Heavy Metal act fronted by ex-WOLFSBANE and IRON MAIDEN vocalist Blaze Bayley (a.k.a. Bayley Cook). Heavily criticised during his IRON MAIDEN tenure, after fronting up October 1995's 'The X Factor' and March 1998's 'Virtual XI', Bayley was ultimately ousted from a then flagging IRON MAIDEN during 1999, being superseded by a returning BRUCE DICKINSON. However, Bayley surprised many with the undoubted quality of his 2000 'Silicon Messiah' comeback effort. His band included guitarist John Slater, ex-STORMWATCH and MINDFEED whilst drummer Jeff Singer held credits with KILL II THIS.

Sophomore outing 'Tenth Dimension', released in 2001 by Germany's Steamhammer label, would be produced by former SABBAT guitarist Andy Sneap. BLAZE toured Germany in February 2001 supporting HELLOWEEN and would put in a creditable performance at the Derby 'Bloodstock' festival in the UK later that year. BLAZE would be announced as support band to the SAVATAGE and VICIOUS RUMORS package 2002 European tour. Further shows would see an appearance at the Italian 'Gods Of Metal' event upfront of June dates in Europe as opener to OVERKILL. However, the band's June 16th support gig to OVERKILL at the Biebob venue in Vosselaar, Belgium was cancelled after drummer Jeff Singer's brother was taken seriously ill. The band resumed the tour in London, pulling in the WAYSTED, DORO and BRITNY FOX credited drummer Johnny Dee to fulfil interim dates. Jeff Singer made a return in order to complete the tour but would subsequently part ways with the band in December.

The band had their version of 'Dazed And Confused' included on the Locomotive Music LED ZEPPELIN tribute album 'The Metal Zeppelin - The Music Remains The Same'. A first for the act came in November, BLAZE's first gig in Moscow at the 4'500 capacity Luzhniki Small Sport Hall co-headlining with German act GRAVE DIGGER.

A double live album 'As Live As It Gets', set to include BLAZE, IRON MAIDEN and WOLFSBANE material, was scheduled for March 2003 release. Shortly after release bass player Rob Naylor exited in order to establish his own band. Wayne Banks of SABBAT, GODSEND, MESSIAH'S KISS and NEW CRANES repute stepped in as replacement. Banks also found time to tour with BRAZEN ABBOT that same year.

BLAZE, pulling the services of STIMULATOR, PITCHSHIFTER and HIDING PLACE credited drummer Jason Bowld, recorded a new album 'Blood And Belief' at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire with producer Andy Sneap in December. A short run of European gigs to coincide with the album release in early April 2004 allied with DORO preceded a UK headline tour that same month. These shows would see guitarist John Slater bowing out for "personal reasons", being temporarily replaced by DORO guitarist Oliver Palotai. However, announced dates in the Czech and Slovak Republics would be cancelled, the band claiming this was "due to circumstances beyond our control". Blaze himself would team up with Italian IRON MAIDEN tribute band THE CLAIRVOYANTS for a gig on 29th May, the singer's birthday. Besides covering songs from his own era and earlier classics there was a promise of a never performed Maiden track too.

As the band toured Germany throughout June alongside CIRCLE II CIRCLE and PERZONAL WAR it would be learned that former drummer Jeff Singer had joined up with Halifax Gothic veterans PARADISE LOST. Singer would also briefly rehearse with SAXON and involve himself in the COOTHA project.

'Blood And Belief' would see a belated US release through SPV in June. Meantime, Blaze Bayley scored some unwelcome press when Sean Peck, singer for American Heavy Metal band CAGE, apparently punched him in the face because of onstage remarks the Englishman had made about President Bush at a German festival. BLAZE gigs scheduled in France and Belgium for September were cancelled "due to late changes in the band line up resulting in insufficient time to prepare for these shows".

In September, Blaze Bayley announced he had completely seperated himself from the BLAZE band members - guitarists John Slater and Steve Wray, bassist Wayne Banks and drummer Dave Knight - and was formulating an entirely new group. Joining him would be a European / US cast of guitarists Oliver Palotai of DORO and ENDEBORA's Luca Princiotta, DORO credited bassist Nick Douglas and Dani Löble of GLENMORE and RAWHEAD REXX on drums. This all new act was set to debut 30th September at the Velvet venue in Pordenone, Italy. Meantime, the erstwhile BLAZE contingent of John Slater, Steve Wray and Rob Naylor united with vocalist Harry Armstrong of HANGNAIL, MOURN, DECOMPOSED and END OF LEVEL BOSS with VEX RED and SACK TRICK man Ben Calvert on drums to forge RISE TO ADDICTION.

In February of 2005 Dani Löble joined HELLOWEEN. That Summer ex-BLAZE drummer Jeff Singer returned to the scene with CITY OF GOD, a high profile band comprising erstwhile RAWHEAD and XENTRIX singer Simon Gordon, ex-DEARLY BEHEADED bassist Tim Preston and guitarist Mark Mynett, ex-KILL II THIS.

It would not be until September that BLAZE announced a new band roster, Blaze being joined by guitarists Oli Palotai and Luca Princiotta, bass player Christian Ammann, from modern Jazz act TILLSAMMANS and covers band GET FRESH, and the AFSHIN and MARS ATTACKS credited Daniel Schild on drums, the new rhythm section having first performed with the band in April at the 'Born to be Wild' festival in Slovenia. BLAZE toured Europe as headliners in December with support from Dutch act METHUSALEM. BLAZE bassist NICK DOUGLAS issued his debut solo album 'Through The Pane' in November 2006 through Painkiller Records.

January 2007 witnessed a collective statement from Oliver Palotai, Luca Princiotta, Christian Ammann and Daniel Schild announcing their en masse resignation with the words "We are in the sad situation to give out the news that the complete current lineup of BLAZE, therefore the authors of this letter, will leave the band."

BLAZE announced a debut of a fresh line-up at the Metalmania festival on March 24th at the Spodek Hall in Katowice, Poland. That same month the singer made news in an unconventional Rock n' Roll manner by advertising Optima hair restoration, the advertising revealing just what he had kept under his trademark baseball cap for so many years with a 'before' and 'after' photograph.

BLAZE the band was duly re-constructed, introducing ELASTTTIC guitarist Rich Newport, second guitarist Nick Bermudez, from Colombian band UNDER THREAT, bass player David Bermudez, also of UNDER THREAT, plus drummer Rico Banderra. The band started a European leg of the 'Tour That Will Not Die' in Italy on 25th February 2009.

A new concert DVD, entitled 'The Night That Will Not Die', was released in April via Blaze Bayley Recordings. This DVD was filmed on 13th December 2008 at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland and featured two hours of live perfomance material, directed by Kris McManus plus an xtensive documentary.