By Chris Gatto<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bride has been a prolific band this year. With\u00a0Vipers and Shadows<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>the band\u2019s first double album, and\u00a0Lost Reels 4,\u00a0<\/em>that\u2019s 30 new Bride songs in 2025. Although live Bride shows stateside have been brothers Dale and Troy Thompson, Frank Partipilo, and Michael Loy, for the studio albums Dale and Troy have been employing their Brazilian friends Nenel Lucena on bass, Alexander Aposan on drums, and Juan Carllos (Oficina G3) played keyboards on \u201cRescue Me.\u201d (Juan also recently played with King James live at Immortal Fest, part 2.)\u00a0Vipers<\/em>\u00a0is a bit of a departure stylistically from the last 3 albums or so, those being on the metallic side. Fans of the band know that they refuse to rest on their laurels and never stop stretching themselves creatively. So, if you\u2019re a die-hard metal fan and\u00a0Drop<\/em>\u00a0made no sense to you, you\u2019ll probably call this \u201crock\u201d like that\u2019s a slam and plug up your ears. However, I think the key to Bride\u2019s music is that it\u2019s always groove oriented, regardless of the style, or whatever crazy instruments Troy employs on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMillion Miles\u201d opens disc 1 (Vipers<\/em>) and is the speediest song on the whole endeavor, a segue from the music of the last few albums, if you will. The rest of the album settles into a deep groove. Most of it is slower paced. Some is downright bluesy, if you\u2019re even slightly familiar with any of Dale\u2019s solo efforts. Dale\u2019s vocals are still as strong as ever. His opinions are too, and we all know his views theologically, vis a vis universalism, so I will not pore over the lyrics like I might with another christian band. Bride does best when they have a catchy chorus that sticks in your head and \u201cAnytime I Call On You\u201d and \u201cTake It Out On Me\u201d definitely fit that bill. \u201cBlack Kiss\u201d is the Bon-Jovi style ballad. \u201cIt\u2019s A Living Hell\u201d gets a little repetitive and \u201cIn One Life\u201d ends disc 1 quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disc 2 (Shadows<\/em>) starts strong with \u201cWhatcha Doin\u2019 Out There,\u201d which reminds me of \u201cWe\u2019re All Gonna Die\u201d from Are You Awake<\/em>. \u201cLive and Love\u201d is more of that heavy, heavy bass line like an anchor. \u201cDeliver Us From Evil\u201d and \u201cCan You Stoke the Fire\u201d are the shining gems on this disc with a familiar sound like some of the band\u2019s more famous albums have bled through. \u201cRescue Me\u201d resonates with the listener: \u201cThe devil\u2019s not your friend. Satan is a counterfeit…I know how this ends. Come, Lord Jesus, rescue me.\u201d With \u201cTried So Hard\u201d Troy flirts with country, while Dale\u2019s bluesy rasp drips with emotion. \u201cName of the Game\u201d rocks. \u201cTried on the Outside\u201d will remind you of a more restrained \u201cEverybody Knows My Name.\u201d \u201cAll My Life\u201d ends the album strong, proclaiming \u201cI don\u2019t want to fight. Leave me alone. I just wanna live. I just wanna love. I just wanna give all my life\u2026\u201d Vipers and Shadows<\/em> is proof that Bride is not done by a long shot. They are still growing, evolving, and putting out potent material. Some listeners are not going to understand the style changes, sure, and for some bands- like AC\/DC- it works to keep punching out music in the same style for decades. For Bride, it doesn\u2019t. Dale and Troy have to be their creative selves. Slow burner for me, but eventually I \u201cgot it.\u201d This was also released on a colored double vinyl by Retroactive Records<\/a>. Get yourself the vinyls and headphones for the best listening experience. (cd- indie, vinyl-Retroactive Records)<\/p>\n\n\n\n