Blaze Bayley – December Wind

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What did I tell you about big guns coming to Metal Addicts? They’re here, and there is no way out. Get used of having big shots of Metal around. I confess I didn’t have an idea of what to expect from a Blaze Bayley solo album because I had no clue of his career before and after Iron Maiden. Blaze has a very personal voice and I don’t want to be wiser than Steve Harris and his mates, but he was underappreciated. I know they tried, they lowered the tones, and wrote songs to fit his voice, undoubtedly the truth. Nevertheless, I guess he wasn’t the right voice for Maiden. The years with a singer that could reach high notes easily left their marks. Blaze is a great singer by what I listen in “December Wind,” there’s no doubt about it. The real thing is, he can’t reach high pitches, though he tries hard. Anyway his voice is very personal and correct, well-tuned. That’s the impression we get listening to “December Wind.”

Okay, then, let’s focus on “December Wind,” which is solely an acoustic album. Maybe that’s why Blaze’s voice fits so well. It’s him and an acoustic guitar, sometimes a slight percussion on the guitar as in “The Crimson Tide” that supports the galloping acoustic guitar. It’s only Blaze with classical acoustic guitarist Thomas Zwijsen and a violin played by Anne Bakker. And that’s all. It doesn’t need much more. His voice can fill in all the blanks with  mastery. You should listen to “December Wind” just in case you have doubts of his skills. Just in case, because this album is worth every penny. Of course, if you like acoustic albums. I do. As I told before, that’s what makes Metal so great. Yesterday I reviewed Bloodbath, today I review an acoustic Blaze Bayley. Not for the weak.

First thing that comes to mind is that Blaze feels totally comfortable as we can see by a song like “The Love of Your Life,” which has the taste of 1950s rock’n’roll. I guess he did it just for fun. We noticed that not only by the passion he passes on songs, but also on autobiographic songs like “Soundtrack of My Life.” The man nailed it when he chose to record his best song in Iron Maiden which is “Sign of the Cross” in a ten-minute version. The man knows how. Great to hear that.

“December Wind” is a great album if you like simple things. Just the man and an acoustic guitar. Nothing else.

Blaze Bayley “December Wind” will be released on November 09th via Blaze Bayley Recordings.

Track Listing:

  1. Eye of the Storm
  2. Love Will Conquer All
  3. 2am
  4. Miracle on the Hudson
  5. December Wind
  6. We Fell from the Sky
  7. The Crimson Tide
  8. The Love of Your Life
  9. Stealing Time (Bonustrack)
  10. Russian Holiday (Bonustrack)
  11. Soundtrack of My Life (Bonustrack)
  12. One More Step (Bonustrack)
  13. Sign of the Cross (Bonustrack)

Watch “2am” alive video here: