Blaze Bayley

Blaze just posted this on Facebook:

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been in contact with me regarding the BB band. I'm not going to stop recording and touring my music and those of you who have been with me a long time have seen various band line ups - this is simply a new chapter, doors close, others open.

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Wolfsbane dates headlining the Borderline and touring with Saxon - Wolfsbane is my family and it's where I feel most at home. Rehearsals for the gigs have been going great and there are plenty of songs you haven't heard for a while. Me, Jase, Jeff and Danger cant wait to be amongst you Howling Mad Shitheads!
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So doesnt seem his health problems are that big an issue, at least not currently, as he's still going to be playing on the Saxon tour with Wolfsbane next week (Seeing them at Nottingham Rock City next sunday, can't wait!)...but it just seems he chose to pick Wolfsbane as his priority over his solo band....which IMO is a terrible shame
 
Yeah, I would rather see him solo than with Wolfsbane, but from a financial angle, I am sure Wolsbane is a more lucrative gig.
 
Statement from the band members:

http://blazebayley.net/forum/index.php?topic=3523.0

It is with regret that we confirm that the Blaze Bayley band is now finished. It was not our decision or of our desire for the band to end. The statement released yesterday was not one that we were asked for comment or viewing on.

The concerts scheduled for May/June said to be rescheduled to December - The promoters and venues have not been informed of this as was highlighted yesterday by the influx of concerned promoters and venues contacting the band members directly yesterday after Blaze's new manager released that statement.

The claims that health and financial reasons have forced Blaze to take the decision of continuing without the rest of the band are only partially true, to say the very least. Proof of this is that he will continue touring on his own with session musicians fulfilling prior commitments that were contracted as a band and also contracted by the band and also will probably be fulfilled using music written by the band.

It is because of the great appreciation to the people that have supported this line up unconditionally throughout the
last few years and past 3 cd releases that we feel that is only fair to let them know the true reasons for the band to end.

It is obvious that it is cheaper and easier for a promoter to fly a solo singer and have him play with a random local musicians or maiden tribute acts that might play for free, or the 'prestige' saving money for the promoter and leaving more financial gain for the contracted artist.

Our standpoint is that the bands two studio albums, written by the band (quite obviously not Blaze alone) should be promoted by the band itself rather than the musicians being dumped without fair option or choice for the better gain of one band member and one self appointed girlfriend manager.

We have not been told the entire truth at any point of these plans since January, and there has been a total disregard and lack of respect paid to the 4 years we have worked on the music, the planning, and the extensive, very hard ground level touring that has been done across Europe, Russia and South America since early 2008.

We all will continue writing and making music in the future.
Nico, David, Jay
 
They seem kind of mad at him. I wonder if Wolfsbane is a factor in him breaking up the band.
 
I always respected him because he had a real solo band, unlike Di'Anno and Ripper Owens, for example.
 
It's even worse than it first looked.
Never thought I would say this for this guy but I lost a bit of my respect for him.
 
NightProwler666 said:
I always respected him because he had a real solo band, unlike Di'Anno and Ripper Owens, for example.
Hey, Ripper's in Charred Walls of the Damned with Richard Christy.
 
There you go. Blaze keeps having it fucked up by his choice of managers. I don't know how many of you guys remember it, but there was supposed to be a follow-up to Blood and Belief under the BLAZE monicker. Blaze played two songs live that sounded amazing and gave me high hopes, but then this happened (check the following posts to see how things developed). I would have quit following Blaze back then if he hadn't got rid of that management. Then came The Man Who Would Not Die, which was a good album with a few stellar moments (mostly Voices from the Past), but I could never help thinking the album Blaze had in the works before and that got terminated by the management would have surpassed this by far. Seriously, the two songs they played (Death of a Singer and I can't remember the name of the other one right now) promised something at the level of Silicon Messiah, easily one of the best metal albums ever. The Man Who Would Not Die was good, and Promise and Terror had its moments (mostly City of Bones), but they were nowhere near the standards Blaze once set himself.
 
