Ex-IRON MAIDEN Singer BLAZE BAYLEY: 'SANCTUARY MANAGEMENT Didn't Believe In Me'

May 3, 2004

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley has hit out at his former management, saying that Sanctuary never wanted him to be successful. In an interview with Holland's Lords of Metal, Blaze also talked his alcohol addiction, suicide and depressions. Several interview excerpts follow:

Lords of Metal: You recently split with Sanctuary Management, the management founded by IRON MAIDEN's manager Rod Smallwood. Are you satisfied with what they have done for you?

Blaze Bayley: "No. I do not think Sanctuary ever wanted me to be successful, because they have been putting a lot of blocks in my way. Looking back, all of the things that they have done for this band were really bad. We worked really, really hard on the 'Silicon Messiah' album. And what did the management do? They released it on the same day as MAIDEN's 'Brave New World'. The fans can only buy a couple of albums a month so which one are they going to buy? Of course, the MAIDEN CD. It is things like this that have held me back. Same thing with touring."

Lords of Metal: Now that you have a new management you seem to tour more than ever. A coincidence?

Blaze Bayley: "I am a fan of bands and I know what I want: I want to see my favorite bands play live. When I started this I wanted to get a group together and stay on tour for as long as possible. That was the whole idea behind the 'Silicon Messiah' album, but Sanctuary would not let me do that. That was frustrating: I was in a huge band and toured all over the world but I was stuck at home, basically because they wouldn't let me tour. This year I am with a different management and doing more gigs than ever. The most important thing is music and playing, but Sanctuary didn't believe it. They didn't believe in me."

Read Blaze's entire interview with Lords of Metal at this location.

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