Promise and Terror

The album follows a kind of conceptual line in which the first half we find the fastest, most lively tracks, while the second one has those denser, sadder ones. The latter is surely due to the death of Bayley's wife which happened after the release of The Man Who Would Not Die. This album follows the trend of their previous works as here they offer a heavy/speed metal absolutely starred by guitars and Blaze's own vocals as always, which seems to get fresh over the years and is infinitely more comfortable in its own style than facing the hard style of a certain lady or maiden.

The day I heard Blaze's music for the first time, I could see why many mistrust his solo work, especially after his departure from Maiden. It seemed that the battered passage through Maiden was going to sink and undermine his career, but I was surprised to see that it was not. "The Man Who Would Not Die" is actually a great heavy metal piece. Blaze has formed a group to suit him, which allows him to take great advantage of the torrent of voice he has. And perhaps for that reason, his "failure" with Iron Maiden was simply due to an incompatibility issue. Obviously, it wasn't a failure for me, but suppose I speak from the position of an average Iron Maiden fan. Blaze's cunning voice seemed to tie in more with Di'Anno's than with Bruce's, and probably a lot of fans saw that change as a step backward. Also, the fact that he performed certain classics as "The Trooper" made it clear his limitations, with all due respect to Mr. Bayley. His majesty, his throat of steel, is simply unmatched.

With all that said, long live the career of Blaze Bayley, and make your own that maxim that says: Old rockers never die. Without delay or concessions, “Watching The Night Sky” begins as a very melodic, fast track on which Blaze builds some serious vocal lines and rises with elegance and power when the chorus arrives, an obvious one but quite successful at the same time. "Madness And Sorrow", "Faceless", and "Time To Dare" are of similar character, although the latter two are closer to the European power metal of a good factory. “1633” is the typical mid-paced full of anger with guitars more focused on rhythm than melody; it also has powerful bass lines that open the song alone and is heard well marked in several passages. Maybe vocals get a bit repetitive, but it passes the test. “God Of Speed” features an impressive intro and highly inspired guitars whose arrangements spontaneously flourish thanks to the eternal use of multilayers; Blaze also does an excellent job, especially on the great melody of the chorus.

As I mentioned earlier, the last four songs are pessimistic and very dark, in addition to being linked together as one. The inauguration of this procession is carried out by “Surrounded By Sadness”, an electroacoustic ballad full of great feeling where Blaze sings with a heavy tone but not devoid of rage; just pay attention to the second verse "Leaving uncertainties behind"... what a raw and heartfelt performance! Maybe it doesn't seem entirely successful for you, but it doesn't detract from the great introduction. "The Trace Of The Things That Have No Words" and "Letting Go Of The World" make me a bit tiresome (everything has to be said) but everything is fixed with the closing, because "Comfortable In Darkness" is a great song and there's not much more to say. Bayley drops (somehow, as if he dropped it, rather than dropping it intentionally) the song title at the right moment, followed by simple but precise guitar riffs in the next compass. It could be said that it's another ballad, although considerably denser than the previous one, and of course it means a perfect clasp.

Blaze is one of the personalities I most admire on the scene for being so authentic, so faithful and a true fighter in life. He seriously takes what his true love is, a love of many of us who prefer the sound of a true distorted guitar. Nobody expected this, although he was already pointing to ways in Silicon Messiah and the album The Man Who Would Not Die. Blaze's story is that of a fighter. He had to dance with the strangest maiden and he never receive applauses despite deserving it for records like The X Factor. This album takes advantage of the darkness provided by Blaze's voice, the guy who must be laughing at his Iron Maiden teammates for kicking him out. I liked the set, can't highlight any for now. Blaze was always at the right time and in the right place, because for me "The Clansman" in Dickinson's hands is as absurd as dancing on architecture or sniffing music. Impossible things of life, unless we talk about synesthesia.

I saw Blaze live, and the dude blew the top off the place. And I don't even think he used a mic. If there was a mic, it did not survive. I've seen a lot of shows, but no other vocalist has ever literally destroyed an entire building. After the show, The surrounding trees and foliage were barren of leaf and seed until the Spring thaw. Sound is not made of matter, but rather it is energy that travels through matter in the form of waves. In other words, sound waves cause stuff to smash into other stuff, like a huge mosh pit of elementary particles. It is the collision of particles that carries sound from lung to ear. Most people have only 2 lungs. Strangely enough, most "metal" singers these days have less. Blaze has 10 lungs. He has no stomach, spleen, gaul bladder, liver or kidney. There's no room for any of those organs. If he had those, there wouldn't be enough room for 10 lungs, savvy?

