S05E02 - Smith / Kotzen

Regular release schedules are for suckers, that's what I've always said. Well, here's another episode we've been sitting on since Spring - oops. While the timeliness of us attending a Smith/Kotzen gig is hilariously dated, all of our thoughts on the side project are just as relevant as ever. So join us as we dig into Adrian Smith's latest side-gig! -- In the meantime, if you like what you do, why not support us in some way? You could join the Maiden Voyagers community on Instagram, @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

Well, well, well. Look who's come crawling back. ...us. It's us. We're crawling. Do you forgive us? We're finally ready to kick off a new season. Sort of..! Being completely honest, we can't guarantee any kind of regular cadence for this one, but we decided that - after sitting on this for a while - we'd get it in your ears all the same, in all it's comically outdated glory.  Uh, enjoy? --- In the meantime, if you like what you do, why not support us in some way? You could join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod (our main home) Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers All the more important with EddFest next week!

You didn't think we were going to make you wait two weeks, did you? Oh, you. No, this time we're being uncharacteristically ahead of time and jumping back in to Iron Maiden's A Matter of Life and Death. No albums left behind! This is the last episode for this "season", we're going to regroup a little and figure out what's coming next (other than The Final Frontier, of course). It's been lovely hearing from you all since last week's episode, we'll try not to be gone too long!   In the meantime, if you like what you do, why not support us in some way? You could join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers  Anything helps make us more visible!

They said it'd never happen! They said it couldn't be done! They said the podcast was dead! They were wrong!   ...ahem. Yes, faithful listeners, we are finally back to tackle Iron Maiden's 2006 album, A Matter of Life and Death. For whatever reason, recording these episodes was completely cursed but we finally got a chance to sit down at the end of last year and crack on.  And boy, do we waffle on. Both episodes on the album are dead long, so join us as we make up for a few months of inactivity with a couple of bumper episodes - Part 2 drops next week! -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

This week, your voyagers continue their trip into Bruce Dickinson's solo discography with their second part exploring Balls to Picasso and its recent reimagining, the imaginatively titled More Balls to Picasso. Join them as they dive in to the material proper this time, both in its original and gussied up 2025 forms, along with some other nonsense. -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

With its recent reimagined re-release, it seemed only fitting that Bledd and Sam take a look at Bruce Dickinson's idiosyncratic second album, Balls To Picasso. Join the Maiden Voyagers in the first of this two part side-quest as they look at the album's troubled development and discuss the two other albums that could have been! -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

Is it just me or does it feel like this season is lasting forever? But hey, after another impromptu break for unexplained reasons (blame life), we are back to provide your regularly scheduled Iron Maiden-themed idiocy. Well, sort of..! This week, Bledd and Sam recount their pilgrimage down to That London to catch the lads play one hell of a homecoming show. They also take a little bit of a detour to comment on another homecoming show, Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning and take a moment to discuss Ozzy's legacy following his recent passing.  ...what's that? You're still waiting for A Matter of Life and Death? Look, it's coming. We promise. But first this. And then More Balls to Picasso. Why? Because it's our show and we can make all the terrible decisions we want. (Please keep listening to our nonsense) -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

Let's rewind the clock a bit. We've covered Brave New World already - but in the immediate aftermath of Bruce Dickinson's return to Iron Maiden, what happened to Blaze Bayley? Well, who better to tell us than the man himself. Determined to forge onwards, Blaze immediately got to work putting together his solo debut, Silicon Messiah. A slab of heavy and traditional metal, the album has seen a real resurgence in recent years, but how Silicon Messiah received at the time? Blaze Bayley joins us to tell all as we delve right in to it. A huge thank you to Blaze for joining us and for his management making it happen - it was a real treat for us. You can keep up to date on everything Blaze at BlazeBayley.net -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram (our main home these days): @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

Yes, yes, these episode titles are getting bad. What do you want from me? This week, we're joined by Adam Blackwood, vocalist of gnarly death metal band Angron. Join us as we chat all things guttural and the influence of Maiden's songwriting, while Sam says 'like' far too much. There's a lot of laughs, too. Lovely stuff. You can find Angron's music on Bandcamp and Spotify, plus follow them on Instagram. -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram (our main home these days): @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers 

It's an unexpected bumper bill of an episode! With the Run For Your Lives tour in full swing and Maiden marking their 50th anniversary, we thought what better way to mark the occasion than jump all the way right to the studio beginning with 'The Soundhouse Tapes'? We dive into the EP's history, its legacy and of course the music itself. But that's not all! We've got a hype check on the current tour, some very exciting podcast news, a brief return of Pedant's Corner and of course Be Quiz or Be Dead. Get stuck in! SPOILER WARNING: We discuss the Run For Your Lives setlist between 06:10 - 14:25, so avoid that if you've somehow managed to avoid hearing what's on the tour so far! -- Enjoy the show? Join the Maiden Voyagers community on social media: Instagram: @maidenpod Bluesky: @maidenpod.bsky.social X: @maidenpod Or you can email the show on [email protected] You can also help top up our Trooper fund on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maidenvoyagers