BLAZE: The Rankings (Completed... At Last)

Diesel 11

Diesel 11

As you scream into the web of silence...
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When Bayley Alexander Cooke was announced as Iron Maiden's new singer, replacing Bruce Dickinson who had left the band to pursue a solo career, everyone knew he had big shoes to fill. With Bruce, Maiden had enjoyed an enormous amount of success, and the stage presence and vocal range of their ex-singer was hard to match. Still, the band gave it their best, and while their success level was not at its peak, many would say they did release some good music during the era. At the time, however, that was not the mainstream opinion. The X Factor and Virtual XI were trashed by critics upon release, and problems with Bayley's voice live were indicators of what was to come. In 1999, Bruce rejoined the band, and "Blaze" was fired - for him, virtually without warning.

But as one can tell when perusing his solo material, Blaze Bayley is not one to give up easily. Just when everything seems against him, he fights back. In 2000, around the time that Maiden released the classic Brave New World, Blaze released one of metal's most underrated albums - the enormous Silicon Messiah, which had all the right ingredients for an awesome album that very few people have listened to and not liked.

In the years that followed, Blaze released many more albums. Most recently, he created the Infinite Entanglement trilogy - a story in three albums, arguably as good as what is generally considered his best. While his backing band has changed numerously, the will to win has not yet abated, and so long as he's alive, one doubts that Blaze will stop doing what he loves any time soon. This working man in music is a force to be reckoned with.

So now comes the question - amongst the 104 songs Blaze has released, spread across 9 albums (and including a handful of bonus tracks), which is the greatest song he's ever released? That, my friends, is where you come in. I have created nine different forms via Google, one for each album Blaze has released in his solo career. These include everything he's released under his name. Simply rank each song on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being amazing, 1 being shit). Once the polling is completed, I will compile the data and we'll countdown all 104 songs from worst to best.

Forms:
I'm excited to see the results. I'll be going through these all again myself and will be leaving this open for at least a month; if people need extra time I'll happily give it.

Tagging the people who showed interest: @Lampwick 43 @Confeos @BloodOnTheBassistsHands @Travis The Dragon @Forostar @TheTalisman @MW564 (you can go through the discography with us!) @Jer (now's the perfect opportunity to finally go through Blaze's stuff) @Number 6 (dunno if you've heard it before but now's as good a time as any!)

EDIT: List begins here!
 
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Hoo boy, I don't know if I have the intestinal fortitude for this one. I may give it a whirl if I can get in the right frame of mind for it.
 
Congratulations for the Blaze rankings @Diesel 11 ;) I think he has great songs on his solo albums. I like the first album Silicon Messiah, especially the songs that he had written for Maiden before he get fired. But his best albums for me are ''the trilogy'' - the first part, Infinite Entanglement is great, but the second part is even better, not a bad song on it - when I first listened to it, I was impressed ! The third part is not that good, maybe I have to listen to it again, but the last song Eagle Spirit is a fantastic epic with a brutal solo ! Also I like a lot the songs A Thousand Years and Escape Velocity.... I gave them a 10 ! The song Blood is also a good one.
 
I might give this a go. I like some of his solo albums (Silicon Messiah and The Man Who Would Not Die are particularly good), but I find some of his solo stuff underwhelming. It might be a good opportunity to revisit some of those albums though.
 
BLAZE - Silicon Messiah

Ghost in the Machine - 9/10
Evolution - 7/10
Silicon Messiah - 8/10
Born as a Stranger - 8/10
The Hunger - 8/10
The Brave - 8/10
Identity - 7/10
Reach for the Horizon - 6/10
The Launch - 8/10
Stare at the Sun - 9/10

