Blaze Bayley Celebrates 25 Years of Silicon Messiah – Interview Before His German Tour 2025

Blaze Bayley is gearing up for the next leg of his European tour, celebrating 25 years of Silicon Messiah – a landmark solo album that marked his rebirth after Iron Maiden. Just before the Germany dates kick off, we had the chance to speak with him.

Official tour poster for Blaze Bayley’s Germany tour 2025 celebrating the 25th anniversary of Silicon Messiah

In this open and powerful conversation, Blaze talks about the highs and lows of his journey, how he fought his way back after hard times, and the deep relationship he has with his fans. He also reflects on how much he appreciates the German metal scene, and what it means to be back for a full headline run.

Niflheim Records: 25 years of Silicon Messiah — and you're celebrating it with a European tour.

How does it feel to see fans singing and celebrating this album with the same passion as when it first came out?

Blaze Bayley: Well, they didn’t when it first came out. It failed. There were no fans celebrating it with passion — just a handful of people. The management I had at the time didn’t book a single show to go with the release. A few small things came through eventually, but Silicon Messiah was completely eclipsed by Iron Maiden’s Brave New World. It got some good reviews, but commercially, it failed. And so did the next two albums, Tenth Dimension and Blood and Belief. Everything I did with SPV Steamhammer just didn’t gain traction.

We kept going anyway. Around the 15th anniversary — maybe 12 years ago — I was doing a show in Manchester, and Chris Appleton was doing the sound. He said, “If you want to try again, I think we could do it.” We had done a few shows together, and we decided to see what would happen. Chris, on his own, managed to book over 30 shows across Europe. That was the real beginning of my comeback. I had lost everything and was working regular jobs at the time.

Back then, we were thrilled if we had 30 presale tickets and played to 60 people. Now we regularly have over 100 presale and play to 200 or more. On this Silicon Messiah tour, we’ve sold out several shows and played to over 200 people every night. It’s incredible to look into the crowd and see people who have known this album for over 20 years. Singing those old songs again feels like seeing old friends. It’s like the album has come back to life — like a mummy from the pyramids. And it’s a joy to finally play those songs that we barely performed at the time, since there was never a real tour for the album back then.

I’m independent now. Back then, I was in the machinery of big management and a proper record company — and it didn’t work for me. But many of the fans from that era stayed with me, and I see them at the 25th anniversary shows. That’s very cool to experience.

Many of the lyrics from Silicon Messiah deal with fear and anxiety about the fast pace of information and technology. And now, it’s all here. AI is here. I don’t even call it artificial intelligence — I think of it as alternative intelligence. Maybe it will become superior. And when that happens, I believe we’ll be living in a world like The Matrix. A lot of the songs on Silicon Messiah warn about a future we’re now standing on the edge of.

I really believe someone has already tried to upload their consciousness to a machine — maybe even succeeded. Once it becomes safe and profitable, we’ll hear about it. But I think there might already be versions of wealthy, powerful people living in the machine. And I wonder what that means for the future. It feels eerie to sing these songs now — songs about the human spirit against what the machine might dictate.

So far, the tour has been unbelievable. The reactions have been incredible — people singing along to every song, bringing their original records. We’ve even released a new anniversary vinyl, with colored discs. It’s gone really, really well.

NR: As you said on the Silicon Messiah album — and also, for example, in the song Futureal — it feels like you saw all this coming.

Some people tell me: "I don’t even know what’s real and what’s AI-generated."

How do you feel now when, for example, you see a fake person speaking and you can’t even recognize that it’s not real?

Blaze Bayley: It’s a horrible situation — but also, in some ways, we have access to an incredible asset. You can go online and find a video that shows you how to fix your car or repair a watch. That’s the human global community coming together, and it’s wonderful. We all benefit from that.

But the dark side of the internet is enormous. People pretend to be me and message my fans asking for money — which I would never do. It’s not just me. They fake being Tom Cruise or James Hetfield, and use AI to make them say or sing things they never said. You can make anyone sound like anything. The more famous someone is, the more dangerous it becomes.

And even as an independent, underground artist, I get people trying to scam my fans. Every artist at my level deals with this. It’s awful. That’s why I believe we need cyber police — authorities that can step in and stop these crimes online, just like they do in the real world. Right now, reporting these impersonators to platforms like Facebook takes forever, and they don’t even believe you’re really you. It has to change.

