Friday, October 4, 2024

Blaze Bayley on Iron Maiden's The X Factor

Iron Maiden fans know that Blaze Bayley only sang on two albums, The X Factor and Virtual XI. In an interview, he stated there was a massive problem with The X Factor, his Iron Maiden album debut.

On The Metal Command podcast, he was talking about his new album, Circle of Stone. Not surprisingly, the conversation took a turn down memory lane and went into the direction of the albums he recorded with Iron Maiden.

Bayley is in full agreement with the fans that his solo career has sparked a sudden interest in his time with Iron Maiden. "I'm hearing this a lot. People look back and they go...Some fans go 'Of course I've got every Iron Maiden album, but the ones I haven't listed to are The X Factor and Virtual XI. And now that's all I can listen to that I haven't listened to a hundred times. I have to listen to those.' And it's exactly what you say to me."

"I remember saying at the time that those albums that we did with Blaze, that people would in the future come to appreciate them a lot more later on. And they are - they are starting to do that now." Steve Harris said to Chris Jericho in a 2018 interview.

Bayley states that while The X Factor has "some incredible music", it's problem is that "the sound of it is so dark". He also mentioned that the "problem" is "the way it was produced." This album is said to lack the unique sound Iron Maiden has come to be known for. Instead, taking a turn down a darker path, including lyrics that are of a darker, more intense nature. Bayley says "You've got to live with that for quite a few spins until you've turned into what things are doing. Then you can get to the music."

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