Bonus tracks

The Day I Fell to Earth - 6/10
Motherfuckers R Us - 5/10
 
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BLAZE - Silicon Messiash

  • Ghost in the Machine - I remember the first time listening to this and not being impressed at all, but boy, has it grown on me. Heavy as fuck, great chorus, and I know the lyrical theme of most of the album isn't for everyone, but I find it fascinating. Fantastic song. 10/10.
  • Evolution - one of the lesser songs on the album. Verses and pre-choruses are good, the chorus a bit weak, and the ending drags on for too long. 7/10.
  • Silicon Messiah - I can't really explain why, but I feel the title track is a bit overrated. It's not bad at all, and once again I'm digging the lyrics, but it feels like it's missing something. Still, it deserves an 8/10.
  • Born as a Stranger - for once the lyrics are the weak point of this particular tune, but the music more than makes up for it. Great riff and amazing solos! 9/10.
  • The Hunger - I like the doomy vibe of this one; the verses are almost haunting! The chorus could be a bit better though. Here the long, drawn-out ending actually works very well. 8/10.
  • The Brave - the studio version sounds a bit tame compared to when it's played live, but still very enjoyable. Listen to the rhythm guitars, they're doing some really tight stuff. 8/10.
  • Identity - a great chorus is the highlight of this tune, it can easily get stuck in your head. The rest of the song is good, but not too special. 7/10.
  • Reach for the Horizon - meh. I read somewhere that this was the first song Blaze wrote after he left Maiden, and the one that sorta kickstarted his further career, and I'm thankful for that, but... It's really boring. Worst song on the album. 5/10.
  • The Launch - this one never did much for me either. It's definitely more enjoyable than "Reach...", but as far as speedier songs go, there are far better ones from Blaze. 6/10.
  • Stare at the Sun - for some THE highlight of Blaze's debut, and a fantastic song it is too. As Blaze himself says on As Live as it Gets, they tried removing parts of the song during writing, but it never felt quite right. It's basically a masterpiece in my honest opinion and perfect as it is. 10/10.

  • The Day I Fell to Earth - typical bonus material. It's not bad, and I can't decide if I'd rather want this on the actual album in place of "Reach for the Horizon", because it's probably a better song, but would it go properly with the rest? Don't know. Anyway, it's a 6/10.
  • Motherfuckers R Us - the silliest song Blaze ever did - in his solo career, that is. It would fit in well on any Wolfsbane-record. Fun song, the music is pretty decent. 7/10.

Silicon Messiah was the first album I heard from Blaze, and all these years later I still think it's one of his best. The production is dry and punchy, perhaps a bit too dry for my taste, but it matters little in the end. A tough one to follow for sure, but I do think he's managed to top it since.

Edited because I forgot the bonus tracks the first time around.
 
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Well, the songs that were written by Blaze for a potential next Maiden album with him from the Silicon Messiah album are:

- Ghost In The Machine
- Born As A Stranger
- The Launch
- Stare At The Sun

They are all good songs, not much in the Maiden style, especially Ghost in the Machine, which is very heavy (good chorus though), but that song has a solo that reminds me the Virtual XI album. Born as a Stranger is a typical Blaze song, The Launch reminds me Man on the Edge or Futureal with its speed and Stare at the Sun has a very melancholic intro like the ones from The X Factor album - it is a great meaningful song and definitely a highlight from the album.

The Wolfsbane song Man Hunt which he still performs the most live from his first band is crazy - really fast pace, and the scream from Blaze..... :eek:

Maiden's song Virus is another great song, especially the short version, which shows Blaze in top form - it is great that he performs it with his solo band, like the other songs from the two very underrated and great ''special'' albums - The X Factor and Virtual XI ! :blush:
 
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Background Info:
Released: 22 May 2000
Label: SPV
Producer: Andy Sneap

Personnel:
Blaze Bayley (vocals)
Steven Wray (guitar)
John Slater (guitar)
Rob Naylor (bass)
Jeff Singer (drums)

Critical Reviews:
"This is one of the good releases of 2000, and one would be a fool to not check it out. Forget his Maiden years, this is Blaze the way it was meant to be. Enough said." ~The Metal Crypt

"When Blaze has been "ejected" from Iron Maiden, I was one of Maiden's fan celebrating his departure. My first ever metal album has been Maiden's "The Number Of The Beast" and Bruce is the only singer for Maiden. I have seen Maiden with Blaze ... and sorry he hasn't the voice of Bruce. X-factor was a good album, but Virtual XI was for me a "big bad joke". And I though at that time that Blaze was the only responsible for it. Hell I was wrong !!!" ~MetalReviews.com

"Silicon Messiah is one of the most underrated albums of all time." ~LooseCannon (MaidenFans)

~~~ Diesel's Opinions ~~~​

Tracks:
  1. "Ghost In The Machine" - Right off the bat, Silicon Messiah blinds you with the insane heaviness of the album. Anyone expecting something like The X Factor or Virtual XI need to prepare themselves because this is top notch production and some really heavy heavy metal. The riff is fantastic, and the song is the definition of a banger. The chorus is one of the song's highlights and helps make it stand out. An easy 9/10.
  2. "Evolution" - If "Ghost" wasn't enough to show what this album would be like, then the burner that is "Evolution" likely did. Absolutely monstrous in execution, it isn't as good as the first track but it is undeniably strong at the same time. While I still don't know what the chorus is, the "age of machines" bit is awesome and I like the ending piece it has. An 8/10 definitely.
  3. "Silicon Messiah" - And with the third track the living, beating heart of Silicon Messiah makes its appearance in the form of the album's title track. "Silicon Messiah" is awesome. Truly one of Blaze's finest solo songs, it features some awesome music fronted by some of his best vocals. The chorus in particular stands out; while some may criticize him for it, I've always loved the interesting ways he sings certain words, and his pronunciation of "Messiah" is really goddamn cool. There's also pieces that remind me of Bruce's solo work and another that feels a lot like a song from The Cult. Really, it doesn't get too much better than this. 10/10, no question about it.
  4. "Born as a Stranger" - We move from one masterpiece straight into another. "Born as a Stranger" opens with a chugging riff that pummels right into a smackdown of metal. This is actually one of the most Maiden-esque songs on the album, and could probably fit in well on The X Factor. Unlike Blaze Maiden, however, "Born as a Stranger" has more power than they ever had (which isn't to say that I like it more because I don't, but it's quite obvious if you listen to it that you'd agree with me). A soaring performance from Blaze leads this metal monster and the chorus is one of his absolute best. Great, great song, definitely worth a 10/10.
  5. "The Hunger" - The first of the album's true epics hits the scene. "The Hunger" is one of the first Blaze songs written about Blaze's loneliness, feelings of not quite fitting in with society, and etc. that will pop up more frequently as his solo career progresses. I don't think he quite nailed it here yet; there's certainly a lot to like in this song, but overall it's not quite his best work and there are several songs better than it. I'm going to go ahead and dock it a 7/10, but it would probably have be a 7.8 if I was really accurate.
  6. "The Brave" - I'm not quite sure how popular this song is - I suppose we'll find out when we get to the ranking stage! - but I don't think it's an unpopular track. I don't think it's too outstanding, though. The riff is nice, the pace is a nice change from "The Hunger", but the pre-chorus and the actual chorus itself aren't the best and as a whole it flies by to fast to leave much of an impression. It's just... there. Decent but not the best. I'll give it a 6/10 but it could probably be a 7 any other day.
  7. "Identity" - After two weaker songs, we're finally thrust back in to a great one again. "Identity" isn't one of Blaze's most outstanding tracks but it makes up for it by being a good listen whenever it comes on. A great riff, a great vocal performance, and a pretty great chorus hold down the fort. This is an 8/10 so strong it's almost a 9.
  8. "Reach for the Horizon" - A soft bit that seems to reuse stuff we already heard doesn't promise much, but as soon as the riff kicks in the song rises above and becomes much better than expected. The pre-chorus is nothing special but it's balanced out by the chorus itself, which is fantastic. A middle-of-the-road 8/10.
  9. "The Launch" - It may be the shortest song on the album, but don't be fooled - "The Launch" should not be underestimated or overlooked, as it can hold its own among the giants this album holds. Fast-paced with some great guitarwork, it features some great Blaze vocals and an absolutely fantastic chorus. It's strong enough to justify a 10/10 score, IMO. Short, but oh-so sweet.
