''Silicon Messiah'' is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Blaze, released in 2000. Original Japanese and South American pressings included bonus tracks: "The Day I Fell to Earth" was included in both territories, while South American pressings additionally included "Motherfuckers R Us" and a live cover of the Wolfsbane song "Steel", along with an interactive track. With the exception of the interactive track, these bonus tracks were subsequently reissued internationally on the 15th anniversary edition of the album in 2015. The cover artwork on the album features an image of

Blaze Bayley Blaze Bayley (born Bayley Alexander Cooke, 29 May 1963) is an English heavy metal singer. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994 (and currently since 2010, following reunions in 2007 and 2009). He was also the lead singer of Ir ...

with his skin coloured blue and covered with computer circuitry.

Writing

The song "Born As a Stranger" is based on the Robert A. Heinlein novel ''

Stranger in a Strange Land ''Stranger in a Strange Land'' is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by ...

'' and was originally intended for

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

began writing the track for his intended third album with the band, but when he was replaced as lead singer by the returning

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stag ...

, Bayley instead repurposed the song for ''Silicon Messiah''. Bayley's tenure with Iron Maiden also informed the bonus tracks "The Day I Fell to Earth", which deals with his abrupt departure from the band, and "Motherfuckers R Us", which recalls a concert on the North American leg of the Virtual XI World Tour. Other influences on the album include ''

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' (retroactively retitled ''Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' in some later printings) is a dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in 1968. The ...

'' by

Philip K. Dick Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

, which inspired the song "Identity", and the film ''

Gattaca ''Gattaca'' is a 1997 American dystopian science fiction thriller film written and directed by Andrew Niccol in his filmmaking debut. It stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman with Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Alan Arki ...

'', upon which both "Reach for the Horizon" and "The Launch" were based.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals *Steve Wray – guitar *John Slater – guitar *Rob Naylor – bass * Jeff Singer – drums

References

Blaze Bayley albums 2000 debut albums SPV/Steamhammer albums Albums produced by Andy Sneap {{2000s-metal-album-stub