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Blaze Bayley - Promise and Terror CD review

I first came across Blaze Bayley in the mid 80s when Wolfsbane made regular appearances at the Edinburgh Venue. Back in those days Wolfsbane's mix of 'Proper' heavy metal and punk made them a great club band, who always seemed to be only one step away from breaking through into the big time and joining their illustrious compatriots Maiden and Priest in selling out the Playhouse just down the road. Back then Blaze was an impressive frontman, a Bruce Dickinson lookalike with an astounding voice and the live shows were always rocking. 20-odd years have passed and Blaze has had a career that can best be described as eventful, with Wolfsbane being followed with a seriously underrated stint with Iron Maiden and solo releases which kept his profile ticking along as he toured the clubs and festivals of the world.

I was reintroduced to Blaze when Wolfsbane reformed for a UK tour supporting the Quireboys, just as they had on the 'Bit of what you fancy' tour 20 years ago. For me it was a reminder of what a great front man he was, giving it all and defying the crowd not to get involved.

Promise and Terror is the second release from the current incarnation of the Blaze Bayley band. It follows on from 2008's critically acclaimed 'The man who would not die' and once again shows Blaze for what he is, the consummate Heavy Metal frontman.

The album opens with 'Watching the night Sky', a flat out 'proper' metal song which is followed in very quick succession by 'Madness and Sorrow'. It's a pumping, driving opening salvo, so much so that rather like Maiden's Aces High / 2 Minutes to Midnight combo it's difficult to imagine one song without the other.

The pace then drops a notch for '1633' which features some stand out bass work from Dave Bermudez before ramping back up for the epic 'God of Speed'. Interestingly this is the least traditional Metal track on the album and one of my favourites.

The album then continues in the same vein. It's nice to hear a new British metal album that doesn't end up sounding like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. The obvious comparison you may look for is with Maiden, but Promise and Terror has a much darker tone than anything they have done. Perhaps if Maiden had been prepared to develop their style to better suit Blaze's voice who knows how his time with the band could have panned out.

One of the best vocal performances is on the predominantly acoustic 'Surrounded by sadness'. This suits Blaze's deep, slightly dark vocals perfectly and has a real melancholy atmosphere. It also showcases the scope of the band's musical talents.

Another standout track is 'Letting Go Of The World' with its repeated “Fight. Kill. Fuck. Eat” refrain. It gets stuck in your head like a good Metal chorus should.

In 'Promise and Terror' Blaze Bayley (the band) has produced a truly excellent album. The musicianship is outstanding, and is capped off by one of the best vocal performances I have heard. With the present resurgence of all things Rock and Metal hopefully this release, and the tireless touring schedule that the band undertake, will finally elevate Blaze to his rightful place as one of music's great vocalists and frontmen.

Dizzy