Blaze Bayley - Infinite Entanglement (2016)

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Blaze Bayley - Infinite Entanglement (2016)

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The seventh album under his own moniker, Infinite Entanglement is the new concept album by “the man who would not die”. In short, it’s a sci-fi story about the first man to live for a thousand years. Remarkable, not only on this album but also the entire being of Blaze Bayley, is the authenticity. Not a word is doubted here. Before I begin this review - and before I had even heard the album - I’d read a number of reviews giving this album full scores and praise aplenty. It can’t be that good, can it?

Like so many times before in Bayley’s career, his music deals in somewhat existential questions, mainly coming down to, “what makes a man?” Single ‘Human’ from this effort is comparable to ‘Robot’ from 2008’s The Man Who Would Not Die. Not only thematically and in musical build, but in what it comprises and the concept it embodies. And in how it represents Bayley himself, ending the song with the words “I am me”. The sound on Infinite Entanglement isn’t as massive and deeply dark as on the early solo albums so many praise, but a bit more like what could be heard on predecessor The King Of Metal (2012). This latest effort however, is inspired, dramatic and theatrical; started in full force with three (albeit standard in structure) heavy metal mashers. Though not taken by ‘Human’ at the very first listen, it takes only one or two now, to realise its greatness. However, the fourth track, ‘What Will Come’ makes a real difference.

An acoustic tale featuring Thomas Zwijsen (with whom Bayley oftentimes plays live acoustic sets), gradually building in intensity, and featuring Bayley’s own trademark passionate vocals. The violin (Anne Bakker) added to the instrumental part gives a theatrically haunting feeling, as William Black - whom the story is about - realizes he’s actually alone in space. The ballad itself is also remarkable in that it carries something positive all throughout, which perhaps is also true for the album in its entirety. Gone are the days of darkness heard on Promise And Terror (2010). This is the ballad we’ve been waiting for, when most every other ballad these days are bland and boring. It’s unfair to demand Bayley to perform like he did on Iron Maiden’s The X Factor (1995), released twenty years ago, and even for the album to feature song writing in the lines of Steve Harris epics. But Bayley has managed to maintain his voice through the years, and though not as powerful, still carries emotion and packs a lethal punch. He’s backed up by choral arrangements on this album, which is a good thing as it complements him well. His main backing band on this album is Absolva, from which guitarist Chris Appleton has added a flavor of his own song writing and some solid guitar riffage and memorable solos, as in the fast ‘Dark Energy 256’, slightly reminiscent of Maiden’s ‘Futureal’. Songs like ‘Stars Are Burning’ and ‘Solar Wind’ (awesomest song titles ever) take musical cues from The Tenth Dimension (2002), merging them with styles from The King Of Metal (2012) for a new and sleek approach, which works.

Infinite Entanglement is also a bit more melodic than I expected, considering the heavily riff approach on Bayley’s earlier albums. Appleton has several melodic parts here which separates this album from those previous. While there may not be any instant hit songs on this album, no song stands out as bad, per se. It’s a tight and solid effort that has brought the best from Bayley and some awesome performances from the musicians he’s worked with. The man doesn’t really flow with the music like he used to, but his voice is perfect. I’ll be hugely flabbergasted if Infinite Entanglement doesn’t take a place among Bayley’s highest ranked ones in the years to come. It may not take Maiden’s The X Factor (1995) or Silicon Messiah (2000) in a fight, but it will be at the top, I shit you not. It can’t be that good, can it? Yeah, it can.

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