Former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley talked about his first gigs with the boys, telling UG’s David Slavković:
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“The first few times were pure fear, really. Because it’s a huge, huge job and the fans of Iron Maiden are so loyal and so dedicated.
“And many, many fans just did not want that change from Bruce Dickinson. Bruce is the hallmark voice, he’s the classic singer, one of the greatest singers ever in the history of heavy metal. Bruce’s voice is distinctive, it’s something that hundreds of metal singers have aspired to be – to sing as good as Bruce.
“So for the fans of Maiden to have this completely different voice and this different-sounding album with ‘The X Factor’ – I think it was difficult for many fans, but there were many fans that were, ‘Okay, this is the new singer, let’s give him a chance and see what he can do.’
“And there were other fans who were, ‘I already hate this guy and I haven’t heard him sing a note.’ Those people are still out there, that hate me. And I think, ‘Okay, if you hate what I do, that that means that it’s worthy of some strong emotional reaction.’
“And for all the people that really hate me and can’t stand me and hate what I did with Iron Maiden, there is another group of people that are completely opposite – they love my albums with Iron Maiden, ‘The X Factor’ is their favorite Iron Maiden album, and they love what I do now.
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“So as long as people hate me – I’m glad. Because then I know people will also love me.”
