B l a z e O f G l o r y
Just under a decade ago, Blaze Bayley made a name for himself in promising British metal group Wolfsbane. Via his powerful vocals, skillful songwriting and sizeable onstage presence and after the departure of long-serving vocalist Bruce Dickinson, Bayley was the natural choice to succeed as the new frontman of Iron Maiden - arguably the Worlds greatest ever heavy metal band.
Contributing largely to the highly credible ...X Factor ('95) / Virtual XI ('98) and instrumental in Maidens chart splitting smash Man On The Edge, he now has his own, self-titled band in BLAZE. He is joined by 4, hungry, fresh, musicians, in guitarists Steve Wray & John Slater, bassist Rob Naylor and ex. Kill II This drummer Jeff Singer. The fruit of their studio labour, debut release Silicon Messiah was a magnum opus, typifying the spirit of metal. An immensely successful Silicon Messiah World Tour complete, including rousing performances at Germany's Wacken Festival and the UK's Bloodstock Metalfest, BLAZE have just finished in the studio preparing to unleash tour and album two - Tenth Dimension. The album is to be released early next year - on a metal revived public. In an Planet Blaze/ Buzz exclusive, we cyber chat with the delightfully friendly and hospitable Blaze himself at the meeting place they call the World Wide Web to see what's going down (or indeed taking off) on Planetblaze.
PLANET BLAZE: Given the phenomenal resurgence of heavy metal Worldwide, Maidens Brave New World, Halford's Resurrection and your own album Silicon Messiah were arguably the big three to shine traditional metal in its most classic light. How significant a release was Silicon Messiah for you? With Tenth Dimension, do you feel under pressure to try and emulate Silicon Messiah?
BLAZE: Yeh, I feel under pressure with Tenth Dimension, but having said that some of the best things I've ever done have been when I was really up against it. I am so proud of Silicon Messiah as an album and the band that came out of putting the album together, and I want Tenth Dimension to be just as special, but in its own way. At this point it does feel like it is growing in to something that will be on a par with Silicon Messiah. When I started the Messiah album I just wanted to make an album that I could be proud of, and making it Metal without compromising. With the Tenth Dimension I wanted to take a step further into the world I glimpsed while writing the words for Silicon Messiah. Musically, it is very much our brand of metal, but with the added advantage that since finishing Silicon Messiah we have played about 60 shows. So the writing process was quite a bit different this time because of that. As far as being significant among the releases that came out around this period, only the fans can say. To me theirs is the most important opinion because they are who we make our albums for.
PLANET BLAZE: Working with Andy Sneap, Silicon Messiah was an ultra heavy album, powerfully presented and with crystal clear production. Has this been the plan for Tenth Dimension? Any studio tricks in store?
BLAZE: Andy Sneap is one of the few producers I have worked with who really understands what metal music is. His production on Tenth Dimension is even more powerful if that's possible, and some of the arrangements were far more complex than what we tried last time around. As far as studio tricks go, this album sounds really good on headphones and home hi fi. There is a lot more to it musically than the last album. And this time I decided after talking to Andy about the whole concept to record the entire album digitally. This proved to be a good idea as some of the things he managed to do while we were mixing and recording are literally impossible using tape. The real benefit of using a fully digital system was that we had more time to focus on our playing and performance and less time was lost due to machines breaking down. Another great sounding album Andy has just finished is by German band, Nevermore. You should check it out.
PLANET BLAZE: Ever since you penned Futureal and Two Worlds Collide in Maiden you seem to have been fascinated with conceptual themes. Silicon Messiah itself was a concept album in parts, and we are told that the new album will follow suit. What's the next chapter of the story all about?
BLAZE: I don't want to spoil the excitement by giving too much away before the release but I can give you a general idea. It is a concept album. While I was researching some of the themes we addressed on Silicon Messiah, I found out a lot about the near future and what people working a the cutting edge of theoretical physics think will be possible in a few years or even months in some cases. This will probably prove to be a completely pathetic analogy, but in a few words it feels like X files meets Tron or half-life meets metal gear.
PLANET BLAZE: It sounds like you spend a lot of time making the music's style fit with the lyrical themes. (i.e.; Silicon Messiah's, The Evolution). Is this the most difficult stage of the songwriting process?
