After his rude 1999 dismissal from heavy metal legends Iron Maiden following two thankless tours of duty, singer Blaze Bayley (previously of promising London metal maniacs Wolfsbane) launched a new band bearing his name in the year 2000. Calling upon guitarists Steve Wray and John Slater, ba**ist Rob Naylor, and drummer Jeff Singer, Blaze -- the band -- signed with Germany's SPV Records and proceeded to unleash a string of solid British metal albums, including 2000's Silicon Messiah, 2002's Tenth Dimension, and 2003's double As Live As It Gets. A new rhythm section in ba**ist Wayne Banks (ex-Sabbat) and drummer Jason Bowland arrived in 2004, a year that also saw the release of Blaze's third studio effort, Blood & Belief. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide