The unstoppable Blaze Bayley strikes again with another majestic album, describing human frailty, resilience, courage, and gratitude while also searching for the truth in the heart of the circle of tall stones.

Recent times have been a rollercoaster ride for Heavy Metal icon Blaze Bayley. Following on from the successful Infinite Entanglement trilogy from 2016 to 2018, he then moved further forward with the 2021 critically-acclaimed album War Within Me, whilst touring worldwide. However, he then suffered a severe heart attack early in 2023, requiring life-saving quadruple bypass surgery, and after months of recovery our beloved Blaze and his henchmen Chris Appleton and Luke Appleton on the guitars, Karl Schramm on bass, and Martin McNee on drums are finally back with another breathtaking album, titled Circle of Stone. Produced, mixed and engineered by Chris Appleton (and co-produced by Blaze), mastered by Ade Emsley at Table Of Tone Mastering, and displaying another classy artwork by longtime collaborator Alberto Quirantes of Akirant Illustration, Circle of Stone is a work of two halves according to Blaze himself. “Side one comprises six unconnected songs that describe human frailty, resilience, courage, and gratitude,” commented Blaze, while “side two contains six connected songs that tell the story of our forgotten tribe; a search for the truth in the heart of the circle of tall stones.”

It’s already pedal to the metal to the combustible riffs by Chirs and Luke in the opening tune Mind Reader, a high energy, inspiring song where Blaze proves he’s an unbeatable warrior while Martin dictates the song’s dancing, electrifying rhythm with his classic beats. And it looks like the album will be a thrilling metal feast as their rockin’ vein pulses harder than ever in Tears in Rain, again showcasing the amazing dynamics between Chirs, Luke and Karl with their stringed axes; followed by Rage, telling the story from Welsh folklore of Gelert the faithful hound and his unfortunate demise at the hands of his beloved owner Prince Llewelyn, with tons of sadness and regret flowing from Blaze’s outstanding vocals. Blaze keeps distilling his classic, undisputed Heavy Metal in The Year Beyond This Year, another fighting hymn presenting the striking riffs and solos by the Appleton Brothers, whereas more of their incendiary, ripping riffage is offered to our avid ears in the galloping tune Ghost in the Bottle, an amazing option for their live concerts. And slowing things down it’s time for the melancholic The Broken Man, presenting Blaze’s more introspective, poetic side in a decent ballad crafted by the band.

Featuring guest vocals by Niklas Stålvind (of Wolf) and bagpipes by Vicky Kennerley, The Call of the Ancestors is a powerful introduction to the second half of the album, flowing into the title-track Circle of Stone, a mid-tempo, heavy-as-hell and absolutely epic creation by Blaze and his henchmen where Blaze and Niklas make a fantastic vocal duet, making it impossible not to raise our fists together with the band during the entire song; and their epicness and infinite energy goes on in Absence, where the guitars by Luke and Chris beautifully reverberate in the air supported by the thunderous kitchen by Karl and Martin. Niklas then returns for his second guest appearance in A Day of Reckoning, bringing forward five minutes of deep, meaningful lyrics masterfully declaimed by Blaze while Martin hammers his drums nonstop, therefore inspiring us all to headbang like true metalmaniacs. Back to a more rockin’, metallic vibe, the quintet blasts our damned ears with The Path of the Righteous Man, a top-of-the-line Heavy Metal extravaganza where Blaze’s vocals overflow energy and passion, always accompanied by the razor-edged riffs by the band’s incendiary guitar duo; whereas lastly, featuring guest vocals by Tammy-Rae Bois and the whimsical violin by Anne Bakker, Blaze offers us all another dark and delicate ballad titled Until We Meet Again, putting a climatic and enfolding ending to the album.

Ladies and gentlemen (or whatever way you prefer to be called), our beloved Blaze Bayley did it again, delivering top-of-the-line, soulful and electrifying Heavy Metal in Circle of Stone for our total delight, and the fact he just survived a scary heart attack last year makes the whole album even more special to us fans of one of the best vocalists and lyricists in heavy music, and by far one of the most hardworking musicians worldwide. Hence, in order to show the unstoppable messiah our utmost love and admiration, don’t forget to give him (and the rest of the band, of course) a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream such beautiful album as many times as you want on Spotify, or on any other streaming platform, and to grab your favorite version of the album from his own webstore, including some amazing bundles that only prove how dedicated Blaze is to his fanbase. Blaze Bayley cannot be stopped, he’s one of the driving forces of the current Heavy Metal scene, and Circle of Stone is another bold statement of his undeniable passion for heavy music. In other words, he is definitely the heart of the circle of tall stones of heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Mind Reader, Tears in Rain, Ghost in the Bottle and The Path of the Righteous Man.

Worst moments of the album: The Broken Man.

Released in 2024 Blaze Bayley Recordings

Track listing
1. Mind Reader 2:46
2. Tears in Rain 3:06
3. Rage 3:57
4. The Year Beyond This Year 3:06
5. Ghost in the Bottle 3:20
6. The Broken Man 5:46
7. The Call of the Ancestors 1:52
8. Circle of Stone 3:29
9. Absence 3:27
10. A Day of Reckoning 5:04
11. The Path of the Righteous Man 3:43
12. Until We Meet Again 4:32

Band members
Blaze Bayley – vocals
Chris Appleton – guitars, backing vocals
Luke Appleton – guitars, backing vocals
Karl Schramm – bass, backing vocals
Martin McNee – drums

Guest musicians
Niklas Stålvind – additional vocals on “Circle of Stone”, “Call of the Ancestors” and “A Day of Reckoning”
Tammy-Rae Bois – additional vocals on “Until We Meet Again”
Anne Bakker – violin on “Rage” and “Until We Meet Again”
Vicky Kennerley – bagpipes on “The Call of the Ancestors”