Governments are slowly catching up — very slowly. But the criminals using this powerful technology in such a harmful way are far ahead. And that’s what Futureal was about: the anxiety and paranoia that comes from the cyber world — that sense that someone’s always coming to get you. Sadly, some people have even taken their own lives due to cyber blackmail. It’s horrifying, and it’s real.

As fans of heavy metal — of music in general — we have to stay connected. Go to shows, buy shirts, buy CDs. That’s real. That’s the band, on stage, right in front of you. No fakery. That feeling of standing together, hearing the music live — it matters.

If we ever stop valuing that, if we say, “Eh, I’ll just stream the concert,” or become complacent about live music, then we’re in trouble. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

NR: That’s one topic I also wanted to ask you about — because you’ll be playing on the 25th of May at the Spectrum Club in Augsburg. It’s a venue that really brings you close to the audience.

Your live albums show how important that connection with the crowd is.

What does that kind of atmosphere mean to you on stage?

Blaze Bayley: That show’s on a Sunday, and we often start Sunday gigs earlier so people can still get to work the next day. At my headline shows — if I’m well enough, and so far I’ve been for all of them — we always include a meet and greet in the ticket price. No extra charge. Just come early, get a couple of things signed, take a selfie. That’s my way of saying thank you to the fans who’ve supported me all these years.

Getting close to my fans has always meant a lot to me. I’ve played everywhere — stadiums, pubs, theatres, big clubs. These days, I often get to choose the kind of venue, and I always prefer a smaller, packed place over a half-full big one. About 500 people is our regular show size, and 1,500 to 2,000 is the biggest I’d want to go for a Blaze Bayley show.

In Germany, we’ve been lucky enough to sometimes play two nights in a row in smaller venues we really love. That was happening before COVID, and I hope we can get back to it.

I’m especially excited about this German tour. When things felt hopeless, it was the German fans who stuck with me. They’ve been so loyal, through everything. Back in the 10th Dimension days, I supported Helloween — and now, 25 years later, I get to do this headline tour and see the same people still supporting me.

And it’s not just them. A lot of new fans are showing up — people who didn’t even know I kept going after Iron Maiden. I’ve toured with every album I’ve made, but many had no idea I was still active.

A strange thing happened when I had my heart attack. I nearly died and had major surgery. That news spread far. Suddenly people were saying, “Wait, he’s still going? I thought he’d already died.” And that got some people curious enough to check out my albums again.

Now, at my shows, there’s such a wide mix of ages — teens, 20s, 50s, 60s — all there for the music. And that’s an amazing feeling.

NR: We read that you’ll be performing some of your Iron Maiden classics on this tour.

When I watch live videos, your voice still carries the same power as in those original recordings.

What kind of connection do you feel with those songs today?

Blaze Bayley: Some of those songs are 35 years old now — and to me, they feel like old friends. Old friends in new clothes. I’m not the same singer I was back then. I was a young man, full of energy and really pushing hard. Now, I have more experience, a bigger voice, a wider range — and more control. I can express emotion more clearly now, in ways I couldn’t before.

Iron Maiden is where I really learned how to sing. With Steve Harris producing, I discovered a part of my voice I didn’t even know I had. Over the last 25 years, I’ve built on that and developed it further. Now, I feel like I have more tools to connect with the audience, to say: This is what I’m feeling.

It’s also important for me that fans who don’t speak English as their first language can still feel the emotion. Even if they don’t understand the lyrics at first, they hear the music, the melody, the voice — and something clicks. Maybe they go, Ah, this one’s about fear, or about loneliness, or about joy. That’s always my intention when writing: to make that connection.

It’s great to bring this slightly “creaky old man” voice to those old songs. It adds something — more depth, more color, more texture. We already had great songs we’re proud of, and now they’ve grown with me. So far, my fans have really embraced that, and I’m so grateful.

I can’t wait to be back in Germany and see everyone again.

NR: I want to personally thank you for one song I’ve loved since I first heard it — Como Estais Amigos. It really moves me, and it shows how you can connect emotionally with listeners even if they don’t speak English.

In your latest album Circle of Stone, there’s one song called Until We Meet Again that gave me a similar feeling. I love how your voice fits those melancholic songs.

How do you feel when writing and singing more emotional or melodic material?

Blaze Bayley: I am a dark person — I do carry a lot of melancholy. That particular song came from the feeling after a great show, when the connection between the band and the fans is so strong… but the night has to end. To console ourselves, we say: Until we meet again. That’s where it began.

As we developed the song for Circle of Stone, it started to take on a deeper meaning — like two people torn apart by war. And with all the conflict going on in the world right now, it resonates even more. So many people are separated, hoping and praying to see each other again — but they don’t know if they ever will.