BLAZE: Evolution is a good example to use because things just tend to evolve with us. But, having said that, when we are writing together I usually have three or four 'sets' of almost finished lyrics to choose from and we decide what seems to fit best. I started doing this because in Wolfsbane some of my favourite lyrics ended up as B-sides or in ideas we never got past the demo stage. On Tenth Dimension we took a different approach because the album tells a story from the first song to the last song. Musically, the story unfolds and provides clues to what is really happening. So each song tells its own story or gives its own vibe and also fits into the bigger story. It's the most difficult thing I have ever attempted in my songwriting career. The whole thing was a massive undertaking where every tiny detail was considered and discussed. Every decision was an agonising choice as I kept asking myself "is this what fits both musically and lyrically and does it serve the story and the song?" It was exhausting. Now as we listen to the final stages of mastering, a couple of months after the main recording is finished, I am starting to feel confident that we have achieved what we set out to do. Now I just can't wait to start playing the songs live. I hope people enjoy the new album just for the songs and I am hoping the more they listen to it the deeper they will be drawn into the story.
PLANET BLAZE: Can we expect any single releases from BLAZE this time around with any Live B-Sides from your Silicon Messiah World tour set?
BLAZE: We recorded some live stuff on the Messiah tour so they will probably be used as bonus tracks. We won't be doing singles as such. We will be making a virtual single. Basically, we will make a video of one song and send it to every metal web site and TV show on earth. We are hoping that our mad cyber cool fans will also distribute the video clip to their friends and any pop fans they feel need a good dose of metal. It is still in the planning stages but I am hoping we can get the technical problems sorted by the release of the album and the video clip can be distributed for free from our web site, www.planetblaze.com using windows media player. That's the idea but don't hold your breath. You know what computers are like.
PLANET BLAZE: Will the album feature any racy, crowd loving rockers in the vein of The Launch or Futureal or any epics such as Stare At The Sun?
BLAZE: This album has got it all. Well I think it has. You tell me when it's released.
PLANET BLAZE: Silicon Messiah was very much a vocal album with a stylish range of voices - grinding rawness, descriptive lyrical emphasis, backed by some useful harmonies and a stretchy but not overdone vocal range. Have you spent as much time on the vocals this time around?
BLAZE: Andy Sneap and myself wanted the same spontaneity and expression and passion that we tried to get on Silicon Messiah. However, this time we also wanted a more natural sound that would compliment the raw edge of the voice as well as provide more depth to the melodic sections. I think Andy has managed to achieve this and I feel that the vocals are more involving than on Silicon Messiah. Basically, it is louder, harder, stronger and more METAAAAAAAL.
PLANET BLAZE: You seem a dead ringer for specializing in singing / writing those delicately smooth 'n' slow slower sort of moments before the track crescendos into rock bliss. From your Maiden days on numbers such as Look For The Truth and When Two Worlds Collide, through to the present with the likes of Silicon Messiah, Identity and Stare At The Sun. Was Steve Harris an influence in this trait?
BLAZE: Steve Harris has had a big influence on my songwriting in general. He gave me so much confidence and belief in myself as a songwriter and taught me so much about getting the song on the album to sound like the song in my head. I really think he is under-rated as a songwriter. In a perfect alternate universe, where talent and skill are more important than image and TV shows about the importance of image, songs by Steve Harris would enjoy the same chart success as Robbie Williams does in this flawed upside down crazy universe that doesn't have hover boards or flying cars, or ice cream and beer that tastes great but actually helps you loose weight the more you eat and drink. What's more, the law in the perfect universe states all mountain bikes must be made of carbon fiber, magnesium and titanium but must not cost more than two hundred pounds and heavy metal is the law by which we all shall live!! AND, all hardcore metal heads are given free huge hi fi systems and neighbours who bring round their classic albums on vinyl and don't mind if we run off a copy for ourselves while we make them CD. AND, all houses are built with sound proofing so we never have to worry about complaints when we just have to crank the volume right up. AND, all the gigs have no age restrictions with non-seated venues with great first aid for fans and power showers and local crew for bands. BUT, until we manage to get to that perfect place I will just keep living as if we are already there.
