Blaze (1999-2007)
Following Blaze Bayley's departure from Iron Maiden in 1999, he formed his own band, BLAZE, in March that year. Bayley recruited guitarist Steve Wray, guitarist John Slater, bassist Rob Naylor, and drummer Jeff Singer, and signed a deal with German label SPV, releasing the band's debut studio album in 2000, Silicon Messiah. The album was followed up by Tenth Dimension in 2002 and the band's first live album in 2003, As Live As It Gets.
After recording the live album, Jeff Singer announced he was leaving the band. Three months later, Rob Naylor was also leaving. Session drummer Phil Greenhouse and bassist Wayne Banks were hired for the rest of the Tenth Dimension tour until permanent replacements could be found. Guitarist Jason Banks was drafted in for a few gigs at the end of 2003 to cover for John Slater.
At the end of 2003, Blaze began writing material for their third studio album, Blood & Belief. Phil Greenhouse was replaced on drums by Jason Bowld for recording and Dave Knight for touring. The band began to tour for the album shortly after it was released in 2004, but were set back again by the news that John Slater could not perform a large section of the tour. Despite rejoining the band later in the year, Slater eventually left the band in September with Steve Wray to form the band Rise To Addiction. Bassist Wayne Banks and drummer Dave Knight left the band to join the Robin Gibb band in September 2004.
Blaze performed a number of shows in 2004 and 2005 with the lineup of Bayley, guitarist Oliver Palotai, guitarist Luca Princiotta, bassist Nick Douglas, and drummer Daniel Löble. The two guitarists were eventually kept on as full members. The band's lineup shifted once again when Löble quit to join German power metal band Helloween early in 2005 and when Douglas returned to another German heavy metal band, Doro. The two were replaced by unknown German musicians Daniel Schild and Christian Ammann respectively. With the new line up, Blaze began to work on a fourth studio album for a release in 2007, but in January that year it was announced the entire line-up had to part ways with Bayley due to serious financial matters. Following the lineup change, Bayley opted to rename the band under his name, Blaze Bayley.
Blaze Bayley Band (2007-2011)
In February 2007, Blaze Bayley Band (also known as BBB) added guitarists Nicolas Bermudez and Rich Newport, bassist Dave Bermudez, and drummer Rico Banderra to the band and recorded the live DVD album Alive in Poland, released later on that year. Bayley announced that Rich Newport had left the band to pursue a career as a guitar teacher later on that year, and Jay Walsh would replace him onstage for the remainder of the tour. Jay was made a full member of the band in November 2007. Bayley also announced the addition of drummer Lawrence Paterson, formerly of British metal bands Chokehold and Shadowkeep at the same time.
In July 2008, Blaze Bayley Band (BBB) released their debut studio album, The Man Who Would Not Die. The album also contained the band's first single, "Robot", despite only being available digitally. It is sometimes regarded as a mini-compilation as it includes many bonus tracks. The band recorded another DVD live at Z7, The Night That Will Not Die, which was released in March 2009. Blaze Bayley announced that the band started recording for their new album on 28 September 2009. A contest was run on the band's forum.The two first people who guessed the title of the new album received a free signed copy. The title was revealed to be Promise and Terror a few days later.
The 2nd album Promise and Terror was released on 1 February 2010. Professional reviews have generally been very positive about the album. The album was produced by Jason Edwards.
On 6 February 2010 BBB started their 2010 world tour in Dudley UK. They spent the next months playing the UK, France, Italy, Germany before leaving for the South American leg of the tour. They then returned to Europe later in the year.
In May 2010 Larry Paterson, the drummer for the band left due to personal and professional reasons, although none were specified. Their manager, Anna, announced her departure from the band. She claimed that the band's idea of where to go next and hers were not in the same direction.
Following the departure of Larry Paterson the Blaze Bayley Band engaged Claudio Tirincanti to continue the Promise and Terror tour.
On 10 July 2010 Blaze Blayley claimed live on stage that his current album was his best-selling as a solo-artist shedding some light on the recent changes in his line-up and management.
On 18 December 2010 they played a Big Bash at JB'S in Dudley Birmingham. Despite the snowy weather the band made it back from mainland Europe to play the show.
The BBB embarked on a short European tour in early 2011 and were supposed to follow that up in May 2011 with more dates in the UK, however on 29 March via his official channels, Blaze Bayley stated that he had to part ways with the band due to both health and financial reasons.
Solo career (2011 - present)
On 31 March 2011, Blaze announced that he would continue as a solo performer working with different musicians. The new official line-up for live gigs features the confirmed Claudio Tirincanti on the drums, old occasional touring member "Deputy Dave" Andrews on the guitar, and two Belgian musicians (Steve Deleu and Nick Meganck) respectively on the other guitar and the bass. Later in the year, it has been announced that the same musicians will tour also with former Judas Priest singer Tim "Ripper" Owens.
Alongside the reunion and new recordings of Wolfsbane, Bayley has played a two-week acoustic solo tour in the UK in Sept 2011 with fellow Wolfsbane guitarist Jase Edwards plus a few unplugged gigs in Italy with Andrea Neri on the guitar. Footage of the acoustic shows with Jase Edwards can be seen on the Official Blaze Bayley YouTube Page.
Then the singer hit the stages of some summer festivals and after that has been travelling to the USA in October/November 2011 for his first full US Headline tour since his days with Iron Maiden, supported by North-American musicians of the Canadian band Man the Destroyer plus American guitarist Rick Plester, of international fame, who will work with Bayley in the near future. Blaze will finish the Promise and Terror world tour in December 2011 before beginning to write new material.
On 19 August 2011 Blaze announced that recording of a live DVD filmed at his show in Antwerp, Belgium on 23 September 2011, in which he presented also the first new song with the renewed line-up, called "Black Country". In February Bayley 2012 he toured Russia with the other former Iron Maiden singer, Paul Di'Anno.