So, the initial vibrations must be forced through the fleshy matter of the lungs, up through the voice box and esophagus, where it picks up and then carries, or in this case FORCES the vocal information, such as pitch, tone, amplitude and dimension through the mouth. Now, solid matter, like flesh, floor and ground, carries sound faster, louder and heavier than does liquid or gaseous matter, as in the air between Blaze's mouth and your ear. This is because particles in solid matter are closer together, and can mosh each other faster and harder. So, it is not just his lungs, voice box and esophagus that vibrates, but his whole entire body emanates vibrations, like a human amplifier. You can literally see the waves of crashing particles traveling outward from this fleshy epicenter. These waves then must travel through the surrounding matter, which, in this case, was the unfortunate structure known as Old Nick's in Eugene, Oregon, which has never sat quite right on it's foundation again.

Blaze is the most powerful vocal performer on Earth. He has more lungs. It is simple physics. What he lacks in vocal range is irrelevant. The dimension and power of his firebreathing roar is unmatched in all of metaldom. While most power metal bands wallow in inauthentic, artificial, candy-ass vocals that make my skin crawl, and most extremely over genre'd "extreme metal" bands hide their humanity behind growls and pukes, like snivelling sheep betraying a once rebellious and courageous art form, Blaze has chewed a line in the metal and said "Oh No. No you don't. Not on my watch. I will kill you."

Promise and Terror is the emo sister of the monumental "The Man Who Would Not Die", which had more sound and guts than all previous metal albums combined. This album is boiling with sound as well, but it is more subdued and, well, emo. Not like black, straight hair covering one eye emo, but while TMWWND was a series of heroic poems of violence, courage and vengeance, this is an emotional journey through the pits of meloncholy, sadness and terror. It is an authentic, personal story of the psyche of our author, especially in the suite combining the 4 final songs of the album. This album is authentic because it is real. It is based on real personal tragedies, and in many instances those ten lungs sound like they will crumble and dissolve into a pool of tears as the roar becomes a wail. The first part of this album offers the "promise", and the last suite of four songs is haunted by the "terror" in the album title.

The music is similar to the traditional heavy metal style of TMWWND, incorporating elements of thrash, power metal, and classic heavy metal. The guitar duo is skillful, creative and relentless, though not quite as relentless as on TMWWND, as, again, this album has a more doomy, less inspirational goal. Our ears are in good hands, though, as the the guitars soar and crash, stumble and fall into this ever downward spiral of terror. There are moments of pure metal candy to listen for, like the second part of "God of Speed", where the guitar riff that follows the solo takes on the task and succeeds in sounding like the wind in your face during the race to be the fastest human on Earth. The song is about Burt Munro, a motorcycle builder and racer from New Zealand that set the worlds record for speed. There are fast thrashy songs, like "Madness and Sorrow", and songs like "Time to Dare" that almost fall off the power metal edge, but are thankfully grounded by the vocals. And the album finishes off with a beautiful, but very emo ballad and the last three chugging thunderous components to the epic final suite. The promise and terror of everything is revealed.

There are few more polarizing characters in metal than poor old Blaze Bayley. Given the impossible task of filling the almighty wailing shoes of Bruce Dickinson with neither the stature nor vocal tools in his arsenal to do so was always a disaster waiting to happen. Only Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens would truly be able to appreciate the sheer weight of pressure and expectation that comes with replacing a metal legend at such a high profile and feverishly revered band. And so it was after two badly received albums and the inevitable return of the Bruce, Blaze was cut off and left to salvage a carrier that was probably more hindered than helped by his time in Maiden.

Since then Blaze’s solo output has been surprisingly strong, solid and dogged with his first three releases under the moniker Blaze displaying a heavier, edgier sound than anything he did with the Irons. More recently he has returned under his own name and 2008’s The Man Who Would Not Die restored him to the spotlight and showcased again his tenacious personality and ability to meld modern, power and traditional metal values into a accessible entertaining cohesive whole.

Ironically since Blaze has morphed into Blaze Bayley there has been more of a group mentality than on previous releases, and Promise and Terror pretty much picks up where their previous album left off with the whole band returning for this sophomore release. The first half of the album continues on in the TMWWND vein with the dizzying fret work of ‘Watching the Night Sky’ (Blackmailer-esque) coupled with a simplistic yet powerful title sung chorus launching proceedings. Other standouts include 1633 with a nice bass intro and build up, God of Speed a biker song Quorthon and Manowar would be proud of and the military march of City of Bones. Full credit must go to axe twins Bermudez and Walsh who provide an array of majestic leads and crunching rhythms throughout.

