Blaze: Maiden fans take 'fresh look' at my era

Blaze Bayley believes Iron Maiden fans have come round to thinking well of his 1990s stint as the band's singer.

The Wolfsbane frontman joined in 1994 and appeared on two albums, 1995’s The X Factor and 1998’s Virtual XI – before being ousted when classic era vocalist Bruce Dickinson returned to the fold in 1999.

Bayley’s tenure with the band saw many fans turning away, especially in the UK. But two decades on, he believes they think better of his time with the NWOBHM giants.

He tells Get Your Rock Out: “People seem a lot more interested and view my period with Iron Maiden in a much different way. I think people take a fresh look at it now and go, ‘Well, the albums were the start of a different era of Iron Maiden. And outside the UK people are a lot more fond of those albums.”

He reflects: “It’s 20 years ago that I joined Maiden and it’s 30 years since I started singing – all those kind of anniversary dates have come together.”

Earlier this month Wolfsbane, who got back together in 2007, admitted they’d been suffering conflict within their ranks as a result of their relative inactivity since releasing 2012 album Wolfsbane Save The World. But guitarist Jase Edwards confirmed they’d settled their differences and the band would keep going.

Meanwhile, Bayley is working on a live DVD and a concept album set to include “a lot of different artists.”

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.