January 12, 1994 marks the day Blaze Bayley officially took over as the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden .
With the arduous task of replacing none other than Bruce Dickinson , his time in the band was marked by criticism, comparisons, and a sharp decline in popularity. This led Iron Maiden to the most turbulent period in its history.
Bruce Dickinson's departure and Blaze Bayley's entry into Iron Maiden
When Dickinson, exhausted from shows, left the band in 1993, Iron Maiden was facing uncertainty: who would be a worthy replacement for Bruce? Adding to this, Steve Harris was also not good. The bassist had just gotten divorced.
However, determined to prove that the band would always be bigger than any single member, Steve began the search for a new singer. EMI Helloween 's vocalist , Michael Kiske , and great voices of Brazilian metal such as Andre Matos and Edu Falaschi were strongly speculated for the position.
However, the chosen name was an old acquaintance of the band: Blaze Bayley, vocalist of Wolfsbane . Coincidentally, his group had opened shows for Iron Maiden in England during the tour for the album No Prayer For The Dying (1990). To this day, his hiring remains a subject of discussion. The reason: the choice was not made for technical reasons, but rather because he is British.
In his audition, Bayley sang 10 songs including “Fear of the Dark”, “The Trooper”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “Wrathchild”. In 2021, he recalled the audition in an interview with 80's Glam Metalcast [ via Whiplash ]. “They did a lot of tests, recorded a lot of tapes, and they already had my CDs, so I asked for an audition and got it. I really thought they were going for someone who sounded like Bruce Dickinson. Bruce is a very influential metal vocalist. There were a lot of singers who sounded like him because of that. But I think they chose me because I was different and that started something in the band. It was the beginning of Iron Maiden's progressive era. I was shocked. My voice is so different, I didn't think I would get the spot,” he commented.
'The X Factor': Decline in popularity and outrage from Chilean fans
As if the pressure of the replacement wasn't enough, things happened to complicate matters. While still preparing for the new album, the vocalist suffered a serious motorcycle accident. The incident paralyzed the band and delayed the entire recording schedule.
This fact, coupled especially with Harris's personal hell, resulted in the group's darkest work to date: The X Factor .
Released on October 2, 1995, the album marked an immediate visual and sonic break. The cover abandoned Derek Riggs and displayed the mascot Eddie Hugh Syme 's graphic design was considered so disturbing that the album had to be sold with a reversible cover in some regions to avoid censorship.
Musically introspective and melancholic, and with themes such as depression, war, and madness – especially in songs like “Sign of the Cross”, “The Aftermath”, “Judgment of Heaven”, and “Fortunes of War” – the album received mixed reactions. The main criticisms focused on the muffled sound of the guitars and the absence of memorable melodies. Currently, the project is being rediscovered and given a second chance by fans.
In an interview with Metal Hammer , Harris chose the album as his favorite from that period. “ The X Factor in particular is very good, but it’s a dark album. Probably because I was in a somewhat dark place with Bruce [Dickinson] leaving and going through a divorce. But the result was powerful. You take negative things and turn them into positive ones, those emotions come to the surface and that’s what you can do with them. That’s why music is something so powerful,” he said [transcription via Metal Injection ].
In Jerusalem, weeks before the official release, her debut took place. The initial show of The X Factour revealed a major problem: Blaze lacked the ability to sing songs from her predecessor in the original key. While her baritone voice perfectly suited the new album, she struggled to reach Dickinson's higher notes in classics like "The Trooper," "Run to the Hills," and "Hallowed Be Thy Name."
The problem became even more evident with the band's refusal to lower the tuning of their instruments. Forced to shout to reach the original notes, physical exhaustion was inevitable, generating immediate disapproval from the more purist fans.
While their success was resounding between the mid-80s and the early 90s, with packed arenas and stadiums around the world, the reality check came the following year, mainly in the United States. The band found themselves forced to play in theaters and clubs for 2,000 to 3,000 people, and many of these performances were not sold out.
In North America, the band received lukewarm reactions, but they were betting on their most loyal stronghold for a good reception: South America. In Brazil, the group headlined the third edition of Monsters of Rock , at the Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo.
However, upon arriving in Chile, known for having one of the most intense and passionate fan bases in the world, they faced strong rejection. During a performance in Santiago, a fan repeatedly spat on Bayley and Harris. The vocalist lost his temper, interrupted the performance of "The Trooper," and shouted death threats at the fan.
'Virtual XI' and the chaotic passage through South America
If The X Factor already showed that things weren't going well, its successor practically confirmed it. Released on March 23, 1998, Virtual XI is considered the band's worst work to date. The controversial "The Angel and the Gambler," almost 10 minutes long and with a chorus repeated exactly 22 times, highlighted this.
The album has its great moments, such as the epic "The Clansman" and the straightforward "Futureal," but the numbers were merciless, representing the worst commercial performance in the band's history up to that point. In the UK, the album languished at number 16. Global sales also performed far below expectations. The fans' disinterest was real.
The tour was a flop. Only 81 shows were performed worldwide. 16 dates were cancelled after Blaze experienced further problems with his voice. But the chaos reached its peak upon his return to South America in December.
In Campinas, on December 4th, the show scheduled for the Brinco de Ouro Stadium was canceled at the last minute. The announcement caused complete chaos: cars were set on fire and the stage was vandalized. Riot police had to intervene with tear gas to disperse the fans. [ via g1 ]
In the following days, the band played dates in São Paulo, at the Anhembi Arena, and in Curitiba, at the Pedreira Paulo Leminski. The show in the capital of Paraná gave clear signs: the singer wouldn't remain in the position for much longer. It was his last performance with the band in Brazil. After being barred from entering Chile due to political issues and ending the tour in Argentina, it became clear that the atmosphere was no longer right and Iron Maiden needed to act.
Blaze Bayley's dismissal and the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith
In five decades of existence, Iron Maiden never came close to breaking up. Because of this, in January 1999, Rod Smallwood convinced Steve Harris that Bruce Dickinson's return was crucial for them to get back to the top. His return, along with that of Adrian Smith , transformed the group into a sextet, culminating in one of the greatest comebacks in metal history.
For Steve, the decision to dismiss Blaze Bayley was painful. In an interview with Classic Rock , the guitarist opened up about the difficulty of that moment. “That’s the worst part of being in a band. It’s not something I’m comfortable with. I never have been. I never will be. But you have to do what’s right for the band.”
Therefore, Bayley was officially informed of his dismissal. He ended his time with the band without ever attacking his former colleagues. On the contrary, the singer always showed gratitude for his time in the band. In 2016, he told The Metal Voice that the bitterness over leaving was real and that it took him four years to get over it.
“I left Iron Maiden, not by choice, I was fired. They said I wasn’t good enough. I asked if Bruce was coming back and they said yes. I think what was happening in the world at the time was that CD sales were falling. EMI was closing all the factories around the world. The CD industry was shrinking. Different record labels were joining together in different partnerships. So I think it was a business decision for Bruce to come back. I was very hurt at the time and I think it took me four years to really accept what had happened,” he said.
However controversial it may be, this phase marked the beginning of the band's progressive era. Starting with Brave New World (2000), Steve Harris began to focus even more on long and elaborate compositions. This approach becomes especially evident in The Book of Souls (2015) and Senjutsu (2021).
Nowadays, Blaze Bayley has established himself in his solo career. With his charisma, good albums released such as Silicon Messiah (2000) , and having built a solid fan base, he has turned things around, being recognized for his time in the band, but without being stuck in the past and always pursuing new projects.
READ ALSO: Bruce Dickinson's opinion on Blaze Bayley in Iron Maiden