PLANET BLAZE: Following on from the last question, you almost went into ballad territory with 2AM and Como Estais Amigos, while the diverse, superbly soulful performance on The Hunger will leave many desperate for such future moments. Can we expect any full out ballads or similar vocal exploits from Blaze on the forthcoming record?
BLAZE: There are no, 'I love you baby' or 'I miss you' songs but there are a couple of quieter moments that I am particularly proud of.
PLANET BLAZE: BLAZE have patented their own metal sound. Does Tenth Dimension stay true to this sound you originally developed?
BLAZE: Tenth Dimension goes into a lot of new and more traditional places but it all sounds like us. (I hope)
PLANET BLAZE: Any scoops on track names or ones to listen out for on the album?
BLAZE: Yes, I will give you a scoop. The final track on the album is called Stranger to the Light. It rounds up the whole story and I think it is one of the heaviest songs I have ever been involved in writing.
PLANET BLAZE: Besides lyrics and vocal melodies, do you ever play guitar or bass to come up with riffs or bass-lines for Steve, John or Rob who'll then put these ideas down on record, or do you leave that side for them to work out?
BLAZE: Yes I do, but they usually come up with most of the stuff, then pretend it was based on the idea I had even though it sounds completely different.
PLANET BLAZE: Did you tend to write your concept lyrics first for the album, and then the music, the other way round, or a bit of both?
BLAZE: It was all fragments that found there way from scribbled notes and dictaphone tapes, to, working at my home studio writing with the rest of the band. Then I filled in the blanks from ideas I had while doing research on the whole idea of Silicon based life and the rise of artificial intelligence and the evolution of machines, some of which could become the next dominant species on earth and put humankind into the same kind of history books that dinosaurs now fill.
PLANET BLAZE: The BLAZE camp have hinted that the record is on course to better Silicon Messiah - quite a task!
BLAZE: We have all pushed our selves to the limit on this one, but only the fans can say if it's better. I think its different and a lot deeper. Also, we tried to stay true to the story so that meant we had an excuse to try some different things musically.
PLANET BLAZE: Assumedly the set list will continue to feature Maiden era numbers (When Two Worlds Collide, Man On The Edge etc) and Silicon Messiah numbers. Which songs are likely to be sacrificed from the last tour?
BLAZE: Too early to say I am afraid.
PLANET BLAZE: Can we expect any of your other credited Maiden numbers to make an appearance, such as Look For The Truth, The Edge Of Darkness or 2A.M? Any chance of digging out some of those more rare but just as classic moments in Virus (1996 single release) or Judgment Day (Man On The Edge B-Side)?
BLAZE: Yes
PLANET BLAZE: Live, what inspired the idea of the added harmonies on Maiden numbers Futureal and When Two Worlds Collide? It sounds great.
BLAZE: I believe I have found two of the best metal guitar players on earth. Why not use that talent to the fullest metal advantage?
PLANET BLAZE: Will the new tour be featuring some festival appearances in the vein of Wacken and Bloodstock?
BLAZE: I think so but that is the managers department. I have parted company with Sanctuary Management and Black Machine Management now manages me. Sanctuary was great, but the new management seems better suited to a band this size.
PLANET BLAZE: Concerning Bloodstock, congratulation's on a stonking gig btw, although the sound wasn't great. Some sources tell me the Saxon engineer has been known to fiddle with the mixing levels in the past - strange considering Saxons sound was perfect! As BLAZE were tipped to steal the show pre-gig, do you think there was something going on?
BLAZE: NO. Nothing was going on. No one was trying to give us a bad sound. It was a simply bad luck that our regular sound engineer could not make it because of some personal problems and the Saxon engineer stepped in at the last minute as a favour.
PLANET BLAZE: Did the Silicon Messiah album chart well in any countries which have some decent rock 'n' roll taste, unlike the general population of the UK who feed their musical tastes with boy and girl bands pop puke?
BLAZE: No. Another reason why I got the new management.
PLANET BLAZE: How would you compare your vocals from the days of Wolfsbane to the days of Maiden and BLAZE?
