorded with IRON MAIDEN?

Blaze: "Going from my days in WOLFSBANE, I worked with a lot of different producers… and some top people. With IRON MAIDEN, I was workin' with people that had platinum albums all over the world. What was great about it was that I had a lot more confidence in my songwriting because all of the ideas I was working with were fitting right in with IRON MAIDEN. I came from this small band and now I was in the huge band, but my songwriting ideas and everything were goin' great. I suppose one of the biggest things was that we did 'Man on the Edge', which was all my lyrics and melodies… and that was the song they chose to be the first single from the ('The X Factor') album. That was absolutely fantastic, ya know? It was a dream come true for me…that one of my songs would become a top ten single across Europe in the rock charts. …It was like a fantasy."

Blasting-Zone.com: At this point, do you have any idea what the new material will sound like? Will it be more akin to "Silicon Messiah" or "Blood and Belief"?

Blaze: "I don't think we can really say until we get into the studio. I've been pretty pissed off over the last year, so I know lyrically and melodically a lot of the ideas are quite aggressive. I would expect it to sound darker and more aggressive in places, but equally, I've come to terms with a lot of my personal issues, so perhaps in places it will sound more emotional. Some of the ideas that we've had so far sound really old school and some of them sound very modern, so I think all we can say is that the next album will have all the hallmarks that you would expect of a BLAZE album. Power, passion, interesting lyrics and good quality songwriting that's based one hundred percent on what you believe in your heart and not on trying to be big and trying to be huge… We write what we feel, we write with passion and hopefully the kind of fans that listen to our music are people that understand that and will enjoy it.”

Blasting-Zone.com: So why were you so pissed off?

Blaze: "Well, the record company that I had. I've gotten rid of them now. They lied, cheated, blackmailed me and stole money from me. They told me that playing live gigs does not sell CDs in their opinion. For me, with my background coming from getting the band together just from a live perspective… hearing someone say something like that goes completely against everything I stand for. You're gonna go in the studio but then you're not gonna go tour with your album? That's absolute lunacy to me. So I had to get out of the record deal and get rid of the record company. The management I had before I had problems with as well. Sanctuary Management, when I was with them, they tried to bury me…they put out my album the same week as IRON MAIDEN. This is no fault of IRON MAIDEN or the IRON MAIDEN management now, but Sanctuary management then did not want me to get anywhere with my own stuff. They didn't want me to take the lights away from IRON MAIDEN, which is impossible, basically. Sheer paranoia they had. The band lineup changed because people were more interested in the money and how much they were going to get out of it instead of making the best record that we could or getting out and putting on the best show. I'm not interested in being a millionaire, ya know? I'm interested in playing a million shows for a million fans. That's what I live for. In the end, it took a long time to sort them out. You know who your friends are when you go through something like that. I've come through that now even though at times I didn't think I would. I've got the strongest band I've ever had, I've got a fantastic manager and now I've put together my own record label. Nobody can fuck with me anymore and the fans will get absolutely the best value that I can give them…"

Read the entire interview at Blasting-Zone.com

http://www.blasting-zone.com/BlazeBayley1.htm
 
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