BLAZE BAYLEY: 'Sometimes People Don't Know The Power Of Words'

In a recent interview with Spain's Made In Metal, British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley, who fronted IRON MAIDEN more than 20 years ago, said that words hold immense power — they can uplift, wound, inspire and destroy.

"Sometimes people don't know the power of words and they let words by someone else describe them," Blaze explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And then they begin to believe what someone else says. 'You're useless.' 'I'm useless.' 'You are stupid.' 'I must be stupid.' No. You don't listen to those people. You don't use their words. You don't allow those words into your mind, into your heart. You listen to me, and I will tell you. You're a Blaze Bayley fan. You're a heavy metal fan. You're a warrior. You're someone. They can knock you down, but they won't stop you. You might be down, but you won't stay down.

"When you think of the word to describe yourself, think of what I'm telling you," he continued. "I'm telling you to use this word about yourself. You don't always win, but you always fight. You're a warrior. And when you start to believe yourself and the things that you say to yourself and not believe what they say about you, that's when things really start to change.

"I'm very lucky that I experienced this in my life, that when I nearly lost my leg in a motorcycle accident, when I joined IRON MAIDEN, I managed to fight back. They said to me, 'You'll probably never walk again.' And I said, 'You don't know me.' So somebody said to me, 'You're just not a good singer.' Somebody else said, 'You can't sing.' Somebody else said, 'You're never gonna make it.' I said, 'I don't care what you say. You don't know me.' And that is what I think some people don't know. You don't have to listen.

"It doesn't matter what your dream is," Blaze added. "If your dream is to be a great skateboarder, if your dream is to be a singer, if your dream is to be a great parent, if your dream is to be a teacher, whatever that dream is, where the place that you believe that when you get up each day, you're not gonna dread going to work, then you have to try and find that place. Because that's where you're gonna feel good and satisfied. And I'm very lucky. I dreamed of being a singer and I live that dream every day. I'm incredibly lucky. And I'm able to do that because I have the support of wonderful fans around the world."

The 60-year-old Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort, and a follow-up LP, 2022's "Genius".

Blaze's latest studio album, "War Within Me", came out in April 2021. The LP was recorded during 2020 with work split between Blaze's studio at home in the West Midlands and Christopher Appleton's studio in Greater Manchester.

Nine months ago, Blaze underwent a quadruple bypass surgery following a heart attack.