Genuine Heavy Metal with Unique Vocals and Inspiring Messages - A Review of Blaze Bayley's War Within Me

Few people represent passion and resilience as well as Blaze Bayley who deserves much attention and support. However, his Infinite Entanglement trilogy might have received too much acclaim since the project got weaker as time went by and didn't impress me much with its exchangeable heavy metal by the numbers. It's a relief that War Within Me showcases a more adventurous, creative and memorable side of the singer's long career.

This album comes around with several highlights. Emotional power ballad ''Warrior'' for instance combines melodious musicianship with passionate vocals straight from the heart. 

''Pull Yourself Up'' is a simple but powerful heavy metal song with inspiring lyrics as Blaze Bayley knows how to overcome challenges and encourages his listeners to never give up in an authentic way. 

The melodic, playful and almost progressive ''The Unstoppable Stephen Hawking'' pays an honourable tribute to an outstanding person and is easily the best part of the scientific trilogy that can be considered the heartpiece of this new album. 

Album closer ''Every Storm Ends'' is by far the calmest song but delivers a strong lyrical message about optimism in times of hardship and ends a strong record on a memorable note.

War Within Me might not be Blaze Bayley's greatest album but it's certainly above average and the singer's greatest output in almost a decade. The musicianship offers genuine heavy metal with a few fitting variations while the dramatic and intense vocals complement the meaningful lyrics splendidly. The dynamic and organic production blends in perfectly as well. If you only know Blaze Bayley as the former singer of Iron Maiden, then you have missed out on some excellent music and should start your discovery right here with the very good War Within Me.

Final Rating: 80%