Blaze Bayley With Thomas Zwijsen

December Wind Blaze Bayley Gusts of gusto.

In the two decades since his departure from Iron Maiden, singer Blaze Bayley has established himself as a reliable purveyor of robust, traditional metal with contemporary touches. December Wind is his second acoustic collaboration with classical guitarist Thomas Zwijsen; their Russian Holiday EP (also included here) featured one new track alongside adaptations of electric material, but this time the duo offer seven songs written specifically for the format, with a well-suited reworking of Maiden’s 2 AM. Zwijsen approaches the material from the classical tradition, creating a dark, melodic backdrop of intricate fingerpicking and flamenco flourishes, over which Bayley’s sonorous baritone resonates with appropriate melodrama (We Fell From The Sky) or restraint (the title track).

A curveball worth catching.