At the heart of it, the song still comes from that simple place: I really missed my fans. When I had my heart attack, I didn’t know if I’d ever see them again. During the COVID years, I wondered, Is live performance over? Will concerts ever return? It was a horrible feeling.

So from then to now, I feel incredibly lucky to still be doing this — to still be a full-time singer. I remember seeing Ronnie James Dio on the Holy Diver tour when I was 20, then going straight to work, pushing a vacuum at the hotel. And I thought, If I wasn’t doing this, what would I do? I wanted to be just like Dio — a singer touring the world.

I’m only here because of the people who believed in me: my fans, my family, the ones who stood by me. That’s why I try to write songs that have truth in them — something you can connect to. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s darker, but there has to be something real.

That’s also something I’ve always done — from Wolfsbane through Maiden. Steve Harris always wrote thinking about how it would work live, and I do the same. With Circle of Stone, every song, I asked: Can we do this live? Will this connect on stage?

It’s a great feeling to take the audience through that range — power, aggression, sadness, darkness. That’s who I am.

Cut me, and I bleed mercury.

NR: Following up on Circle of Stone — by the way, I really love that album. It’s filled with both powerful and emotional songs. My personal top three are Mind Reader, The Year Beyond This Year, and The Broken Man.

After so many years on stage, when you’re performing songs that are still so personal and deep — how do you stay emotionally connected to them?

Blaze Bayley: I think so many of us share the same feelings.

I’m interpreting my own emotions, yes — but really, I’m giving a voice to feelings we all have at some point.

I’m not more special than anyone who comes to my show.

I just do a different thing. I’m very lucky that I love to sing.

I’m not the best singer in the world — I know that. But I love it. And I love writing songs, and expressing what’s inside.

Fame isn’t important to me. It’s nice — like a cold drink on a warm day. Refreshing while it lasts, but it’s not what matters.

What matters is trying to be a good person and a true artist — one that expresses truth.

If I can give my fans even a small bit of hope, or something to hold onto, that’s everything.

When someone tells me, “This record helped me through a dark time,” or “This is my favorite album,” it means the world.

The fact that people let me into their lives, their minds, their hearts — and care about the lyrics, the music, our arrangements — it’s an incredible feeling. I’m so grateful for it.

And now, to be looking ahead to a full tour in Germany… it’s amazing.

In the beginning, we couldn’t get a single headline show in Germany. We’d play to no one.

And now? To come back and play to so many — it’s just incredible.

NR: Something you said reminded me of what some of your fans told me when I asked before the interview. They say they see that you’re true to yourself — that Blaze Bayley is the same person they see on and off stage.

By the way, you’ve got greetings from fans in Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Peru, and Brazil — they all send you their love.

What would you like to say to your fans around the world?

Blaze Bayley: Thank you — that’s the first thing.

Thank you for believing in me.

I’m living my dream, however humble it is.

I don’t play stadiums. I play clubs and small theatres — and that’s where I want to be.

Because that’s where I can truly connect with people.

So the most important thing I can say is: thank you for your support.

And if you’re going through tough times, please — just hold on.

If it feels dark and hopeless, if you feel helpless — hold on.

Don’t let go. Take one more step. Just hold on.

Because we lose too many people to the darkness — to suicidal thoughts.

But I promise you: after every darkness, there will be a dawn.

If you’re in the storm of life, remember — every storm ends. It has to.

That’s just nature. Even if it doesn’t seem like it right now.

NR: Thank you so much for that message — and thank you again for your time.

I’ll be seeing you in Augsburg, and I wish you all the best for the tour!

Blaze Bayley Live in Germany – May 2025

Blaze will be hitting the road across Germany this May for a string of headline shows celebrating 25 Years of Silicon Messiah. Catch him here:

• 21/05 – Hamburg @ Bambi Galore

• 22/05 – Kassel @ Goldgrube

• 23/05 – Erfurt @ From Hell

• 24/05 – Mannheim @ 7er Club

• 25/05 – Augsburg @ Spectrum

• 27/05 – Cologne @ Gebäude 9

• 28/05 – Oldenburg @ MTS

• 30/05 – Dortmund @ Piano

  
  

And Blaze will be back in Germany this October for two special festival appearances:

• 02/10 – Würzburg @ Keep It True Rising 2025

• 03/10 – Emsdetten @ Compassion Metal Fest

  
  

🎟️ For tickets and the full tour schedule, visit:https://www.blazebayley.net/tour.htm