Blaze Bayley praised the vocalists who preceded him in Iron Maiden , offering numerous compliments.
The musician gave an interview to Linea Rock , in which he spoke about Bruce Dickinson and Paul Di'Anno . When talking about Iron Maiden's second vocalist, Bayley didn't hold back on praise ( via Blabbermouth ): “I think Bruce is a wonderful singer. And here's what people don't give credit for. Bruce Dickinson is one of the most important singers in music – not just in metal, but in music, because he influenced so many people in different genres who listened to Maiden. Metal was the most important music in the world when Maiden was emerging. So it's a different thing.”
Blaze Bayley continued speaking about Paul Di'Anno: “Paul is a legend. He started it. His voice is so distinctive and tells its own story of anger and frustration. And there’s something wonderful and emotionally rich about Paul’s acting.”
He recalled his time in Iron Maiden: “When you get to the Blaze era, that’s the progressive era of Iron Maiden arriving. And then, things take a bit of a turn. And they were dark – very dark.”
“We were in Italy playing to 10,000 people a night. In the UK, magazines were saying Iron Maiden was dead. It’s a frustrating time. Grunge, that’s the music, man. Heavy metal is dead. That’s what happened when I was in Iron Maiden. EMI sold all the record factories. It was just darkness.”
The musician spoke about the importance of the fans during that period: “And we said, 'If the fans are there, we are there.' And the fans stayed with us. They stayed with me. They gave me a chance. I was very lucky. I was living my dream. The fans [in Italy] really opened their hearts. 'What's this guy like? Who is he? Let's see what he's like.' And everyone gave me a chance.”
Heart attack
Blaze Bayley suffered a heart attack in early 2023 and had to postpone his European tour. Iron Maiden showed solidarity with the former band member.
Following the incident, the vocalist had to undergo triple coronary artery bypass .