Former Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley has spoke the words of praise to Bruce Dickinson, saying “he is the sound of heavy metal singing.”
In an interview with Brazil’s Headbangers News, Bayley was asked whether there was anything he would have changed during his tenure with British heavy metal legends.
“The only thing I would change, really, is when we did ‘Lightning Strikes Twice’ [from Virtual XI], we didn’t rehearse it too much before recording it,” Blaze said.
“Then, when I performed it live, I found I hadn’t left room to breathe, so it was difficult. In my setlist now, I asked the fans to help sing ‘Lightning Strikes Twice’.
“But, really, it’s your favorite band. It’s the new singer for many, many fans. They don’t want that change. They want the old singer. In metal, we like it when we get into a band. We don’t really want them to change.
“I think I want my bands to stay more or less the same, just do different songs in exactly the same style. I think that is how we are as metal fans.
“So, it was very difficult for some people to accept me as the new singer and I understand some people, particularly in Brazil have open hearts and go, ‘Okay. It’s a new guy. Let’s see. Maybe he’s good.’
“In Brazil, the fans gave me a chance and I really feel that they took me to their hearts and supported me and it was a wonderful experience. Since that first tour of Brazil with Monsters Of Rock and our first huge concert in São Paulo, Brazil has been in my heart.
“Some people, of course, hated that change. And they hated me just because I was new. And that’s okay. And a lot of those people still hate me and for all those people who hate, there are some people that The X Factor is their first. Virtual XI is their first album with Maiden. They love those songs and I am their favorite singer of Iron Maiden. So, it’s a balance, really.
Blaze added: “It’s a privilege and an honor for me to have been part of Iron Maiden, to write songs with the band, to tour with the band and to still be thought of very fondly by thousands of Iron Maiden fans around the world.”
“Go back every so often and listen to my Maiden albums and so many fans have said to me, ‘The X Factor saved my life.’ Because that’s the album they were listening to when they had the big torment in their life. And that’s a very humbling thing.”
When asked what he thought of Dickinson‘s interpretations of his own songs, Blaze replied: “That’s fantastic. Bruce is a wonderful singer. He does a magnificent job. He is the sound of heavy metal singing.
“If you could only have one singer to say what heavy metal singing is, it has to be Bruce Dickinson, though there are hundreds of great metal singers through the years. He is the absolute legend. His interpretation of those songs is absolutely fantastic.”