BLAZE: Experience has changed the way I approach recording and live work. When I started out I thought power was screaming high notes. Now, and after recording 8 albums and working with some of the worlds top producers and musicians I think power comes from expression and character in the performance. Power is not in me. Power is in the song and I must find it.
PLANET BLAZE: You've maintained your friendship with the Maiden boys, and Bruce Dickinson recently complimented you on your album. Although would you ever support Maiden again, even if only at a one off gig, if given the chance?
BLAZE: We will play anywhere we get the chance to be in front of metal fans. Slipknot, Slayer, Marilyn Manson and Maiden, any day we have a gig is a great day. So as many, as much, as often as we can, with who ever we can. We are not fussy, but we are lucky that we get to do what we love for our job.
PLANET BLAZE: How different was the songwriting approaches between Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Janick Gers and yourself? Did you make any attempts to get Nicko to write any songs for once in his life? (B-Sides excluded!)
BLAZE: That will all be in my book. Out in 2003. Entitled, Me, Maiden and the Messiah
PLANET BLAZE: Maiden recently played Man On The Edge and Futureal on their Ed Hunter World Tour. To our ears, BLAZE play these songs a lot tighter, vocally and musically. The same could be said about The Aftermath and When Two Worlds Collide, with Nicko tending to ruin the verses on the latter by playing to fast. How would you respond to the suggestion that BLAZE bring more charisma out of these songs than Maiden? You penned them just as much as Steve, Dave or Janick!
BLAZE: Thanks for the compliment. Maiden do things their way and we do things our way.
PLANET BLAZE: You were quoted on Planet Rock Profiles with Dave Murray as having nearly, a double album worth of material for Virtual XI. Did any of your ideas from this period develop into song ideas for Silicon Messiah or Tenth Dimension?
BLAZE: Erm, I don't think I actually said that, but, a couple of the ideas I had for titles and odd words that had interested me were used on Silicon Messiah, but no finished music or lyrics.
PLANET BLAZE: Greatest hits package as selected by the fans aside, what did you truthfully think of Maidens rather flawed Ed Hunter shoot 'em up computer game, designed by Synthetic Dimensions during your time in the band? (Not a personal dig!)
BLAZE: I really don't want to go into all the details here but there is lot more to making good game than interesting graphics and a good title. Many of my best ideas were (lets be tactful) not used. IT was the best game it could be given the circumstances. I think it would take a giant company like Capcom to really give the fans the game they deserve.
PLANET BLAZE: It's generally well agreed amongst the 'silenced critics' who actually listen to the music before criticizing it that The X Factor and Virtual XI are Maidens most consistent 90's albums. To these ears, The X Factor in particular was Maidens finest effort of the last decade and a near classic. For you, what were the highlights of these two albums?
BLAZE: Sign of the Cross, Edge of Darkness, Virus, Judgment of Heaven, The Clansman, Como Estais Amigos and even though the timing in the quiet intro was a complete bastard, The Educated Fool.
PLANET BLAZE: In hindsight would you have preferred to swap a number such as Judgment Day, Justice Of The Peace or I Live My Way for your least favourite …X Factor song?
BLAZE: No, but some of the B-sides sounded a bit thin to me. I think it was because they were mixed in a rush at the end of the session.
PLANET BLAZE: Any regrets about your time in the band?
BLAZE: Yes, but not what you may think and it will be in the book
PLANET BLAZE: What was your most memorable Maiden Live gig? What was your most memorable Maiden moment in general?
BLAZE: Monsters Of Rock, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 60 000 fans. Lots of moments are worth remembering, but it's probably down to the weather which one you remember on any given day. I really enjoyed my time with Iron Maiden and I am proud of all the songs we wrote together and of the great shows we played. However, the memories I cherish the most are those of the fans and the support they gave me and how they just didn't give a toss about fashionable music that people in the press said at the time was cool. When I joined Iron Maiden people said that metal was dead. The fans kept metal alive in their hearts and now its coming back with a vengeance. So thanks to all those fans who believed. It was that experience and that dedication that gave me the courage to try and put my own band together and gave me the will to carry on when… it will be in the book.
