Bruce Dickinson, the iconic voice of IRON MAIDEN, recently opened up about his time away from the legendary metal band and his detachment from its musical direction during the Blaze Bayley era. In a new conversation on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling star Chris Jericho, Dickinson revealed that he paid little attention to MAIDEN‘s output while pursuing his solo career.
Dickinson left IRON MAIDEN in 1993, a move that ushered in a new chapter for the band with Blaze Bayley taking over vocal duties. Bayley, formerly of WOLFSBANE, fronted MAIDEN from 1994 to 1999 and appeared on two studio albums: The X Factor and Virtual XI. Both records marked a commercial downturn for the band, charting lower than any MAIDEN release since 1981’s Killers.
Reflecting on that period, Dickinson admitted: “No. [It’s not that] I didn’t have any interest in listening [to MAIDEN‘s Blaze-era albums],” Bruce said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I was just too busy doing my own stuff. So, it was kind of peripheral awareness, but in a way I was just, like, ‘This is none of my business. I’m not in the band anymore.’ And I wished Blaze well, ’cause when he joined the band, I thought, ‘Wow.’ ‘Cause his voice is very different to mine. I loved what he was doing in WOLFSBANE. And I thought, ‘Well, this is… I hope it works out the right way.’ And sadly it didn’t. But I love Blaze. I think he’s a great character. There’s not a malicious bone in his body. He’s a great guy.”
When asked about the decision to include Blaze-era tracks like “The Clansman” and “Sign Of The Cross” in MAIDEN’s setlists after Dickinson’s return, the singer couldn’t recall whose idea it was but embraced the challenge: “You know what? I actually can’t remember. But when I heard it, I was just, like, ‘Well, I think I could put some blood on the walls with that.’ To be honest with you, not all of the songs that they did with Blaze, I think, would necessarily suit my voice. Because some of the songs they wrote for Blaze are not really in my range — they’re a little bit low. Whilst Blaze would sing a particular tune with a lot of power, ’cause it was in his range, I would frankly struggle to make that tune sound as effective as Blaze, ’cause it’s a little bit below where all the horsepower kicks in with my voice.”
In a recent Metal Hammer interview, IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder reaffirmed his belief that The X Factor (1995) and Virtual XI (1998)—often divisive among fans and critics—are strong, powerful records that deserve more appreciation.
“I said it at the time and I still believe it – those two are really strong, powerful albums and people will appreciate them later,” Harris said. “And people are going back and discovering them and realising they’re good.”
Harris singled out The X Factor, often criticized for its dark tone, as a reflection of the challenges he faced at the time. “Probably ’cos I was in a bit of a dark place with Bruce leaving and me going through a divorce at the time, all this stuff going on,” Steve shared. “But what came out of that was a powerful album. You take negative stuff and you turn it into a positive and those emotions come out, and that’s what you can do with music. Music’s such a powerful thing.”
The Bayley years were challenging not only on a personal level but also commercially. Virtual XI peaked at just No. 16 on the UK charts, a setback that briefly had Harris questioning MAIDEN’s future.
“Only for a couple of hours,” Steve admitted. “It’s like when [Harris’ favourite football team] West Ham lose – I sulk for two hours, but you have to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and get on with it. It’s the only way it’s going to work.”
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