  10. "Stare at the Sun" - And so at last, we reach the end of Silicon Messiah, but we exit on just about the highest note possible. "Stare at the Sun"... what more can be said that hasn't already been uttered somewhere on this forum? The song is a masterpiece, through-and-through. It's pretty much Blaze's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", only this time around it's pretty worthy of being his most beloved song. Is this the be-all and end-all of his discography? No, as there are at least three songs on this album alone that could give it a run for its money. But is it also deservedly considered his greatest achievement? I think so. I haven't quite figured out what my favorite Blaze solo song is, but I'll be damned if this isn't one of the strongest contenders for the title. And given how much love it receives on here, I will be really surprised if it doesn't end up #1 in the rankings list. A 10/10, no questions asked.
Overall: It's tough to tell what Blaze's best album is, but Silicon Messiah is quite possibly just that. While The X Factor and Virtual XI were good, in my opinion, they were also panned by many people, which is what makes this album feel like it comes straight out of left-field. The absolute strength contained within this monster is unparalleled by many; everyone involved is firing on all cylinders, and Blaze sounds like stronger vocally than he ever did in Maiden. It isn't quite perfect, but it definitely is an album that deserves more love than it or its creator have ever received. It's no wonder that everything Blaze has released after this has always been in the shadow of his monstrously epic debut. It wasn't huge, but it was enough to grab the attention of many metal fans and Maiden fans and tell them, "You know what? This guy might be better than we ever expected..." It's really just that good.
Rating: 95%
Best Songs: "Silicon Messiah", "Born as a Stranger", "The Launch", "Stare at the Sun"

Bonus Tracks:
  • "The Day I Fell To Earth" - A strong bonus track, but that's really all I think of it at this point in time - a bonus track. Still good though, and better than at least "The Brave". 7/10
  • "Motherfuckers R Us" - I like this one a lot more, perhaps only for its awesome title, but he does pull off the "I live to rock" type song quite well. And hey, it's only a bonus track, so who cares? Fun song. 8/10
All in all, there's a wealth of great music found within these twelve songs. Great stuff.
 
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BLAZE - Tenth Dimension

Forgotten Future - 5/10
Kill and Destroy - 7/10
End Dream - 6/10
The Tenth Dimension - 7/10
Nothing Will Stop Me - 7/10
Leap of Faith - 8/10
The Truth Revealed - 8/10
Meant To Be - 8/10
Land of the Blind - 6/10
Stealing Time - 5/10
Speed of Light - 7/10
Stranger to the Light - 8/10

Bonus Track

Living Someone Else's Life - 5/10

Good album, but not on par with the debut of BLAZE.
 
Low grades Ghost.

At least for End Dream and the title track. I guess I'd also give higher than an 8 for Meant to Be, Blaze's best ballad.
 
Forostar said:
Low grades Ghost.

At least for End Dream and the title track.
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We'll have to agree to disagree. Both songs are pretty average to say the least. ;) The album is pretty solid though.

On a side note, I think it is a shame the BLAZE band disbanded as the stuff they released was better, as far as I am concerned, than most of what has been released under the Blaze Bayley monicker.
 
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Background Info:
Released: 15 January 2002
Label: SPV
Producer: Andy Sneap

Personnel:
Blaze Bayley (vocals)
Steven Wray (guitar)
John Slater (guitar)
Rob Naylor (bass)
Jeff Singer (drums)

Critical Reviews:
"Tenth Dimension is a truly immersive experience. The record features some of Blaze’s best lyrics and performances, as well. Sneap really knew how to get the best out of him and he sounds really good—not too high in the mix, not too dramatic, and with a convincing performance." ~Angry Metal Guy

"Those who may have held back from buying Blaze's material because of some resentment over the Maiden albums should get over it already, then do themselves a favour and pick up this album. Highly recommended." ~The Metal Crypt

"I think most will rank either Silicon Messiah or The Man Who Would Not Die as his strongest efforts, but my personal favourite has got to be Tenth Dimension. It's a futuristic concept album, a topic he revisits on his most recent releases." ~Confeos (MaidenFans)

