Description

The 2012 album, The King Of Metal, is definitely a departure from Blaze Bayleys previous two discs, so please don't buy it if you expect to hear something that sounds like The Man Who Would Not Die or Promise And Terror. Those albums were ambitious, epic, and somewhat conceptual in nature which lent itself to the type of production they got. Buy this album because Blaze was brave enough to move away from that mold and create a cycle of songs that is direct, honest, emotional, and filled with the kind of themes you must enjoy if you are reading this. This album is definitely a back to his roots, stripped down kind of sound. It's got a raw, almost live feel, like it was all done in one take, which is a nice change of pace from the more dense and polished sound of his Andy Sneap produced albums (both of which I really enjoyed, btw). The album comes with thoughtful and inspiring lyrics and as always, and even more so than usual, Blaze wears his heart on his sleeve and lays his soul and psyche bare in all his songs. You will get to know a lot about Blaze after hearing this, from where he came from (The Black Country) to his music influences (The Rainbow Fades To Black, Dimebag) to his philosophy of life (One More Step, Fighter, Difficult). The music is all metal, but it is also a nice mix of tempos and tones. Too many metal albums these days sound like 10-12 variations on the same song. Not so with Blaze, who keeps the listener interested throughout. I don't skip through any of these songs, as the 10 make up a nice cohesive snapshot of who the artist is and what he feels. To fans of Heavy Metal in the truest, most classic sense of the term, this album will likely satisfy. The King Of Metal reminds me that the metal music I love is still alive and well. Thank you Blaze! Track listing: 1. The King Of Metal 2. Dimebag 3. The Black Country 4. The Rainbow Fades To Black 5. Fate 6. One More Step 7. Fighter 8. Judge Me 9. Difficult 10. Beginning