Blaze Bayley
Interview & Live Pictures by Anders Sandvall
Thanks to SPV for the promo pictures of
the band
Thanks to Blaze Manager Neil Marklew for the help with this
interview.
Blaze Bayley released his third album earlier this year
called Blood and belief
which is his strongest album so far. I asked
some questions about the band Blaze who have gone through some
member changes plus some questions about the band in general.
How do you look upon your previous albums today?
I’m proud of everything I’ve done. I think the best album
I’ve done is Silicon
Messiah. My favourite and most honest work is
Blood & Belief.
“Songs are like children”, someone said, “you love them all
but there is always a favourite”. My favourites change but
‘Meant to Be’ from the ‘Tenth Dimension’ album and ‘Ghost in the
Machine’ from ‘Silicon Messiah’ are songs that I feel are
complete.
You have done a lot of touring world wide, don’t you ever
get tired of touring?
NO!, never! I love touring, I only wished we could do more
dates. I love it when I am out on the road, why shouldn’t I, I
am doing the thing I love most doing, playing my music to my
fans!!!
Why have you started the tour before the album is in the
stores?
The start of the tour was booked to coincide with the
release date of Blood &
Belief but the label had to change the release date. We
didn’t want to disappoint fans so we didn’t re-arrange any of
the shows.
You have recently done shows in Sweden, how did that go?
I love playing in Sweden and can not wait to come back!! We
didn’t have much time to promote the last shows but we had a
great time with our Swedish fans.
Why have you chosen to work with the producer Andy Sneap
once again? What makes him so special?
He is a very good guitar player who chose to start producing.
He doesn’t try to change the identity of the band. The better we
are in the studio, the better he makes us sound. He understands
how bands work and how to get the best out of people.
Why has it taken you so long to follow up your last album
Tenth dimension
from '02
I didn’t want to force the third album. I wanted to feel it
grow inside my heart and mind. So, I asked the band if they
would like to do a live album so we could show people what we
are like playing live, and to give us time to let ideas evolve
for the next studio album. The live album was Jeff Singers last
show with the band.
In which studio was
Blood and belief
recorded?
It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Andy Sneaps’ Backstage
Recording Studio, in Derbyshire.
Who has written the music and lyrics on the album?
This is a shared vision between John Slater, Steve Wray and
myself. Steve and John write the music and I did the lyrics.
Your lyrics are more personal and autobiographical on the
new album, how come?
Steve Wray and I talked a lot after the live album was
recorded and he suggested I try a different approach to my
lyrics. Once I started to be honest about my life and my
feelings there was no turning back.
The steady line-up has changed, why has Rob and Jeff left
the band?
Living and breathing this kind of music takes a lot of
commitment and although Jeff was fully committed we couldn’t
give him the security he needed at the stage he was at in his
life so he decided to leave. Rob just said he didn’t enjoy it
anymore and wanted a change.
How did Wayne and Jason end up in the band?
Wayne is a session player who was introduced to my manager
Neil by Andy Sneap and it was Neil who introduced Wayne to
Messiahs Kiss. He was the obvious choice when Rob decided to
leave. Jason was recommended to us by Andy Sneap when we told
him what we were looking for the
Blood & Belief
album.
Have they been involved in any famous band earlier? If so
which bands?
Wayne has been in Sabbat and Messiah Kiss and has done lots
of session work across all kinds of music and Jason was in
Pitchshifter.
I think you play straight in you face/uncomplicated heavy
metal, how would you describe your music?
I think of this band as a classic British Metal band. Two
lead guitars and vocals that put melody, emotion and character
before anything else.
Compared to previous albums this one sounds more like the
band we are now. It is a shared vision by John Slater, Steve
Wray and myself. I worked longer on the melodies for this album
than I did on ‘Tenth
Dimension’ I tried to make sure it felt natural and real
all the time.
How does the co-operation with your label work?
I’ve had problems with the label but hope to sort them soon.
Who came up with the cover?
John Slater our guitarist.
Is there anything you’re not so satisfied with on the
album?
No! Not at all!
How long are you planning on being out on tour this time?
Are there any plans to come back to Scandinavia?
Scandinavia is always in our touring plans, we love it there.
2004 touring will end with the BLAZE Big Bash at JBs in
Dudley, UK on Saturday 18th December when we will be filming the
whole show for a DVD to be released in 2005.
What are your plans for '05?
The Blood & belief tour will carry on into 2005 and we are
going to be working on our first DVD.
Are there anything you would like to say to the readers of
metal-rules.com?
Dear readers of Metal Rules,
Please make up your own mind about my band. Don’t judge us
until you have heard the
Blood & Belief album. If you like anything I did with
Iron Maiden or Wolfsbane then you might just like this too.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.
Thank you Anders!
Band:
www.planetblaze.com
Label:
www.spv.de
Read CD review’s for Blaze records in Metal-Rules.com.