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).
Man on the Edge
Blaze Bayley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The car is an oven and baking is wild
Nothing is ever the way it should be
What we deserve we just don't get you see
A briefcase, a lunch and a man on the edge
Each step gets closer to losing his head
Is someone in heaven are they looking down
Falling down (6x)
He's sick of waiting of lying like this
There's a hole in the sky for the angels to kiss
Branded a leper because you don't fit
In the land of the free you can live by your wits
Once he built missiles a nation's defence
Now he can't even give birthday presents
Across the city he leaves in his wake
A glimpse of the future a cannibal state
Falling down (6x)
The freeway is jammed and it's backed up for miles
The car is an oven and baking is wild
Nothing is ever the way it should be
What we deserve we just don't get you see
A briefcase, a lunch and a man on the edge
Each step gets closer to losing his head
Is someone in heaven are they looking down
'Cause nothing is fair just you look around
Falling down
The song "Man on the Edge" by Blaze Bayley is a powerful commentary on the frustrations of modern life. The lyrics describe a man stuck in traffic, stuck in a dead-end job, and feeling as though he doesn't "fit" in society. The repetition of the phrase "nothing is ever the way it should be" highlights his sense of disillusionment and disappointment.
The man in the song is described as carrying a briefcase and a lunch, symbols of the nine-to-five grind that he is trapped in. He feels as though he is on the edge of a breakdown, with each step bringing him closer to losing his mind. The lines "is someone in heaven are they looking down" suggest that he is questioning whether there is any higher power that cares about his struggles, adding to the feelings of hopelessness and despair.
The song also touches on larger societal issues, such as the militarization of society and the potential for a dystopian future. The line "once he built missiles a nation's defence, now he can't even give birthday presents" highlights the contrast between his past as a powerful figure in society and his current state of powerlessness. The repeated refrain of "falling down" emphasizes the sense of decline and decay that he is experiencing.
Overall, "Man on the Edge" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that touches on themes of alienation, disillusionment, and societal decay.
Line by Line Meaning
The freeway is jammed and it's backed up for miles
The traffic on the freeway is congested and moving very slowly.
The car is an oven and baking is wild
The heat inside the car is overwhelming and becoming uncontrollable.
Nothing is ever the way it should be
The way things are happening are not normal and expected.
What we deserve we just don't get you see
Despite deserving and putting in efforts, we are not getting what we rightfully deserve.
A briefcase, a lunch and a man on the edge
A professional carrying his belongings, on the verge of mental breakdown.
Each step gets closer to losing his head
Every action he takes brings him closer to losing his sanity and control of himself.
Is someone in heaven are they looking down
Is there a divine being keeping a watchful eye on us?
'Cause nothing is fair just you look around
The world around us is full of unjust and unfair situations.
Falling down (6x)
Repetition of the phrase to emphasize the downward spiral of the artist's mental state and the society around them.
He's sick of waiting of lying like this
He is tired of waiting for things to get better and living a life full of deception and pretense.
There's a hole in the sky for the angels to kiss
There is a gap or void in the world that needs to be filled by a higher power, with angels representing purity.
Branded a leper because you don't fit
Being an outcast and treated like an unwanted disease just because one doesn't conform to societal norms.
In the land of the free you can live by your wits
In a society that boasts of freedom, one must survive through their mental acuity and practical thinking.
Once he built missiles a nation's defence
He used to manufacture weapons for the country's defense purposes.
Now he can't even give birthday presents
His financial and mental state has deteriorated so much that he is unable to even afford gifts for his loved ones.
Across the city he leaves in his wake
He is causing a trail of destruction and chaos, affecting many lives in the process.
A glimpse of the future a cannibal state
The world he sees around him is headed towards a self-destructive state, with individuals and society as a whole turning against each other.
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brendan Nahor
They say that Grunge killed Rock in 1991!
So nearly ever band that was going changed their Lead Singer to try n survive:
Iron Maiden.
Judas Priest.
Dream Theater.
Mötley Crüe.
Anthrax.
Fleetwood Mac.
To name but a few; n survive they did!
Because ROCK music will NEVER DIE!
🤘🏻
Mark's Metal and Horror Mancave
It really is a shame Blaze doesn't get enough credit. He's a very nice guy and writes good songs. I like the two albums he made with Iron Maiden, and his first solo album, "Silicon Messiah" is quite special as well.
Dhouglas Grando
conheci pessoalmente Blaze Bayley em um bar aqui da cidade, fato ocorrido em videira SC dia 24/06/2016, cara se apresentou grandiosamente, bebeu cerveja com a galera, jogou sinuca, tirou foto com os fãs, autografou discos, um artista super talentoso e acessível a o seu publico, pessoa admirável, a cidade toda parou pra ver de perto o talento do cara, e ele retribuiu de forma grandiosa, acho em particular; excepcional a passagem de Blaze Bayley pelo Iron Maiden, você tem meu eterno respeito
Luiz Fellipe Cortat
Gosto muito desse cara, viu?! 👍👊
Rafael Ferraz
Eu falo que o Iron fez mais mal ao Blaze do que o contrário. O cara canta pra caralho, só que não combinaria com o Iron. Daí tu vê uma manada de idiotas que não entendem porra nenhuma de música falando que o cara "não sabe cantar".
Fernando Fiorini Gomes
@Gabriel somos dois amigo!
Gabriel
@Fernando Fiorini Gomes eu tô esperando essa pandemia acabar e ele vir ao Brasil pra eu poder ir em um show dele, não posso perder a chance de ver ele ao vivo.
Fernando Fiorini Gomes
@Gabriel eu tb gosto mais dele , do que do bruce!!
Tanto como pessoa e como cantor!
john Pablo Ramone
Heavy Metal puro e simples como tem que ser !!! Parabéns Blaze Bayley, continue com essa força hoje e sempre !
Belgian Jasper
If you love Blaze, check out this interview: https://youtu.be/sJZHf0E9gas
KRAZTER
Grande Blaze. Honestidad y verdadero amor por el metal.