Cheers Blaze
Interview conducted by Andy Law
Just under a decade ago, Blaze Bayley made a name for himself in promising British metal group Wolfsbane. Via his powerful vocals, skillful songwriting and sizeable onstage presence and after the departure of long-serving vocalist Bruce Dickinson, Bayley was the natural choice to succeed as the new frontman of Iron Maiden - arguably the Worlds greatest ever heavy metal band.
Contributing largely to the highly credible ...X Factor ('95) / Virtual XI ('98) and instrumental in Maidens chart splitting smash Man On The Edge, he now has his own, self-titled band in BLAZE. He is joined by 4, hungry, fresh, musicians, in guitarists Steve Wray & John Slater, bassist Rob Naylor and ex. Kill II This drummer Jeff Singer. The fruit of their studio labour, debut release Silicon Messiah was a magnum opus, typifying the spirit of metal. An immensely successful Silicon Messiah World Tour complete, including rousing performances at Germany's Wacken Festival and the UK's Bloodstock Metalfest, BLAZE have just finished in the studio preparing to unleash tour and album two - Tenth Dimension. The album is to be released early next year - on a metal revived public. In an Planet Blaze/ Buzz exclusive, we cyber chat with the delightfully friendly and hospitable Blaze himself at the meeting place they call the World Wide Web to see what's going down (or indeed taking off) on Planetblaze.
PLANET BLAZE: Given the phenomenal resurgence of heavy metal Worldwide, Maidens Brave New World, Halford's Resurrection and your own album Silicon Messiah were arguably the big three to shine traditional metal in its most classic light. How significant a release was Silicon Messiah for you? With Tenth Dimension, do you feel under pressure to try and emulate Silicon Messiah?
BLAZE: Yeh, I feel under pressure with Tenth Dimension, but having said that some of the best things I've ever done have been when I was really up against it. I am so proud of Silicon Messiah as an album and the band that came out of putting the album together, and I want Tenth Dimension to be just as special, but in its own way. At this point it does feel like it is growing in to something that will be on a par with Silicon Messiah. When I started the Messiah album I just wanted to make an album that I could be proud of, and making it Metal without compromising. With the Tenth Dimension I wanted to take a step further into the world I glimpsed while writing the words for Silicon Messiah. Musically, it is very much our brand of metal, but with the added advantage that since finishing Silicon Messiah we have played about 60 shows. So the writing process was quite a bit different this time because of that. As far as being significant among the releases that came out around this period, only the fans can say. To me theirs is the most important opinion because they are who we make our albums for.
PLANET BLAZE: Working with Andy Sneap, Silicon Messiah was an ultra heavy album, powerfully presented and with crystal clear production. Has this been the plan for Tenth Dimension? Any studio tricks in store?
BLAZE: Andy Sneap is one of the few producers I have worked with who really understands what metal music is. His production on Tenth Dimension is even more powerful if that's possible, and some of the arrangements were far more complex than what we tried last time around. As far as studio tricks go, this album sounds really good on headphones and home hi fi. There is a lot more to it musically than the last album. And this time I decided after talking to Andy about the whole concept to record the entire album digitally. This proved to be a good idea as some of the things he managed to do while we were mixing and recording are literally impossible using tape. The real benefit of using a fully digital system was that we had more time to focus on our playing and performance and less time was lost due to machines breaking down. Another great sounding album Andy has just finished is by German band, Nevermore. You should check it out.
PLANET BLAZE: Ever since you penned Futureal and Two Worlds Collide in Maiden you seem to have been fascinated with conceptual themes. Silicon Messiah itself was a concept album in parts, and we are told that the new album will follow suit. What's the next chapter of the story all about?
BLAZE: I don't want to spoil the excitement by giving too much away before the release but I can give you a general idea. It is a concept album. While I was researching some of the themes we addressed on Silicon Messiah, I found out a lot about the near future and what people working a the cutting edge of theoretical physics think will be possible in a few years or even months in some cases. This will probably prove to be a completely pathetic analogy, but in a few words it feels like X files meets Tron or half-life meets metal gear.
PLANET BLAZE: It sounds like you spend a lot of time making the music's style fit with the lyrical themes. (i.e.; Silicon Messiah's, The Evolution). Is this the most difficult stage of the songwriting process?