~~~ Diesel's Opinions ~~~​

Tracks:
  1. "Forgotten Future" - An excellent intro to prepare us for the rest of the album... but outside of the album, it doesn't hold up too well. I'll be reasonable and give it a 3/10.
  2. "Kill and Destroy" - The 'true' opener begins with a crashing bang as the riff kicks in, picking you up and throwing you on your back. This song is heavy as fuck. The production is insane, the guitars are thrashy but remain heavy metal, Blaze sounds great; really the only thing I dislike are the drums, but I try not to let them ruin my appreciation of the rest of the song as a rule. And really, this is a very good song. 9/10 is an accurate score.
  3. "End Dream" - The album doesn't let up quickly, though - "End Dream" is an excellent second track which begins with a chug but gets a little faster as the verse progresses. The pre-chorus is nice, but the actual chorus is awesome. I also love that "they stole the future" bit where the sound goes from one side to the other. Ear candy. Another 9/10 is assured.
  4. "The Tenth Dimension" - The title track of the album enters the fray heavier than hell, and really, it's one of the highlights here. Blaze is great, the band is on fire, it's pretty damn awesome. Not sure if the "Here I am" bit is the chorus or if that's actually the "Freedom is here" one, but nonetheless both are good and this easily decimates many other songs in the discography. So strong it's the first track on here to deserve an outright 10/10 score. Excellence.
  5. "Nothing Will Stop Me" - I'm a bit torn on this track. There's really quite a lot to love, but I don't think it's outstanding... pretty much at all. There are so many better songs, even on this album, that it really doesn't become much more than an enjoyable one when listened to but easily forgotten when it ends. Hence why I'm docking it at 5/10, though it could probably have gotten a 6 on another day.
  6. "Leap of Faith" - Honestly, "Nothing Will Stop Me" can be forgiven for its forgettableness because it's sandwiched between two fantastic songs. "The Tenth Dimension" is spectacular, but so is the shorter and faster but just as amazing "Leap of Faith". I love this song, it's the band really truly firing on all cylinders, Blaze sounds fantastic, and the chorus is one of the hands-down best parts of the album. Deservedly a 10/10 song.
  7. "The Truth Revealed" - A fantastic little intro for "Meant To Be". Blaze sings his bit passionately in a lower range, and the soloing that ensues is great. If this were a full-fledged track I might have given it full marks, but since it's really just an interlude I'll give it a well deserved 7/10.
  8. "Meant To Be" - I gotta agree with Foro, this song is definitely one of Blaze's best ballads, and not only that, a contender for the best song he ever released. It begins quietly and builds slowly, with Blaze narrating the thoughts of the protagonist... and he does it beautifully. The pure emotion in his voice is unbeatable, and it's easily one of the best performances he's ever done. The Latin(?) bit isn't quite as good but it does bring out a special aspect of the song. I will say this though - Tenth Dimension may be a concept album, but a lot of the lyrics are undoubtedly from the bottom of Blaze's heart. "Meant To Be" feels entirely too personal to be merely a part of a story, and given what Blaze has stated about his feelings and the other songs he's released, I have no doubt this is really him using a character to speak through. At any rate, this is pretty much perfect. 10/10.
  9. "Land of the Blind" - After the incredibleness of "Meant To Be", "Land of the Blind" can be forgiven for not be quite as good. Still an enjoyable listen, however, and it's fairly strong overall, but it isn't one of Blaze's most outstanding tracks. It is deserving of a 7/10 though, so strong it's nearly an 8.
  10. "Stealing Time" - "Stealing Time" begins in a less-than-outstanding kinda way, but by the end it's more than proven its worth. A good performance by all involved, but the chorus is where the song really shines. It's not your typical chorus, but I love the way Blaze's voice is arranged in the mix. An 8/10 so strong that it's nearly a 9.
  11. "Speed of Light" - The first thing that the title "Speed of Light" is bound to remind people of - given this is MaidenFans, after all - is the Maiden song of the same name, and funnily enough the riff here is very Maiden-esque. But the song as a whole... I dunno. It's fast and I hear it's a good live song, but I'm not sure if it's worth the popularity. There is a bit to like here, but it feels like it just stole a bit of "End Dream" and played it at "Leap of Faith"'s tempo. Ah well... it's better than "Nothing Will Stop Me" but not much else. I'll give it a 5/10 because it's pretty much perfectly average.
  12. "Stranger to the Light" - The album's closer is pretty much Blaze's version of Bruce's solo song "The Alchemist", in that both are closers that work better within the context of the album than by themselves. But the difference is that "The Alchemist" is a masterpiece and "Stranger to the Light" just very good. I like the way it ends the album and the reuse of the "your freedom is here" line to reinforce the idea that this is a concept album. Overall, it's a good 8/10.
Overall: I don't quite think that Tenth Dimension topped the monster that was Silicon Messiah, but Blaze's sophomore solo effort is nonetheless a great album in its own right. While its lows are lower than the debut and its highs aren't quite as high (outside of "Meant To Be"), it's still a very strong release by a band that knows what it's doing. The strength of the material within this album keeps it afloat, and as a whole it's an album that should definitely be heard by anyone wishing to get into the solo career of one Blaze Bayley... after they hear Silicon Messiah, though!
Rating: 90%
Best Songs: "The Tenth Dimension", "Leap of Faith", "Meant To Be"

Bonus Track:
  • "Living Someone Else's Life" - I'm quite surprised by the strength of this bonus track. I think Blaze repeats some of the words too much but it is very strong on its own. I like it. I'll go ahead and give it an 8/10.
Good stuff.
 