The final four songs of the album mostly deal with the recent loss of Bayley's wife who passed away prior to the album being written. Each song covers one of the four steps of dealing with personal tragedy: loss, pain, grief, and acceptance. Of these Surrounded by Sadness and The Trace Of Things That Have No Words are the strongest yet they are all moving in their own way.

Overall if you’re an established fan and thought The Man Who Would Not Die was a career highlight then you’ll be more than pleased with this stirring effort. For those who haven’t got around to checking out Blaze post Maiden or got a little lost or indifferent around ‘Blood and Belief’ then get on board cause the man has definitely still got it and aimed with this current crop of bandmates as support he’s only gonna get better next time round. A must for fans of straight up from the heart Heavy Metal.

Remember this guy? You should. Blaze Bayley is perhaps best known for taking Bruce Dickinsons place as the frontman of Iron Maiden for a while in the 90s. Now, however, he runs his own race, and delivers his fifth studio album, 'Promise and Terror'.

Bayley's road to success started out in the relatively unknown band Wolfsbane, a heavy metal outfit from the british suburbs which he fronted for nearly a decade, until rumours told of Bruce Dickinson leaving Iron Maiden, after deciding to focus on his solo career. The rest of the band chose to continue without him, and eventually they found his replacement, among hundreds of candidates. The two albums Bayley appeared on did very poorly in the charts, and fans showed obvious displeasure over the changes, both with the simplistic music and the new singer, and thus they laid most of the blame on Blaze for what seemed like the band's downfall. In 1999, Dickinson returned, and Bayley parted ways with the band. Since then he has released several albums, toured hard throughout the world and really got to show what he's good for. Now it remains to see if he's still got the balls, the guts and the throat to keep fighting for a place in the spotlight.

There's both a very familiar sound, but also something new and exciting that meets us on this album. It's hard not to think of Iron Maiden when you hear the voice of Bayley, but the rest of the band manage to build something completely different around his voice that gives it, not necessarily a unique, but a very different sound compared to what we have heard from this guy before. The other members come from a lot of different genres, and each of them are bringing their own booze to the party, including an aggressiveness and a surprisingly vigorous pace on songs like "Watching the Night Sky 'and 'Madness and Sorrow' which reminds me a bit of the good old thrash of the mid 80s.

The frontman's vocal performance is of the highest quality and fits perfectly for this type of modern heavy metal. His voice apparently ages like fine wine, and although he hasn't got a particularly rough voice, it still booms like a thunderous roar, which I consider to be a rare quality these days. The rest of the band is doing a fine job keeping up with him, but they still fall short on a few of the songs while Bayley pours his heart out, delivering the best of the best.

There are both some memorable tunes and riffs here, and a few beautiful, acoustic breaks in between, like on 'Surrounded by Sadness', but there's just an unsatisfying amount of fillers on this album that makes it somewhat unremarkable. It's not a bad album, by all means, but there's a lack of creativity from the rest of the band, that you just know they've got the potential to do, at least considering their technical skills. Or maybe I'm just so taken by the protagonist himself, who sets the benchmark so high that I expect too much from of the rest of the band.

All in all, this is a solid record, but it just doesn't match up with albums like 'The Man Who Would Not Die' or the brilliant 'Silicon Messiah'. It's a bit tame and overpolished to stand out in this genre, but I've still got high hopes for the future.

The X Factor…
Virtual XI…

Now that the denim-vest-clad, old timey Powerslaves have been scared off and have shuffled off to Buffalo, we can get down to business.

I will admit now that I’d never heard the aforementioned albums as IRON MAIDEN just doesn’t do it for me (I’m not apologizing! So there!), but there’s always that part of me that’s a sucker for the forgotten periods of these sort of acts; it’s been both blessings in disguise (BLACK SABBATH’s “Headless Cross”) and unnatural disasters (JUDAS PRIEST’s “Jugulator“), so when the time comes I wouldn’t mind checking out what’s considered the nadir of Steve Harris and company. But until then, all I can do now is sample the solo material of Mr. Bayley, the front man of the damned during those crazy, hazy years.

