Metal Hall of Fame inductee Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999) has released the first single & video for the song “Circle of Stone”, confirming his forthcoming new album of the same name, whilst also revealing Niklas Stalvind of Swedish metallers Wolf, as guest vocalist. The record will arrive on February 23rd, 2024.
Check out the video below – produced by Lion Island Media – and head over to HERE for options for Vinyl LP & CD (including a special Limited Edition bundle).
Fans will discover that the new album features some of Blaze‘s best-ever vocal performances, & the combination of vocals with Niklas Stalvind is nothing short of a revelation. The artistic talent of Akirant Illustration has again been justifiably trusted for the excellent cover art & layouts.
Recent times have been a roller-coaster ride for Blaze. Following on from the successful “Infinite Entanglement” trilogy (2016-2018), around which interest in his career was clearly elevated, he then moved further forward with the critically acclaimed “War Within Me” album (2021), whilst touring worldwide. However, he then suffered a severe heart attack early in 2023, requiring life-saving quadruple bypass surgery. Recovery was slow but 6 UK shows towards the end of 2023 felt like a real triumph, quickly followed by a tour with his original (pre-Iron Maiden) band Wolfsbane.
Thankfully, the recording of the new album had been completed just 2 days before the heart attack & the record was put on the ‘backburner’ whilst health matters & recovery progressed. Blaze‘s regular team recorded the album with Christopher Appleton (of UK band Absolva) engineering, mixing & co-producing with Blaze (split between their home studios in Manchester & Birmingham respectively), & Ade Emsley mastering. Appleton also played lead guitar alongside his brother Luke Appleton on power guitar, Martin Mcnee on drums & Karl Schramm on bass.
