BLAZE BAYLEY – War Within Me

Blaze of Glory

Metal fans young and old are familiar with British metaller Blaze Bayley (Wolfsbane, ex-Trinity) either from his stint as replacement singer for Bruce Dickinson in metal legends Iron Maiden, or from his extensive solo career since 2000. April 2021 will see the release of his 11th studio effort War Within Me, the follow-up to the success of his Infinite Entanglement trilogy album series. Blaze is joined by guitarist/ co-writer Christopher Appleton, drummer Martin McNee and bassist Karl Schramm from the band Absolva.

Classic NWOBHM

War Within Me definitely draws from Bayley’s experiences in Iron Maiden, and feels like like a stroll down Heavy Metal lane in the late 80s. Produced by Bayley and Appelton, the album has the classic metal mix and feel one would expect from such a veteran musician in his prime. Blaze Bayley shares his thoughts on the album:

“This is an album that I want to put on and feel very positive about. Whatever song you choose there’s some good feeling about it. As fans of metal music we tend to be damaged, strange and different in some way and this album is (as I say in my live intro to the song ‘Futureal’) about taking your future in your own hand. It’s one of the things that really connects with people at my live shows.”

Top Tracks

One can’t help but to notice the writing style and musical structures that very much mirrors Iron Maiden on the tracks “303” and “The Power of Nikola Tesla”, as the lyrics tell the stories while dueling harmony guitars drive the music. This reviewers top track is the album opener and title track “War Within Me” with its manic guitar riffs, and hard driving vocals reminiscent of the Heavy Metal legends Saxon.

Final Notes

War Within Me is a very strong effort from a singer that deserves to be remembered for a lot more than being a replacement singer in Iron Maiden. Blaze Bayley has crafted a great album, and continues to deliver Classic Metal that is fun to listen to. Whether you liked him back in his Iron Maiden days or not, Blaze Bayley has established himself as a strong player in the heavy Metal arena, and his new album is definitely worth having a home in the collections of fans of Saxon, Iron Maiden, and the whole NWOBHM genre.

Lineup

Blaze Bayley – vocals
Christopher Appleton – guitar, backing vocals
Martin McNee – drums
Karl Schramm – bass

War Within Me – Tracklist

01. War Within Me
02. 303
03. Warrior
04. Pull Yourself Up
05. Witches Night
06. 18 Flights
07. The Dream of Alan Turing
08. The Power of Nikola Tesla
09. The Unstoppable Stephen Hawking
10. Every Storm Ends