So let’s give it a go…

I’d never heard any Blazey-boy’s earlier solo material as well, and I guess I can’t complain on using this particular piece as my first step into the Bayley world. Personally I’m quite glad this guy continues having a post-MAIDEN career, given all the negativity surrounding the albums he fronted. In accordance with this disc I don’t really hear any older MAIDEN influence, but rather I sense a serious DIO feel, reminding me quite a bit of his “Killing the Dragon” era, taking in its speed and simple-yet-epic riff approach into something that’s all his own. Musically this disc has plenty to behold and enjoy; old-schooly guitar and bass tandems, harmonic lead noodlings, skip-to-my-lou double-bass percussive bashing, and the slightly intense voice of Blaze himself, which of course is to be at the forefront of the overall performance. In reality this guy doesn’t have a bad voice, combining the wailing of Ozzy with the all-over-the-place operatics of Warrel Dane which comes off as earnest if a little overdone in certain parts…I could honestly see why this guy was chosen to lead IRON MAIDEN during that iffy period. All this comes together in a fairly enjoyable disc, where the likes of “Madness and Sorrow”, “God of Speed”, and “City of Bones” are worthy enough contenders to warrant more than a select few future listens.

So all in all I was pretty impressed with this. The bar wasn’t set that high, and most expectations were met, though not wholly exceeded. Thumbs up.

Blaze Bayley’s career finally seems to be gathering a bit of momentum, and after the enforced break caused by the implosion of the Blaze band and being left stranded with no record deal, the ex-Maiden frontman and his new associates haven’t looked back since the self-funded release of their debut ‘The man who would not die’ back in 2008. Near-relentless touring since then – carrying on even after the tragic death of Bayley’s wife – seems to have got them on a roll, as ‘Promise and terror’ is very much ‘part 2’ to its predecessor, a direct continuation of the thoroughly modernised heavy metal style found there.

All the ingredients to ‘The man who would not die’ are left untampered, and although it lessens the overall impact slightly through familiarly, the “if it ain’t broke” adage has never rung truer here. The identical production job certainly aids the continuity, but you get the impression of a band who have found their own sound and are for the moment at least happy to mine it as deep as they can.

The only real discernable difference is that the lyrics here are even more dark and introspective than last time around. There are still ventures into other territories, though overall ‘Promise and terror’ is very much a soul-searching CD, particularly on the final 4 songs which form an interconnected suite where Bayley really digs deep to confront the inner turmoil forced upon him in the last couple of years. Even from the get-go, the lyrics to the opener “Watching the night sky” would be heartbreaking if the song wasn’t such a condescend ass-kicking.

And that is the important thing to remember – just as Bayley hasn’t allowed his tragedies to halt his career, nor has he allowed the music on this CD to be any less hard-hitting than it was before. The riffs are still often quite crushing, and Larry Paterson and David Bermudez provide a rock-solid rhythmic base for everything else, while also leaving room for a bit of flare. “1633” provides the latter with a bit of time in the spotlight, as the lurching bass-line undercuts almost the entire song other than the typically massive chorus.

Bayley of course has been using every ounce of his Maiden experience throughout his solo career, and makes every song as powerful and anthemic as possible, with more sing-a-long “whoa-oh” moments on the CD than many bands would manage in a career.

Other than looking for a catharsis for his demons, the theme of self-empowerment that Bayley has been banging on about for years remains integral to his lyrics, most notably on the speedy, defiant “Faceless”, but even to be found in the slightly melodramatic recounting of an attempt to break the land speed record in “God of speed” or more obviously in “City of bones”, which details the WWII siege of Leningrad. Lyrics are rarely of great importance to me when it comes to enjoying a CD, but while I’d never say Bayley was a legendary wordsmith, the passion he channels into what he sings is integral to the band’s success. The sheer forcefulness of delivery in “The trace of things that have no words” (part 2 of 4 at the end) is breathtaking and no doubt something he wouldn’t have managed were he not pouring his heart and soul into every word.

Compared to ‘The man who would not die’, ‘Promise and terror’ maybe throws up less stand-out winners, but on the whole is probably just as strong as it conversely doesn’t suffer any weaker moments like the uninspired “Crack in the system”. It shows a band of 5 men all pulling in the same direction – the complete opposite of the Blaze band, which eventually led to its untimely collapse – and apparently ready to let nothing stand in their way. One thing you can say about Blaze Bayley is that he certainly practices what he preaches, and he and his crew are living examples of the no compromise attitude he sermonizes on these songs.

(Originally written for http://www.metalcdratings.com/)

With the release of 2008's "The Man Who Would Not Die," Blaze Bayley managed to come back to the metal world with a massive bang after a long period of external inactivity and an entirely new backing band. The release of this effort so shortly afterwards successfully secures the power that he reclaimed and helps keep the momentum going that the previous album established.

