Blaze - As Live As It Gets
2003 - SPV Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the SPV Records web site.
Undeservedly demonised as the reason for Iron Maiden's creative slump during his tenure as their singer during Bruce's absence and generally regarded as a budget Maiden alternative throughout his history with his own band, Blaze Bayley must feel like he has something to prove to everyone at this stage in his career. And by the horns of the devil, does this double live disc ever do that.
Concentrating mainly on 'The Tenth Dimension' and 'Silicon Messiah' periods of Blaze's work, but pulling together a good few classic Maiden tracks, a single Wolfsbane effort and an interesting, metalled-up cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Dazed And Confused', 'As Live As It Gets' is an ideal representation of the energy, passion and professionalism inherent in Blaze gigs. The audience is nice and high in the mix, giving the proceedings added atmosphere, and the mixing is perfect - the guitars are nicely balanced, the drums powerful, the bass prominent without being overbearing, and the vocals imbued with a warm tonal quality.
As for the songs, the set concentrates mainly on the speedier, heavier, more serious tracks in Blaze's history, and the surprise inclusion of 'Virus' (a non-album Maiden track) is a welcome one. 'Kill And Destroy' gets the audience roaring with its savage riffery and fret-melting lead breaks, while Blaze's voice reaches all the right notes with nary a waver or missed cue, all the time pumping up the audience even more.
Live albums usually leave me cold, but this is an excellent representation of a Blaze performance, well worth checking out.
8/10
2003 - SPV Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the SPV Records web site.
Undeservedly demonised as the reason for Iron Maiden's creative slump during his tenure as their singer during Bruce's absence and generally regarded as a budget Maiden alternative throughout his history with his own band, Blaze Bayley must feel like he has something to prove to everyone at this stage in his career. And by the horns of the devil, does this double live disc ever do that.
Concentrating mainly on 'The Tenth Dimension' and 'Silicon Messiah' periods of Blaze's work, but pulling together a good few classic Maiden tracks, a single Wolfsbane effort and an interesting, metalled-up cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Dazed And Confused', 'As Live As It Gets' is an ideal representation of the energy, passion and professionalism inherent in Blaze gigs. The audience is nice and high in the mix, giving the proceedings added atmosphere, and the mixing is perfect - the guitars are nicely balanced, the drums powerful, the bass prominent without being overbearing, and the vocals imbued with a warm tonal quality.
As for the songs, the set concentrates mainly on the speedier, heavier, more serious tracks in Blaze's history, and the surprise inclusion of 'Virus' (a non-album Maiden track) is a welcome one. 'Kill And Destroy' gets the audience roaring with its savage riffery and fret-melting lead breaks, while Blaze's voice reaches all the right notes with nary a waver or missed cue, all the time pumping up the audience even more.
Live albums usually leave me cold, but this is an excellent representation of a Blaze performance, well worth checking out.
8/10