BLAZE: Evolution is a good example to use because things just tend to evolve with us. But, having said that, when we are writing together I usually have three or four 'sets' of almost finished lyrics to choose from and we decide what seems to fit best. I started doing this because in Wolfsbane some of my favourite lyrics ended up as B-sides or in ideas we never got past the demo stage. On Tenth Dimension we took a different approach because the album tells a story from the first song to the last song. Musically, the story unfolds and provides clues to what is really happening. So each song tells its own story or gives its own vibe and also fits into the bigger story. It's the most difficult thing I have ever attempted in my songwriting career. The whole thing was a massive undertaking where every tiny detail was considered and discussed. Every decision was an agonising choice as I kept asking myself "is this what fits both musically and lyrically and does it serve the story and the song?" It was exhausting. Now as we listen to the final stages of mastering, a couple of months after the main recording is finished, I am starting to feel confident that we have achieved what we set out to do. Now I just can't wait to start playing the songs live. I hope people enjoy the new album just for the songs and I am hoping the more they listen to it the deeper they will be drawn into the story.
PLANET BLAZE: Can we expect any single releases from BLAZE this time around with any Live B-Sides from your Silicon Messiah World tour set?
BLAZE: We recorded some live stuff on the Messiah tour so they will probably be used as bonus tracks. We won't be doing singles as such. We will be making a virtual single. Basically, we will make a video of one song and send it to every metal web site and TV show on earth. We are hoping that our mad cyber cool fans will also distribute the video clip to their friends and any pop fans they feel need a good dose of metal. It is still in the planning stages but I am hoping we can get the technical problems sorted by the release of the album and the video clip can be distributed for free from our web site, www.planetblaze.com using windows media player. That's the idea but don't hold your breath. You know what computers are like.
PLANET BLAZE: Will the album feature any racy, crowd loving rockers in the vein of The Launch or Futureal or any epics such as Stare At The Sun?
BLAZE: This album has got it all. Well I think it has. You tell me when it's released.
PLANET BLAZE: Silicon Messiah was very much a vocal album with a stylish range of voices - grinding rawness, descriptive lyrical emphasis, backed by some useful harmonies and a stretchy but not overdone vocal range. Have you spent as much time on the vocals this time around?
BLAZE: Andy Sneap and myself wanted the same spontaneity and expression and passion that we tried to get on Silicon Messiah. However, this time we also wanted a more natural sound that would compliment the raw edge of the voice as well as provide more depth to the melodic sections. I think Andy has managed to achieve this and I feel that the vocals are more involving than on Silicon Messiah. Basically, it is louder, harder, stronger and more METAAAAAAAL.
PLANET BLAZE: You seem a dead ringer for specializing in singing / writing those delicately smooth 'n' slow slower sort of moments before the track crescendos into rock bliss. From your Maiden days on numbers such as Look For The Truth and When Two Worlds Collide, through to the present with the likes of Silicon Messiah, Identity and Stare At The Sun. Was Steve Harris an influence in this trait?
BLAZE: Steve Harris has had a big influence on my songwriting in general. He gave me so much confidence and belief in myself as a songwriter and taught me so much about getting the song on the album to sound like the song in my head. I really think he is under-rated as a songwriter. In a perfect alternate universe, where talent and skill are more important than image and TV shows about the importance of image, songs by Steve Harris would enjoy the same chart success as Robbie Williams does in this flawed upside down crazy universe that doesn't have hover boards or flying cars, or ice cream and beer that tastes great but actually helps you loose weight the more you eat and drink. What's more, the law in the perfect universe states all mountain bikes must be made of carbon fiber, magnesium and titanium but must not cost more than two hundred pounds and heavy metal is the law by which we all shall live!! AND, all hardcore metal heads are given free huge hi fi systems and neighbours who bring round their classic albums on vinyl and don't mind if we run off a copy for ourselves while we make them CD. AND, all houses are built with sound proofing so we never have to worry about complaints when we just have to crank the volume right up. AND, all the gigs have no age restrictions with non-seated venues with great first aid for fans and power showers and local crew for bands. BUT, until we manage to get to that perfect place I will just keep living as if we are already there.