This album appropriately picks up where TMWWND left off in terms of musical style. Many of the songs are performed in the band's signature fusion of thrash and power metal with commanding vocal lines, uplifting anthem-suggesting choruses, and dark textures. Of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule with "1633" being a mid-tempo borderline epic and the last four tracks forming an interesting mini-suite of sorts, the highlight of the latter being the acoustically driven "Surrounded by Sadness." I also find it kinda funny that "God of Speed" isn't as fast as its title would suggest. Great song though...

And with this being the first Blaze album since 2002's "The Tenth Dimension" to not feature a single line-up change, the band seems to have come closer together and improved their chemistry. The guitars packed with energy and the rhythm section gets several chances to shine throughout the album. Blaze himself puts on a pretty decent performance though he sound a more little strained than before. Then again, the slightly raw production might have something to do with it...

Like previous albums, the lyrics are pretty well-written though they don't seem to be as emotionally gripping as before. They mostly seem to deal with a combination of determination and longing with more melancholic bits here and there. Though there are some exceptions to the rule; "City of Bones" tells a tale of a city fighting to survive and "1633" is also worth noting for its theme relating to the plights of Copernicus.

It seems that this album's biggest flaw is that it progress too much from the previous album and does seem rather derivative at times. Most of the up-tempo tracks may give the listener a feeling of deja vu with their tried-and-true execution. This is best seen in album opener "Watching the Night Sky," which kinda feels like a rewrite of "Samurai." "1633" also has a tendency to make me think of Jag Panzer with its main melody resembling that of "Face Of Fear."

Overall, this album could be best described as Blaze Bayley's "The Mob Rules" or "The Last In Line." It has a familiar feel that should make it instantly accessible to well-established fans but those who didn't like his previous efforts will find this to be no different. It is still a very strong album and may end up being one of my favorites for 2010.

Pros:
1) Even better band chemistry
2) Good song variety
3) A few new interesting elements

Cons:
1) Not that much progress from previous efforts
2) A few derivative moments
3) The production isn't as polished as it could be

My Current Favorites:
"Watching the Night Sky," "Madness and Sorrow," "1633," "Faceless," and "Surrounded by Sadness"

Promise and Terror is the 2nd full-length offering from the former Wolfsbane/Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley, and follows in the footsteps of its predecessor The Man Who Would Not Die, as well as the albums he released with the lineup known simply as Blaze. It's pure power and speed metal with a dash of the classic, frenetic NWOBHM sound of his first major label band. The man's vocals remain in the same, charismatic range, but he's always been good at what he does (with the exception of the ill-fated Virtual XI), so it's clear pretty quickly that this album will wither or thrive based solely on the rhythmic thrust of the songs.

And, to be fair, most of the tracks here offer you the same, busy approach to power metal that you'd hear from a lot of the band's European contemporaries. They are more complex than a HammerFall, but riff after riff, the writing seems to only border on greatness, never picking its bulk up to cast itself over the wall. "Watching the Night Sky" is a good old frenzied anthem that zips past like a UFO of plucky, Maiden-esque rhythms and early Helloween fervor, but once the dust clears, I just didn't remember a damn thing about it, except perhaps the elevation of the vocals in the latter half of the predictable chorus. "Madness and Sorrow" is a blazer of Iron Savior-like proportions, yet for the bustle and squeal of the picking and the somber shuffle of the verse riffs, it feels like nothing more than three minutes of momentum with a half-decent lead. "1633" is a little more somber and effective, with speed metal guitars thrusting through a middle paced, and Bayley's words of woe striking closer to the heart.

There are a few more exciting tracks deeper into the album, like the flashy "City of Bones" which has rhythms reminiscent of Arch Enemy's Burning Bridges era, or "Faceless" which is a mix of Blaze's infamous barroom brawl lyrics from his old days and a ringing melodic mesh of riffs, but even these aren't exactly destined for a jukebox anytime soon. "Time to Dare" has a strong, soaring melodic intro, but dulls itself down through the verses, and perhaps the best of the material here is confined late in the track list, like "The Trace of Things That Have No Words" or the plodding, immediate tension of "Letting Go of the World". The acoustic ballad "Surrounded by Sadness" is actually pretty hooky, with a nice melancholy to the burning and simple lead guitars.

Promise and Terror is yet another solid effort from Blaze Bayley, but like so many of his albums post-Wolfsbane, it's just not enough that you're going to continue to come back to it. There is not a single song here that lacks riffs or competence, but none of them really blow you away. I can hardly consider it tragic: Blaze is a good singer, he always has been, and his solo bands generally deliver...there is just an elusive, intangible 'something' missing that would hurl them over the barrier. And if someone deserves some hard earned success, it is probably this man.

Highlights: The Trace of Things That Have No Words, City of Bones, Letting Go of the World

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com