BLAZE BAYLEY
Damaged Strange Different And Live
Blaze Bayley Recording
www.blazebayley.net
In 2021, the album War Within Me brought me back to BLAZE BAYLEY. I hadn't heard an album by the one-time IRON MAIDEN frontman since Tenth Dimension in 2002. It wasn't because I didn't like BLAZE BAILEY, but likely because there were other artists I liked more. We're talking pre-streaming here, so you had to pick and choose your music back in my day kiddos.
War Within Me was a near perfect album in my opinion, and it had me seeking out Bayley's back catalog to hear what I missed. His Infinite Entanglement trilogy is a must. Sadly, on March 25, 2023, Blaze suffered a heart attack and required quadruple bypass surgery. He is currently on the mend and looking forward to hitting the road again in the near future. There is chatter that a new studio album may come as soon as next year.
Damaged Strange Different And Live was already in the works prior to Bayley getting sidelined. The five live songs from War Within Me were recorded during Bayley's UK tour in 2022, and the rest were from performances in France.
BLAZE BAYLEY kicks fans in the teeth from the get-go with the energetic opening track "War Within Me". The song is loaded with driving guitars and Bayley's signature throaty vocals. "Pull Yourself Up" slows the pace a tad, but keeps your focus with deep melodic vocals and inspiring lyrics. "Warrior" is a reflective track whose lyrics could double for what Bayley has endured recently.
I always thought that the title for "The Power of Nikola Tesla" was a bit strange, but honestly, the song is undeniably catchy. Who would have thought a history lesson could be so fun? "18 Flights" is about life on the road and is ironically being performed on the road. This is another track that you're not going to get out of your head anytime soon. It's packed with loud guitars and catchy hooks.
Bayley reaches back into his IRON MAIDEN catalog for the next four songs, but it's not the ones you'd expect. Okay, so "Lord of The Flies" you might expect, but "Man On The Edge" would have made more sense. Bayley and his band handle this song with ease and keep it within Blaze's vocal range. "Judgment of Heaven" is a deep track also from The X Factor (1995).
"Fortunes of War" is a B-side from the same album. It's dark, yet heavy in its delivery. "Como Estais Amigos" is by far the biggest surprise cut from Bayley's days in IRON MAIDEN. This song from 1998's Virtual XI could have been a great radio track back in the day.
BLAZE BAYLEY's live albums are usually a double CDs worth of material, clocking in at 90 minutes or more. Damaged Strange Different And Live is a quick performance, running about 43 minutes. It's understandable why. The album may have been in the works, but it may not have had the chance to be properly finished. Crowd noise and banter are minimal, and that is always a plus.
By focusing on tracks from War Within Me and rare cuts from his days in IRON MAIDEN, BLAZE BAYLEY's Damaged Strange Different And Live sets itself apart from the typical Bayley live release. It's a great collection of performances that you wish continued well into the night.
3.9 Out Of 5.0