PLANET BLAZE: Following on from the last question, you almost went into ballad territory with 2AM and Como Estais Amigos, while the diverse, superbly soulful performance on The Hunger will leave many desperate for such future moments. Can we expect any full out ballads or similar vocal exploits from Blaze on the forthcoming record?
BLAZE: There are no, 'I love you baby' or 'I miss you' songs but there are a couple of quieter moments that I am particularly proud of.
PLANET BLAZE: BLAZE have patented their own metal sound. Does Tenth Dimension stay true to this sound you originally developed?
BLAZE: Tenth Dimension goes into a lot of new and more traditional places but it all sounds like us. (I hope)
PLANET BLAZE: Any scoops on track names or ones to listen out for on the album?
BLAZE: Yes, I will give you a scoop. The final track on the album is called Stranger to the Light. It rounds up the whole story and I think it is one of the heaviest songs I have ever been involved in writing.
PLANET BLAZE: Besides lyrics and vocal melodies, do you ever play guitar or bass to come up with riffs or bass-lines for Steve, John or Rob who'll then put these ideas down on record, or do you leave that side for them to work out?
BLAZE: Yes I do, but they usually come up with most of the stuff, then pretend it was based on the idea I had even though it sounds completely different.
PLANET BLAZE: Did you tend to write your concept lyrics first for the album, and then the music, the other way round, or a bit of both?
BLAZE: It was all fragments that found there way from scribbled notes and dictaphone tapes, to, working at my home studio writing with the rest of the band. Then I filled in the blanks from ideas I had while doing research on the whole idea of Silicon based life and the rise of artificial intelligence and the evolution of machines, some of which could become the next dominant species on earth and put humankind into the same kind of history books that dinosaurs now fill.
PLANET BLAZE: The BLAZE camp have hinted that the record is on course to better Silicon Messiah - quite a task!
BLAZE: We have all pushed our selves to the limit on this one, but only the fans can say if it's better. I think its different and a lot deeper. Also, we tried to stay true to the story so that meant we had an excuse to try some different things musically.
PLANET BLAZE: Assumedly the set list will continue to feature Maiden era numbers (When Two Worlds Collide, Man On The Edge etc) and Silicon Messiah numbers. Which songs are likely to be sacrificed from the last tour?
BLAZE: Too early to say I am afraid.
PLANET BLAZE: Can we expect any of your other credited Maiden numbers to make an appearance, such as Look For The Truth, The Edge Of Darkness or 2A.M? Any chance of digging out some of those more rare but just as classic moments in Virus (1996 single release) or Judgment Day (Man On The Edge B-Side)?
BLAZE: Yes
PLANET BLAZE: Live, what inspired the idea of the added harmonies on Maiden numbers Futureal and When Two Worlds Collide? It sounds great.
BLAZE: I believe I have found two of the best metal guitar players on earth. Why not use that talent to the fullest metal advantage?
PLANET BLAZE: Will the new tour be featuring some festival appearances in the vein of Wacken and Bloodstock?
BLAZE: I think so but that is the managers department. I have parted company with Sanctuary Management and Black Machine Management now manages me. Sanctuary was great, but the new management seems better suited to a band this size.
PLANET BLAZE: Concerning Bloodstock, congratulation's on a stonking gig btw, although the sound wasn't great. Some sources tell me the Saxon engineer has been known to fiddle with the mixing levels in the past - strange considering Saxons sound was perfect! As BLAZE were tipped to steal the show pre-gig, do you think there was something going on?
BLAZE: NO. Nothing was going on. No one was trying to give us a bad sound. It was a simply bad luck that our regular sound engineer could not make it because of some personal problems and the Saxon engineer stepped in at the last minute as a favour.
PLANET BLAZE: Did the Silicon Messiah album chart well in any countries which have some decent rock 'n' roll taste, unlike the general population of the UK who feed their musical tastes with boy and girl bands pop puke?
BLAZE: No. Another reason why I got the new management.
PLANET BLAZE: How would you compare your vocals from the days of Wolfsbane to the days of Maiden and BLAZE?
