BLAZE BAYLEY – War Within Me
- Posted on 29-01-2021
The exceptionally cool vocalist Blaze Bayley (ex-Iron Maiden, Wolfsbane) always delivers the goods and this upcoming ten-track effort of his entitled ”War Within Me” is a real treat and a thrilling listening experience. As is usually the case, you can just tell that Bayley has poured his heart and soul into this hard-hitting and beautiful thing, so if you are a fan of his back catalogue, there is a lot for you to look forward to here.
The album’s title track kicks things off and is a riveting example of how pounding and melodically strong heavy metal ought to sound. ”303” is another fast-paced and lyrically interesting piece loaded with great hooks while ”Warrior” is a moving and rather epic affair that recalls Iron Maiden’s ”Virtual XI” LP. ”Pull Yourself Up” is as uplifting as it is catchy and ”18 Flights” is bound to make crowds lose their minds and go ape-shit in a live setting. Blaze’s powerful and booming vocals on top of those muscular riffs is a fantastic combination and there is a heartfelt quality to the compositions that make them incredibly memorable. The recent ”Infinite Entanglement” trilogy (2016-2018) was brilliant but so is this 2021 opus of his, and what you get here is Bayley and his skilled cohorts churning out spirited and highly engaging tunes. The fact that many of the songs revolve around historically significant themes and subjects make them all the more captivating.
”War Within Me” boasts one of the best productions in the Blaze Bayley canon of works to date and the record is both musically cohesive and sufficiently dynamic to warrant repeated listens. This is one of those outputs that reminds me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place, and the album is consistently strong. Fans of heavy metal ought to make a note of this one.