Blaze Bayley-The night that will not die

Blaze Bayley recordings
2009

This double live CD set was recorded last December in Switzerland while Blaze was touring for his 2008 release "The man that would not die". Bayley suffered a major loss when his wife (who was also his manager) died in September, but he kept plugging at it keeping the tour going. Honestly I have never been a huge fan of his before and didn't think much of his time in Maiden, but this release has me at least beginning to reconsider that opinion. Quite honestly Blaze Bayley and his band put on a killer set. The set list draws mainly from his solo albums with just a few offerings from his brief stint in Iron Maiden. The band consists of guitarists Jay Walsh and Nico Bermudez, bassist David Bemudez and drummer Lawrence Patterson. They are on all night giving their frontman a huge arsenal of sound to have at his disposal. The music frequently reminds me a cross between Iron Maiden and maybe some of Overkill's more mid-tempo work. Bayley's range is limited, but the songs are designed to suit him and they do. Just as important as blending in with the music, he also knows how to work the crowd. His between song talks are often sincere and to the point. There is just a minimum of the typical banter and then they charge into the next song. This is classic style metal played with a great deal of conviction and a whole lot of volume. The vocals are slightly low at times particularly on the first disc, but so much that it hurts the overall performance. I was very surprised by the quality of this band's performance as they certainly exceeded my expectations. One of the better live discs I have heard in some time.