BLAZE: Experience has changed the way I approach recording and live work. When I started out I thought power was screaming high notes. Now, and after recording 8 albums and working with some of the worlds top producers and musicians I think power comes from expression and character in the performance. Power is not in me. Power is in the song and I must find it.
PLANET BLAZE: You've maintained your friendship with the Maiden boys, and Bruce Dickinson recently complimented you on your album. Although would you ever support Maiden again, even if only at a one off gig, if given the chance?
BLAZE: We will play anywhere we get the chance to be in front of metal fans. Slipknot, Slayer, Marilyn Manson and Maiden, any day we have a gig is a great day. So as many, as much, as often as we can, with who ever we can. We are not fussy, but we are lucky that we get to do what we love for our job.
PLANET BLAZE: How different was the songwriting approaches between Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Janick Gers and yourself? Did you make any attempts to get Nicko to write any songs for once in his life? (B-Sides excluded!)
BLAZE: That will all be in my book. Out in 2003. Entitled, Me, Maiden and the Messiah
PLANET BLAZE: Maiden recently played Man On The Edge and Futureal on their Ed Hunter World Tour. To our ears, BLAZE play these songs a lot tighter, vocally and musically. The same could be said about The Aftermath and When Two Worlds Collide, with Nicko tending to ruin the verses on the latter by playing to fast. How would you respond to the suggestion that BLAZE bring more charisma out of these songs than Maiden? You penned them just as much as Steve, Dave or Janick!
BLAZE: Thanks for the compliment. Maiden do things their way and we do things our way.
PLANET BLAZE: You were quoted on Planet Rock Profiles with Dave Murray as having nearly, a double album worth of material for Virtual XI. Did any of your ideas from this period develop into song ideas for Silicon Messiah or Tenth Dimension?
BLAZE: Erm, I don't think I actually said that, but, a couple of the ideas I had for titles and odd words that had interested me were used on Silicon Messiah, but no finished music or lyrics.
PLANET BLAZE: Greatest hits package as selected by the fans aside, what did you truthfully think of Maidens rather flawed Ed Hunter shoot 'em up computer game, designed by Synthetic Dimensions during your time in the band? (Not a personal dig!)
BLAZE: I really don't want to go into all the details here but there is lot more to making good game than interesting graphics and a good title. Many of my best ideas were (lets be tactful) not used. IT was the best game it could be given the circumstances. I think it would take a giant company like Capcom to really give the fans the game they deserve.
PLANET BLAZE: It's generally well agreed amongst the 'silenced critics' who actually listen to the music before criticizing it that The X Factor and Virtual XI are Maidens most consistent 90's albums. To these ears, The X Factor in particular was Maidens finest effort of the last decade and a near classic. For you, what were the highlights of these two albums?
BLAZE: Sign of the Cross, Edge of Darkness, Virus, Judgment of Heaven, The Clansman, Como Estais Amigos and even though the timing in the quiet intro was a complete bastard, The Educated Fool.
PLANET BLAZE: In hindsight would you have preferred to swap a number such as Judgment Day, Justice Of The Peace or I Live My Way for your least favourite …X Factor song?
BLAZE: No, but some of the B-sides sounded a bit thin to me. I think it was because they were mixed in a rush at the end of the session.
PLANET BLAZE: Any regrets about your time in the band?
BLAZE: Yes, but not what you may think and it will be in the book
PLANET BLAZE: What was your most memorable Maiden Live gig? What was your most memorable Maiden moment in general?
BLAZE: Monsters Of Rock, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 60 000 fans. Lots of moments are worth remembering, but it's probably down to the weather which one you remember on any given day. I really enjoyed my time with Iron Maiden and I am proud of all the songs we wrote together and of the great shows we played. However, the memories I cherish the most are those of the fans and the support they gave me and how they just didn't give a toss about fashionable music that people in the press said at the time was cool. When I joined Iron Maiden people said that metal was dead. The fans kept metal alive in their hearts and now its coming back with a vengeance. So thanks to all those fans who believed. It was that experience and that dedication that gave me the courage to try and put my own band together and gave me the will to carry on when… it will be in the book.
Cheers Blaze
Interview conducted by Andy Law