Actually to be honest, I don't know all of Blaze's stuff that well and it's hard to say when I'll really get into it. I was just wondering about Wolfsbane in general. Also, what about Russian Holiday? Also, I'm seeing something on Blaze's wiki called Freedom with someone named John Steel.
 
Travis The Dragon said:
Also, what about Russian Holiday?
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I included it as a Soundtracks of My Life track, which can be found at the bottom of The King of Metal's form.

Travis The Dragon said:
Also, I'm seeing something on Blaze's wiki called Freedom with someone named John Steel.
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Not sure about what this is supposed to be. I think I'd rather leave it off unless someone makes a compelling argument for its inclusion.

EDIT: I think it's outside of the Blaze Bayley 'canon', just like Maiden, Wolfsbane, etc. So yeah, I'm leaving it out. I just wanna focus on the stuff released solo under the Blaze / Blaze Bayley monikers.
 
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Background Info:
Released: 26 April 2004
Label: SPV/Steamhammer
Producer: Andy Sneap

Personnel:
Blaze Bayley (vocals)
Steven Wray (guitar)
John Slater (guitar)
Wayne Banks (bass)
Jason Bold (drums)

Critical Reviews:
"Dare I make a comparison with Iron Maiden? Yes I dare. And by making this comparison, I also would like to point out that with this release, Blaze Bayley has set a name for himself as more than simply 'that guy who sang with Maiden for a little while'." ~The Metal Crypt

"This is definitely the best BLAZE album. After the disappointing Tenth Dimension, I really thought this was a way better effort. It’s dark, heavy and serious, just the way I like my heavy metal." ~Empyreal (Metal Archives)

