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Editorials

REVELATION OF THE DAY: BLAZE BAYLEY-ERA IRON MAIDEN IS AWFUL

 Tuesday, June 19th, 2007 at 11:52am by

Iron Maiden - The X FactorSeriously, who were these guys kidding? I’m currently not even halfway through listening to 1995′s The X Factor for the first time ever, and I don’t need to hear any more. This is an utter crapfest. How did Steve Harris and Dave Murray let this get through their bullshit detector? Blaze Bayley sounds like a constipated seal on “Fortunes of War,” bellowing his way through notes that are too low for his range. The band sounds uninspired, the songs are corny and don’t go anywhere, and the production is shit. Even the guitar solos are piss poor and completely lifeless. This record is an embarrassment. The Iron Maiden legacy would seriously be that much better if all copies of this album, in addition to 1998′s The Virtual XI which I haven’t even heard, were completely eradicated from existence. On the bright side, perhaps if Maiden didn’t suck for 8 years then they would never have released the awesome Brave New World in 2000, Bruce Dickinson’s epic return record.

-VN

  • http://ikillya.com jasonfromikillya

    haha!

  • http://www.hibernum.net Hibernum

    You know, I’ve been told that Blaze is a good singer, but just wasn’t good at singing Iron Maiden. Definetly that album was bad. There are only two good songs from that era; The Clansman and Man on the Edge.

  • http://www.hibernum.net Hibernum

    Oh I forgot: have you heard Bruce’s solo album The Chemical Wedding? It is easily Maiden quality! I always believed that Harris heard that album and decided to fire Blaze and get Bruce back, because that album rocks.

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    • Mattman

      Who the F Cares about pervy Judas Preist!!!! GET a Life and support a Real Band….
      UP THE IRONS!!!!!!!

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  • Cougar Party

    I love Maiden, but Blaze-Maiden pretty much sucks. Although, the live version of Bruce singing The Clansman is great. That is pretty much the one good song that came out of that era.

  • Mr. B

    Sign of the Cross is a great tune from the Blaze era, but again it sounds better when Bruce sings it live. Blaze is a good singer, but just not right for Maiden. And to Hibernum: I feel the same thing. The first time I heard Accident of Birth I was like “THIS is what Maiden should be sounding like in 1996!” Bruce’s solo records during that period are definitely better than Maiden’s output. Maybe they ought to kick out Janick and replace him with Roy Z?

  • http://www.myspace.com/hateband666 Wanga

    Agreed – I love Maiden but the debate about the blaze years leaves me baffled – I think they really were shameful days for the band. Blaze was just awful, but listening to his solo stuff I concluded that it wasn’t at all his fault….
    Blaze’s solo albums are actually rather brutal, traditional metal and well worth a listen – this from someone who hated his stint with Maiden.. The Dickinson solo albums are simply fucking phenomenal. I love all of them, apart from tattooed millionaire which is more of a rock album really. Any self respecting metal fan can’t deny the pure heavyness of Chemical Wedding and Tyranny of Souls.

    For the uninitiated Bruce curios out there check this out:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dal1tzOS_b4

    And for anyone wanting to hear Blaze actually doing something worth listening to, this is an awesome song:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qANEeOpITYc
    and:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te1c_YkI3a8&feature=related

    Give it a chance, you’ll probably be be a bit surprised.

  • mike

    It wasnt Blazes fault that the maiden albums he sang on were not as good as the usual output the albums before he joined had started to drop in quality they had some good songs but were not good albums. Steve Harris got divorced and seemed to lose focus, the songs were not suited to Blazes vocals although I like several tracks from those two albums neither were good albums. I saw Blaze this week and he performed the Clansman, Lord of the flies and futureal and did a good job on them poss better than when he was with Maiden. I was impressed and bought his latest album at the show and to my delight it was better than both the Maiden albums he sang on. Steve Harris runs the show at Maiden if the album quality slips the buck stops at his door. Remember Bruce jumped ship when he thought he could make more money than when he would in Maiden and his first couple of solo albums after leaving Maiden were nothing to write home about he got better when he took Adrian Smith on board and the last couple of albums were blinding. But he only came back to Maiden when he realised he was never going to make as much money as he did in Maiden never forget that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • james whorton

    i knew of blaze bayley before maiden, he used to sing in a band called wolfsbane, and they kicked ass, when they announced blaze as the new singer for maiden, i couldnt imagine his voice with their music, i thought it was an odd marriage of styles.( he reminds me of david lee roth a little ) when i first heard x-factor, i cried. my favorite band had lost its edge.and blaze sounded really weak. but after a few listens i began to like it. virtual xi had a few good songs, but was weak. i love the blaze solo stuff , and the wolfsbane stuff. but he was an awful choice for maiden. check out blaze’s solo albums , and wolfsbane, then you will appreciate blaze’s voice as it should be, in a heavier more metal enviornment. maidens music is just too happy, and poppy for blazes vocal style.

  • you

    you’re a fucking idiot.

    that album is bloody amazing and just because he sounds different to bruce doesnt mean he sounds shit – it’s just DIFFERENT. no music is crap, its just all different.

    take your useless and non constructive review and stick it up your fucking arse.

  • you

    oh forgot to mention… piss poor guitar solos? are you deaf? did you not hear the solos in lord of the flies or sign of the cross?

    you claim virtual XI is shit and havent even listened to it?

    you are a waste of space and people’s time. just like the millions of assholes online you spew out shitty comments and totally non constructive views, solutions to whatever it might be and you really have no fuckin idea what you’re talking about. you just have no fuckin clue.

    get stuffed twat.

    • tumbledryer

      Yes! Totally agree.
      Blaze Bayley has dark, serious voice of a man.
      But I’m (little sad to say) to say that Bruce did learn to substitute him in this field, for example on The Longest Day verses.