BRIDE
"End
of the Age" (Pure Metal; 1990)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Often a greatest hits package has songs on it that you would not pick as
the band's best work but since this is considered Christian Metal that never
really made it to the masses, those type of compilations can serve as a great place to start. Labeled as “Pure Metal” by the CCM, Bride are an act of raw guitars, screaming vocals and earthquake drums. They have a thrash element that is evident on a few tracks.
The solos are blistering and start with the demos that garnered the band their sound and then get progressively better as the disc rolls
on. The vocals are all metal but they do tend to get a little on the cheese grating side after a while
... but that’s was metal was doing back in the day. Bride is still around if you want to check them
out (website listed below).
If you like Guns N’ Roses, Cinderella, and L.A. Guns (and who doesn’t?) you will like Bride. They rock just as hard and you will do well by giving them a chance. The music is there if you want to rock and the message is there if you want to listen.
Bride: Dale Thompson – vocals; Troy Thompson – guitar – Jerry McBroom – drums.
For more information, check out http://www.bridepub.com.
"Silence
is Madness" (Millennium 8; 1989)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Bride's "Silence is Madness" was originally released in 1989 about the time when Stryper was showing the hard rock world that Christian music can be heavy as well.
Bride and Stryper have a lot in common: Both use chunky riffs, lightning leads and lots of Judas Priest clichés (ironic, isn't it?) in their songs. Both have a lead vocalist who has a high-pitched, screaming voice (Bride's Dale Thompson isn't nearly as screechy). And both feature lyrics that have more to do with Jesus than with devil worship. Again, Bride's lyrics are far less obvious than Stryper's.
This limited edition release (according to the CD itself, "only 2000 copies made" and, according to the label's website they "only have a few left") features the complete "Silence Is Madness" recording, two bonus tracks originally recorded for that record that have never before been released and six songs from Dale Thompson's 1983 solo album, "Lost In His Love." (Most of these tracks are considerably "wimpier" than the Bride material).
Bottom line - if you like Stryper's music, you'll like Bride. If you like music with a sound like 80s era Priest, Ratt, Nugent and Warrant - and you're not one of those people that thinks rock'n'roll has to be evil - then Bride is for you.
Bride is: Dale Thompson, Troy Thompson, Frankie Partpilo, Stephan Rolland.
For more information, check out http://www.m8.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
18 Nov 2024 12:18:22 -0500.