"Since a few years I think Blaze's best album is his third. Blood and Belief from 2004. Get it and you won't regret it. Same guitar tandem as on previous releases." ~Forostar (MaidenFans)

~~~ Diesel's Opinions ~~~​

Tracks:
  1. "Alive" - A pretty great way to open the album, not quite up their with "Ghost in the Machine" or "Kill and Destroy", mind you, but still pretty good. Blaze spouts some very personal lyrics confidently and I like how it softens up midway through before plunging back into heaviness. Overall, strong enough to deserve an 8/10.
  2. "Ten Seconds" - Love this song. The opening bit is awesome, the verses and pre-chorus are good, and then the chorus itself is fantastic. Easily one of the best songs on the album. It isn't quite outstanding enough to be a 10, but it's a very strong 9/10.
  3. "Blood and Belief" - Good title track. The riff is one of the heaviest things in Blaze's entire discography, it's pretty much outright thrash. The verses aren't the best but the chorus is pretty good and I do like the softer bits. A strong 8/10, I'd say.
  4. "Life and Death" - Not a bad song, but completely unmemorable. There's actually a lot I like here - the melody's nice, some of the guitar bits are good, the lyrics aren't too bad - but the chorus is pretty meh and the riff isn't all that great. A perfectly average song. 5/10 about sums it up.
  5. "Tearing Yourself To Pieces" - Not one of the most memorable songs Blaze has released but nonetheless an enjoyable listen, though it's taken me some time to come around to it. The only part I'm not big on is the "tell yourself a lie, you will live a lie" bit, but it isn't enough to hold back the song much. As a whole, I think it's worth enough to get a 7/10.
  6. "Hollow Head" - This is a very interesting song, I've heard many say it's actually Blaze's worst and I disagree. The chorus isn't great but everything else about it is actually kinda neat. Some of the lyrics aren't very good, though, but as a whole the good outweighs the bad just enough for me to give it a 6/10.
  7. "Will To Win" - An uplifting, inspiring song about pursuing your goals when everyone seems against you, this track shows the Blaze band truly firing on all cylinders and I like it a lot. One of the best songs on the album. Usually I'm not really sold on songs that utilize profanity, as I feel it's a cheap cop-out unless it adds to the song or can be done well, but this one I do think actually did it well. Overall, it's great enough for a 9/10 score. Great stuff.
  8. "Regret" - I've heard some people actually call this Blaze's best song. Well... I disagree, definitely, but I will say that it's pretty strong. I love the soft opening a lot. It loses a little something when it gets heavier but not enough to ruin the song. Actually, the music sounds kinda like '90s Megadeth. Overall, just good enough to warrant an 8/10 score.
  9. "The Path & The Way" - And here we have quite possibly the worst thing Blaze has ever released... ever. This song is an abomination. Every time something decent seems to rear its head - the solo, the guitar during the verses - it's instantly shot down by the mess that is the rest of the song. The pre-chorus is bad, the real chorus outright sucks. Worst of all, I adore the title. "The Path & The Way" sounds so awesome, and it should be a fantastic song, probably the best on the album. But no, instead we just have Blaze rattling off shit he doesn't believe in. Fuck that. Fuck this song. 1/10. Ugh.
  10. "Soundtrack of My Life" - Luckily, Blood & Belief ends with an absolute masterpiece. "Soundtrack of My Life" is the finest song on the album, full of great music and personal lyrics which many - including me - can relate to. My one complaint is that it's too short! I'd have loved for it to be a full-on epic. Still, it's great enough to warrant the album's only 10/10 score. Fantastic song.
Overall: I really do think that after the highs that were Silicon Messiah and Tenth Dimension another masterpiece was not destined to happen, and given that the Blaze band was in its death throes, the odds were against Blood & Belief living up to its predecessors. I know that a lot of people think this is one of Blaze's finest works, but I am not one of them. It's a bit too inconsistent for that. It has some good songs within it, but also some poor ones, and as I already said, "The Path & The Way" is flat-out bad. Still, it's an enjoyable album and you should definitely check it out if you're listening to Blaze's solo works. There's enough in here that could make you a fan, I'm just not too big on it. Good but not a masterpiece.
Rating: 75%
Best Songs: "Ten Seconds", "Will To Win", "Soundtrack of My Life"
 
2014 survivor results with fine appreciation for Blood and Belief material. Life and Death was in the top 10. Well deserved. Great song.

01. Stare At The Sun
02. Silicon Messiah
03. Ghost In The Machine
04. Born As A Stranger
05. Kill & Destroy
06. Blood & Belief
07. The Tenth Dimension
08. Ten Seconds
09. Regret
10. Life & Death

2010:
1. Stare at the Sun
2. Ghost in the Machine
3. The Tenth Dimension
4. Voices From The Past
5. Born As A Stranger
6. Identity
7. Silicon Messiah
8. The Brave
9. The Launch
10. The Man Who Would Not Die

2009:
1. Stare At The Sun
2. Born As A Stranger
3. Identity
4. Soundtrack Of My Life
5. The Brave
6. The Tenth Dimension
7. Silicon Messiah
8. The Man Who Would Not Die
9. Meant To Be
10. Kill And Destroy


Blaze album survivor when he had six albums:
1: Silicon Messiah
2: Blood & Belief
3: The tenth Dimension
4: The Man Who Would Not Die
5: Promise & Terror
6: The King of Metal


I would like to join this game soon!
 
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BLAZE - Silicon Messiah (2000)

Ghost in the Machine 7
Evolution 6
Silicon Messiah 8
Born as a Stranger 10
The Hunger 8
The Brave 10
Identity 10
Reach for the Horizon 6
The Launch 7
Stare at the Sun 9
The Day I Fell to Earth 6
Motherfuckers R Us 5


BLAZE - Tenth Dimension (2002)

Forgotten Future 5
Kill and Destroy 7
End Dream 8
The Tenth Dimension 9
Nothing Will Stop Me 7
Leap of Faith 9
The Truth Revealed 9
Meant To Be 10
Land of the Blind 7
Stealing Time 7
Speed of Light 10
Stranger to the Light 6
Living Someone Else's Life 6


BLAZE - Blood and Belief (2004)

Alive 7
Ten Seconds 9
Blood and Belief 9
Life and Death 9
Tearing Yourself to Pieces 7
Hollow Head 6
Will to Win 9
Regret 10
The Path & the Way 8
Soundtrack of My Life 10
 
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Any survivor in which “Life and Death” is in the Top 10 but “Soundtrack of My Life” isn’t is wroooong. :P

Thanks for participating by the way. :)
 
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