Here's the problem.

Whether or not this was Blaze's management making this decision, Blaze is still ultimately responsible for the stuff that occurs under his name. The management may have made a cash decision to port him around with session musicians. I can see why they'd do that, but it really does leave a few good musicians high and dry. He may not be responsible for it; but if he let his management push him into it, then I think it might be easy to see why his career isn't as good as we had all hoped.

Blaze needs a little Steve Harris in him, if the management is his problem.
 
We'll see what statement Blaze makes, but at this point, I tend to think the Health Reasons part of the last statement were a bit on the BS side.
 
I'm sorry to say this, but forsaking such a great band is indeed somewhat silly and not really trustworthy. I mean, who really needs a Wolfsbane reunion?
 
I don't. Why couldn't he get Rod Smallwood as manager? Rod managed Bruce when he left didn't he? (Sorry If I'm wrong) I don't see why he can't manage Blaze.
 
BLAZE BAYLEY: And Then There Was One - Mar. 31, 2011

British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) has released the following statement:

"First of all, thanks again for all the wonderful messages of support I have received in the last few days.

"The mental, financial and emotional strain of keeping the BLAZE BAYLEY band together has proven to be too much for me and has taken a terrible toll on my mental health. As a result of that, I have had to split with the BLAZE BAYLEY band. Now I am just Blaze Bayley, a solo artist and also the lead singer of WOLFSBANE.

"Since Anna [Di Laurenzio, tour manager] and Larry [Paterson, drums] left the BLAZE BAYLEY band, we've tried to do everything ourselves and for me it has been too much. Without a proper manager coordinating concerts, touring, festivals, promotion, record releases and all the finances, it's too much to cope with. Now [that] I've finally taken this incredibly difficult decision, I feel I can breathe again.

"It has been an upsetting, frustrating and sad time because the BLAZE BAYLEY band will not be going on any more, but it is also for me a huge relief and a time to look forward.

"I wish David [Bermudez, bass], Nico [Bermudez, guitar] and Jay [Walsh, guitar] every succes with their future projects and like to thank them for their loyalty, commitment and sharing their musical talent on 'The Man Who Would Not Die' and 'Promise And Terror'. They are arguably two of the best metal albums I have ever made. We have made a live album and a DVD and I am immensly proud of all of those things as well as the incredible concerts we have played to fans all over the world.

"I apologize to my U.K. fans for postponing the upcoming tour. We are still in the process of rearranging all the dates that we can to happen in December.

"The shows I have booked with WOLFSBANE will all go ahead. Also, all the festivals I have booked will go ahead with different musicians.

"I have a lot of plans that I am very excited about for the future and on top of that I am expecting my first child to be born in September.

"Look out for me popping up in different places all over Europe in the summer, because I am still available and being booked for festivals and guest appearances.

"The first two weeks of September is my unplugged acoustic U.K. tour with Jase Edwards from WOLFSBANE, called the 'Blaze And Jase: The Incredible Tour'. The full dates will be announced in the next few weeks. After that, there will be a week of European full metal shows.

"I am going to the USA in October and November for my first-ever headline tour since IRON MAIDEN. I will look forward to seeing all the Blaze Bayley fans over there. After that, the new WOLFSBANE album comes out, hopefully followed by a headline tour with WOLFSBANE of the U.K. and then my own rescheduled U.K. Blaze Bayley tour dates in December.

"Next year, I am planning to do my first acoustic unplugged album with mostly new songs and that should come with an unplugged world tour.

"I'm planning to start work on my next full metal album in 2013.

"Thank you so much everyone for being there for me through these difficult years and for your continued support. Thank you for being my blood and belief."
 
I don't know, sometimes they come out pretty good. I'm not too familiar with Blaze's solo work so I'm not gonna make a prediction. I will look forward to the 2013 album though.
 
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