On 18 December 2011 the last show of the Promise and Terror world tour took place at De Rots In Antwerp Belgium. High Definition footage from the penulitmate UK show on 15 December is available on the Official Blaze Bayley YouTube channel.
On 26 December 2011 in a personal Christmas message on his website Blaze announced that his new album The King of Metal would be released on 8 March 2012. On the same day Blaze officially announced the first two legs of the King of Metal world tour on the official Blaze Bayley Facebook Page. The new line-up for the making of The King of Metal album (recorded between Italy and Holland, mixed by Tony Newton at Steve Harris home studio, Rick Plester in the Usa and Raoul Soentken in Holland) consists of 3 Italians: the confirmed drummer Claudio Tirincanti, bassist Lehmann (Matteo Grazzini), guitarist Andrea Neri. Other guitarist is young Dutch Thomas Zwijsen, who co-wrote most of the music of the new cd. The same line-up who recorded the album will be the next live band for Blaze Bayley in the King of Metal European Tour, which counts more than 60 gigs. The busy schedule of 2012 sees also an acoustic tour with Zwijsen (July), a North American tour (September), a few gigs with Wolfsbane (October), a second co-headlining tour with Paul Di'Anno in Eastern Europe, Australia and New Zealand (November), and the prosecution of the King of Metal Tour in Scandinavia (December).
Leap of Faith
Blaze Bayley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get where you think you should be
And don't be afraid to lose sight of the shore
And reach out just because you believe
Take your first step into the unknown
It's your first chance to face the unknown
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
A leap of faith
You can have what you want if you find answers
Answers are all that they need
Prove to yourself that you are so much stronger
Than you thought you'd ever be
You will have the whole world at your feet
At last it all will be within your reach
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
A leap of faith
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
A leap of faith
Finding the courage of your own convictions
It's now time that you spread your wings
Soar like an eagle a life without fear
God will forgive you your sins
Take your first step into the unknown
It is your first chance to face the unknown
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
A leap of faith
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
A leap of faith
A leap of faith
Take a leap of faith
A leap of faith
Take a leap of faith
The lyrics of Blaze Bayley's "Leap of Faith" describe the importance of taking risks and having faith in oneself to achieve what they desire in life. The singer encourages the listener to embark on a journey into the unknown, to let go of their fears and embrace their inner strength. The opening lines of the chorus "Take a leap of faith" are repeated throughout the song, driving home the message that one must take chances in order to achieve greatness. The song goes on to emphasize that finding answers and having the courage of one's convictions is crucial to success. Once one takes that leap of faith, they will have the whole world at their feet.
The song celebrates the idea of overcoming obstacles and taking control of one's own destiny. The lyrics suggest that the only obstacle standing in the way of achieving one's dreams is fear. Fear can hold someone back from taking risks and seizing opportunities, causing them to miss out on the chance to achieve greatness. By taking a leap of faith, one can prove to themselves that they are capable of more than they believed. The song's highly inspirational and motivational tone encourages listeners to embrace their inner strength and take the first step towards their dreams, even if it means venturing into the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes in life you just have to take chances
Occasionally in life, you must be willing to take risks, even if the outcome is uncertain.
To get where you think you should be
In order to reach your desired destination or achieve your goals, taking chances could be necessary.
And don't be afraid to lose sight of the shore
Do not fear leaving your comfort zone behind and exploring new territory.
And reach out just because you believe
Act on your belief, no matter how uncertain the result may seem, it's better to try than not try.
Take your first step into the unknown
It's an opportunity to take the first step into uncharted waters and explore new horizons.
It's your first chance to face the unknown
Embrace uncertainty and use it as a chance to discover new experiences.
You can have what you want if you find answers
With the right solutions, determination, and perseverance, you can achieve your goals and have what you want.
Answers are all that they need
Having the solutions to your problems and questions is essential to achieving your desired outcome.
Prove to yourself that you are so much stronger
Demonstrate to yourself that you possess the strength and ability to succeed, and that you are much stronger than you give yourself credit for.
Than you thought you'd ever be
You will soon realize that you possess much more strength and potential than you previously believed.
You will have the whole world at your feet
With hard work, dedication, and the willingness to take chances and explore the unknown, you can reap the rewards and succeed on a global scale.
At last it all will be within your reach
Your goals will soon be within your grasp and achievable with determination and perseverance.
Finding the courage of your own convictions
Discovering the courage to act on your beliefs and values can provide you with the motivation to take risks and explore new territory.
It's now time that you spread your wings
Take the time now to discover new experiences and spread your wings, do not hesitate to explore life.
Soar like an eagle a life without fear
Live your life fearlessly and take risks to discover and explore new horizons, soar like an eagle without trepidation.
God will forgive you your sins
This is a call for redemption and forgiveness, even if one has had hesitations or has failed in the past, they could find their way now.
Take a leap of faith
Take a chance and pursue your goals with confidence and determination, act on your beliefs.
A leap of faith
Do not hesitate to embark on a life-changing journey without any guarantees or knowledge of the future, it could lead to greatness.
Take a leap of faith
Take the chance to explore the unknown, embrace uncertainty and pursue your goals with dedication and perseverance.
A leap of faith
Believe and act on your convictions, and take a chance on greatness.
A leap of faith
Do not shy away from taking chances and exploring the unknown, boldly embrace uncertainty and pursue your dreams.
Take a leap of faith
All great achievements start with a single step into uncharted waters, do not hesitate to take that step and explore new horizons.
A leap of faith
Believe in yourself and your ability to accomplish your goals, take a leap of faith and pursue your dreams with confidence and dedication.
Contributed by Levi T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.