Former Iron Maiden and current Wolfsbane lead vocalist Blaze Bayley recently faced the tough task of choosing his absolute favorite Metallica album. Speaking with Letty Sharp on “The Smashing Skull Sessions,” the 62-year-old musician admitted it was a challenging choice before narrowing down his top picks.
“That’s such a difficult question. I really wish you hadn’t asked that. It’s gotta be Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets. I’m stuck on [those two]. I like 72 Seasons and …[And] Justice For All, but it’s gotta be [sings “Master Of Puppets” title track],” he said (via Blabbermouth).
The conversation took a more profound turn when Bayley explained how certain high-energy thrash tracks—specifically the title track from Master Of Puppets and Slayer‘s “Raining Blood“—serve a crucial role in his mental health toolkit. He openly shared a personal method for fighting off depressive episodes using the physical reaction that fast-paced heavy metal induces.
“It’s one of those… I’m interested in brain function,” Blaze explained. “I suffer with depression sometimes, bouts of depression, and I’m interested in brain function and what you can do to help yourself when you’re in a funk and sometimes when you’re in the real darkness. And one of the things I found from a doctor was if you have a song that makes you start tapping your foot, nodding your head, put that in your head, get it in your head, get it in your head. Start moving, start dancing, start moving, and this is something to help you get out of that funk. Start doing it. And I think that’s one of those songs for me. Yeah, ‘Master Of Puppets‘ and possibly ‘Raining Blood‘ as well [from] Slayer. I mean, they’re old, old songs, though. I’m such a dinosaur when it gets to that. But I think it doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s what you get into first. You don’t how old the album is or whatever. But that’s it. Yeah, that’s a horrible question, because there’s so many.”
Bayley, who famously fronted Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999 for the albums The X Factor and Virtual XI, has remained highly active despite a major health scare. Following a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in March 2023, he successfully recovered and returned to the road.
Last spring, he completed a European trek celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut post-Iron Maiden solo release, Silicon Messiah. The tour’s setlists featured those classic solo tracks, Iron Maiden staples from his era, and fresh material from his February 2024 solo album, Circle Of Stone.
Additionally, his original band Wolfsbane recently released Live Faster, a complete, full-throttle reimagining of their 1989 Rick Rubin-produced debut, Live Fast, Die Fast.
