GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
We are looking forward to your review. Thanks in advance!
We are looking forward to your review. Thanks in advance!
Ascendingthethrone
Ancient Mariner
I’ve always received his physical albums early but this might be the earliest I have received one.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
When I saw people are getting it WAAAAAY before the official release date, I started kicking myself for not having a preorder in already. Fixed that today!
Ascendingthethrone
Ancient Mariner
First impressions are good. I’ve listened to it twice and there are some great and catchy songs. Some lyrics are still a little ‘woe is me’ again. I think he needs to change the record. The first half is like an improvement on War Within Me and the second half is similar to the trilogy but with stronger songs.
The Red and the Black
Ancient Mariner
What is Blaze's best album? I've never been a fan, but I'm willing to listen to one album. If I like it, I may get more.
rideon77
Educated Fool
Silicon Messiah, The Tenth Dimension , The man that Would Not Die and the Trilogy are my favourite ones
rideon77
Educated Fool
Is there at least One long Epic Song?
chaosapiant
Ancient Marinade
I'm a big fan of Man Who Would Not Die, way more than Silicon Messiah. It's just such a banger from one song to the next and Blaze's voice is absolutely powerful. Love that album.
Ascendingthethrone
Ancient Mariner
To be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to track lengths. Some of the songs felt epic.
Standouts
- Mind Reader. I think it is his best opener since Ghost on the Machine. It’s really fun and had a good groove.
- Ghost in the Bottle. Good rocker with some catchy hooks.
- Circle of Stone. What a great groove in places.
- A Day of Reckoning. This is an epic song. Some touches of Sabbath in the guitar in places. It has an excellent singalong chorus and outro. I love how it comes out of the clean section at the end.
- Until We Meet Again. Fully acoustic but a nice way to end the album.
ILoveRoses
Prowler
I agree with @chaosapiant - The Man Who Would Not Die. Great album, with some really excellent songs like "Waiting for my Life to Begin", "While You Were Gone", "Crack in the System" just to name a few.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
^ From Diesel's song ranking game from 2018.
Personally I love Tenth Dimension and the first two Infinite Entanglement albums the most but Silicon Messiah is his universally liked album.
rideon77
Educated Fool
Thanks a lot!!!!
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Thank you!
BloodOnTheBassistsHands
Educated Fool
For what it's worth - I have eight of his ten studio albums. I think "Silicon Messiah" is the best by a wide margin.
"Silicon Messiah" is vaguely a concept album about man versus machine. (Like some of his other concept albums, the story is unclear). "Stare at the Sun" is arguably the best song of his career (and that includes his material Maiden) - haunting lyrics with some great guitar solos and beautiful melodies. "Ghost in the Machine" is a heavy, powerful opener. "The Brave" and "The Launch" are shorter and energetic. The title track and "Born as a Stranger" are also highlights. It's a great, consistent album.
My (high level) takes on the others:
- "Tenth Dimension" - a good, consistent album. The highlights are "Kill and Destroy" (energetic) and "Meant to Be" (a powerful ballad)
- "Blood & Belief" - mediocre except for the final song ("Soundtrack of My Life")
- "The Man Who Would Not Die" - not sure if I've ever listened to this from start to finish, but "Samurai" is a favourite (even with some cliched lyrics)
- "Promise and Terror" - a dark album, written after his wife died. My favourite is "City of Bones" (about the siege of Stalingrad - I think?)
- "The King of Metal" - widely considered his worst album
- "Infinite Entanglement" - part of a three album trilogy (which tells us the story of the fictional William Black, even though it's hard to follow the plot). The highlights are the power ballad "Calling You Home" and the uplifting/energetic "A Thousand Years".
- "Endure and Survive" - a good representation of his later career. The highlights are "Together We Can Move The Sun" (a long power ballad that really showcases his voice) and "Escape Velocity" (short and rousing). But this also features a number of generic mid-tempo songs ("Blood", "Fight Back", etc)
- "The Redemption of William Black" - same pattern as the past few albums. There's one really strong longer/more complex song ("Eagle Spirit") and one very good shorter song ("Prayers of Light"). The remainder of the album is solid but largely forgettable.
- "War Within Me" - the autotuning on this album is noticeable. "18 Flights" (about the band experiencing a flood during a show in Chile) is excellent - unique lyrics and a great chorus. The album ends with a strong one-two punch (the two longest songs on the album - "The Unstoppable Stephen Hawking" and "Every Storm Ends").
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
If I’m going to listen to a Blaze album, I pretty much always choose Tenth Dimension.
I also like Blood & Belief and the Infinite Entanglement trilogy. I really like the music from The Man Who Would Not Die and Promise And Terror, but Blaze’s performance on those albums is so uncontrolled that it’s hard for me to listen to them, with the exception of “While You Were Gone”, which just might be Blaze’s best song, IMO.
I also like Blood & Belief and the Infinite Entanglement trilogy. I really like the music from The Man Who Would Not Die and Promise And Terror, but Blaze’s performance on those albums is so uncontrolled that it’s hard for me to listen to them, with the exception of “While You Were Gone”, which just might be Blaze’s best song, IMO.
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
The first three are my favourites and worth to check out:
Silicon Messiah
The Tenth Dimension
Blood And Belief
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
There isn't a single album of Blaze in which I like every song.
His best album? War Within Me, Part 1 & Part 2 of the Trilogy and his debut album (ofc). Tenth Dimension is solid too. The rest have several strong songs.
His best vocal performances? TXF album and his first 2 solo albums for sure. 2008, for live. I like the timbre of his voice.
His best album? War Within Me, Part 1 & Part 2 of the Trilogy and his debut album (ofc). Tenth Dimension is solid too. The rest have several strong songs.
His best vocal performances? TXF album and his first 2 solo albums for sure. 2008, for live. I like the timbre of his voice.