Blaze Bayley - Promise and Terror

Now that I've had it for a week. Here's a quick track-by-track rundown:

Watching the Night Sky
- Catchy, nice chorus and melody. This is an instant pleaser and after a few listens one of the better tracks. Could work as a single (rumour has it, it will be released as one). 9/10

Madness and Sorrow
- I usually love the faster tracks, but there's something here I can't quite name it, but it doesn't really work as well as it could for me. It's real fast and furious, but it could have been maybe heavier and thrashier. But that's just me. I cannot believe the fastest track on the album is among my least favourites (checks head)... 7/10

1633
- The most Maiden-like track on the album. Blaze is even singing in that Maiden vein. A song about Galileo in the inquisition. 8/10

God of Speed
- A typical Blaze song. Real nice singing, though the lyrics sound like they are written by Biff Byford (not that there's anything wrong with Saxon and their motorcycle metal, but Blaze is usually far deeper). A good song, the most recognisable as a Blaze track of them all, something that could have been in the Tenth Dimension. This is a grower. A song about Burt Monroe in his sixties breaking the world speed record for motorcycles under 1000cc. According to the notes, it's also a tribute to Blaze's father who died last year. 8/10.

City of Bones
- This is my least favourite on the album. I just listened to it twice again before writing these lines, but it just doesn't work for me at all. Starts promising with the marching drums and you expect something real epic, but you get a snoozer. This is something I first expected Blaze solo to sound like before I ever heard a single track - 'okay, but underwhelming and slightly dull'. Of course that misconception about BLAZE was buried the moment I blasted out Ghost in the Machine, the opener off the opening album. I still didn't completely recover from being blown away like that! Anyway, this track.... even the lyrics suck. It's supposed to be about Leningrad during the war, but only the first verse makes any sense. 6/10. Why am I even bothering writing this much about the worst track on the disc? Skip, please!

Faceless
- Just when I thought the album wasn't living up to the expectactions, this one starts playing. A GREAT track, real fitting 'modern life' lyrics from Blaze (I could totally recognise myself. I totally need to change my job), plus catchy verses and a nice chorus. Definitely an instant pleaser. The first time I heard it, I would have given it a perfect ten, but I guess that impression was helped by it following a real mediocre track in City of Bones. 9/10. The going is really starting to get good now!

Time to Dare
- As close as you get to a title track on this album, with the booklet graphics depicting the same character that is on the cover in the raging water. This time he's only testing the water though and it seems calmer (Promise?). The lyrics also mention both promise and terror, and more or less show where the band is at the moment. Again Blaze is telling me to change my job (or at least, that's my interpretation). Real nice chorus again. 9/10

Surrounded by Sadness
- According to the notes, the last four tracks are connected. It's a story of Blaze's personal struggles and the band as well. This track is simple, yet powerful. You can hear Blaze sing those lyrics like he really means them. This is obviously a very moving track knowing how Blaze lost his wife in 2008. The graphic portrays a woman (Debbie?) reaching to the main character from the beyond. A song about Blaze being happy with her "No more sadness surrounding me", and going to losing her forever, the second verse. 9/10. A great track, emotional, but quite simple.

The Trace of Things that Have no Words
- Continues from the last track left off. Just about the best Blaze track I can name. Real powerful, epic, deep, personal, introspective, great chorus that makes you pound your fist. The graphic has the main character having had his heart pulled out and with nothing but an empty space left there in his chest. 10/10. It could use a thrash break, but that's in the next song...

Letting Go of the World
- Another powerful track, another chapter in the story. Suicidal and dark. Lyrics are something that would make Warrel Dane proud. Not to take away anything from the great instrumental work. 10/10.

Comfortable in Darkness
- Learning to be comfortable in darkness. The story of the band and coming into acceptance of what it is like to lose so much. 9/10. Not spectacular, but a good way to finish off the album.

All in all, the album reminds me of Blood and Belief with the style of songs, lyrics, imagery (and how I really only liked the second half of the album!). They said they were going to be experimenting this time around, but... no... it's a very typical Blaze album I'd say. Not as intense or angry as the Man Who Would Not Die, but still very solid. I'd say it's a very good album and a safe purchase. But what do I know, I'm just happy to have another Blaze album to listen to.

If you want like a final rating or something I'd say A- or 9/10. The average rating of songs is 8.5/10.

I have thought about it for years, but i still don`t own any of Blaze`s solo albums.
Good review Lari, sounds like something i will like a lot!

I'm with you Olaf, if I ran across them i'd get them but they don't make the order list. Maybe they should be.

If you want recommendations, get Silicon Messiah first. Not only the first, but also probably the best. All five albums are good though. Cannot really go wrong with any.

Blaze solo is real heavy and dark and aggressive, yet still somehow classic heavy metal.

Nice to know this is good. I tried wrangling up a review or promo copy, but never got a response.

A new one already? Cool. Blaze solo is always good.

Wasn't overly impressed with his time in Woflsbane, flat out didn't like him in Maiden, but Blaze as a solo artist is great. I still need to get his last 2, but I enjoy his music very much.

I'll get this one eventually.

I wrote the following review of this album for my own website, and thought I'd share it here. I'm posting the actual text rather than a link because I want you to actually read it.

Quote :

Since leaving Iron Maiden in 1999, Blaze has released five studio albums. The first two are his best. The third is a mixed bag: half the songs are amazing, half are throwaways. The fourth and this new one, Promise and Terror, they're his best, too.

Actually, these last two albums, The Man Who Would Not Die and Promise and Terror are very similar. They're heavy in less an Iron Maiden kind of way and more of a Megadeth kind of way. And the emotion! Blaze is a fellow who can sing sadness and bewilderment with conviction, and no wonder: in 2008, his wife of a year and a half died of a cerebral hemorrhage. So when he sings, "Why must I face this life / Why am I here alone / Where did the future go / Why am I here alone?" his voice reaches right through my earbuds and yanks on my heart strings.

If you're into metal of any stripe, get this album. Hell, if you listen to any music played by real humans and not a DAT machine, get this album.

http://bit.ly/dlga8X

And what is that link then? I hate those tiny links where you can't tell where they go. =(

The link simply takes you here: http://moltenlavapit.com/creig/2010/02/blaze-bayley-promise-and-terror/, which is my personal website. I use a URL shortener for Twitter, and I figured nobody would click on it anyway.