Silicon Messiah

Blaze (Metal), Blaze | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 25, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Steamhammer Us
• ASIN: B000089IZ8
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,637 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ghost in the Machine

2. Evolution

3. Silicon Messiah

4. Born as a Stranger

5. The Hunger

6. The Brave

7. Identity

8. Reach for the Horizon

9. The Launch

10. Stare at the Sun

Editorial Reviews

Solo debut from the former frontman of Wolfsbane/ex-Iron Maiden vocalist. 10 tracks including 'Ghost In The Machine' and 'Evolution'. 2000 release. Standard jewelcase. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hasn't left my CD player for weeks!, August 7, 2000

By 

Pedro Alexandre Timoteo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silicon Messiah (Audio CD)

In my humble opinion, Blaze (Bayley)'s album "Silicon Messiah" is a masterpiece, one of the best metal albums of all time. Exaggeration? Some of you may think so. I don't. His voice is amazing (which could lead to conspiracy theories: was Harris doing something "bad" to it when producing Bayley's albums with Maiden?), the band plays brilliantly, the lyrics are great too, and it's one of those albums which will be hard to take out of your CD player.

Totally refreshing... sounds both 'old' (in the classical sense, meaning it doesn't sound like 90s metal at all :) ) and new.

It really has a style of its own, so it's hard to compare to other bands... let me think... it doesn't sound like Maiden (both old and new) at all. Bruce Dickinson's "Chemical Wedding" is a bit closer to this one. Maybe also a little bit of Dio's "Strange Highways". Or... yes, that's it, Rage's "Ghosts".

I'm almost "afraid" to say this, but as much as I love Maiden, Bruce and "Brave New World", I think "Silicon Messiah" completely and absolutely outclasses it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On Par With The Best Iron Maiden Albums, July 8, 2005

By 

Stephen B. O'Blenis (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silicon Messiah (Audio CD)

A concept album about the quest to attain immortality and massive power by downloading conciousness into a comuter and save the world, becoming its 'Silicon Messiah', and the horrible turns of events that follow, this first solo album by Blaze Bayley - vocalist for Iron Maiden's "X Factor" and "Virtual XI" albums - is a masterpiece from the first track to the last, rivalling anything Iron Maiden's ever done with any of their vocalists.

Personally I think Blaze's work with Maiden is vastly underrated, although I've noticed that even those who hated the above albums seemed impressed by "Silicon Messiah" and the subsequent albums, and it's not hard to see why. This is a disc that should go over well with all of heavy metal fandom, not just certain subgenres of it, because it's not an album that neatly falls into one category (power metal, thrash, death metal, whatever) and stays there. Blaze and band - Steve Wray and John Slater on Guitars, Jeff Singer on drums and Rob Naylor on bass, who succeeds in a particularly hard slot by having to live up to the legacy of Maiden's Steve Harris, considered by many the greatest bassist in metal history, are all incredible musicians, dare I say on level with Blaze's previous bandmates in the immortal Maiden? - seem to have drawn from influences all over the map - Helloween-style power metal, early seventies metal/proto-metal, stoner rock, classic 80s metal when all the top bands (Maiden, Judas Priest, Accept, etc.) shared traits but were so wonderfully distinct from one another, even influences as far out as industrial music and King Diamond can be heard, blended into a fresh, unique concoction.

Although this is a concept album, the songs can be taken as individual entries just as easily - the inspirational "The Launch" and "The Brave", the all-too-real-life "Evolution" - with its chillingly devastating outro effects, whose meaning can be interpreted by each individual listener; myself I'm thinking of a terrifying progression of the song material of Skyclad's "The Disenchanted Forest" (off the "Folkemon" CD) in the possibly not too distant future; the aptly named "The Hunger" with immense, march-like drumming; everything's great.

It's worth noting that although the band goes by Blaze's name, all the musicians had plentiful input on the songwriting and are given ample time to shine on the tracks themselves; this is truly a band effort, not really a solo album with backup players. I hope that this new domestic release has the same liner booklet as the Import version I got a few years ago; it goes along great with the whole album story.

Indispensable album; recommended for All metal fans.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS CD, Nu-Metal done right!, July 27, 2002

By 

Ryan Sylverne "Everyone's favorite mediocre b... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silicon Messiah (Audio CD)

I must say that I hate nu-metal, but Blaze successfully mixes new style instrument work with older styles, and it comes out amazing! I bought this over a year ago and still listen to it almost constantly! Here's how the songs break down:

Ghost in the Machine- Rating: 5
I love this song. Very heavy, starts the story of technology destroying humanity.

Evolution- Rating: 3
This song could easily have been a 4 or higher if he didn't have the high pitched guitar part in the opening and the chorus. I love all the other stuff in it!

Silicon Messiah- Rating: 4.5
Amazing song. Very dark, I love it! The first softer song on the album.

Born As A Stranger- Rating: 4.5
Fast, upbeat, fun song! Easy to headbang to, great lyrics!

The Hunger- Rating: 4
A slower, darker song. The Hunger is very powerful and keeps you listening.

The Brave- Rating: 5
My favorite song on the cd. The Brave is simply unforgetable!

Identity- Rating: 3.5
I don't no why, even though I really liked Identity I never am able to listen to it. That is the big problem with this one.

Reach for the Horizon- Rating: 4
Pretty cool song that starts the second story about space travel.

The Launch- Rating: 4.5
The badass brother of Man on the Edge! The Launch is amazingly great, one of my favorite songs on the cd!

Stare at the Sun- Rating: 4.5
An end to the story, a man stuck in space with no way home. A soft song that fits the story very well. A great end to a great cd.