| Musical Style: Heavy Metal | Produced By: Armand John Petri |
| Record Label: Pure Metal / Retroactive | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 1989 / 2021 | Artist Website: Bride |
| Tracks: 13 | Rating: 85% |
| Running Time: 51:48 |
If you think about the eighties hard music scene, many fans and critics think of melodic metal. As in ‘hair metal’, ‘pop metal’ and ‘glam metal’ in varying forms to have dominated FM radio and MTV back in the day. One stark exception to the musical rule of the time was Louisville, Kentucky based Bride. The band was synonymous for articulating straight on heavy metal with a fondness for that on the thrash, speed and Gothic side of things in an era when most bands were cemented in pop-influenced catchy hooks, radio friendly power ballads and a 70’s glam rock image. Bride’s 1986 Pure Metal debut Show No Mercy is notable for its darker, Gothic tinted metal sound and high end vocals, while 1988 follow up effort Live To Die (also Pure Metal) upped heaviness to speed and thrash territory with a similar vocal acclivity.
Bride in my opinion put it all together on its 1989 third Pure Metal offering Silence Is Madness with a choice joining of guitar driven fortitude and unmistakable songwriting to draw upon all aspects of its first two albums. Catchy melodic heavy metal masterpiece “Fool Me Once”, equally masterful hard edges of “Under The Influence” and bluesy metal cut “Hot Down South” stand out in this capacity. “Evil Dreams”, “All Hallow’s Eve” and “No More Nightmares” shine as straight on heavy metal with moderate thrash hints and every bit adept melodies. Albums title track dominates with its unequivocal power. Outside the box but still good - and foreshadowing direction Bride would take in the early 90’s - is the traditional blues of “Rock Those Blues Away”.
Group carries over its strong performance from Live To Die. Front man Dale Thompson continues to stretch and grow in backing from some of the high pitched and soaring focus of the first two albums, noting how in my opinion his Live To Die performance was brilliant, in favor of a more varied balance between that high-end and mid-ranged. Guitarist Steve Osborne departed Bride subsequent to Live To Die, leaving brother Troy Thompson to capably handle majority of albums guitar duties. Guest guitarist Rob Johnson was recruited to assist on lead guitar on half of albums tracks- and quite well at that!
Silence Is Madness first saw re-issue in 2000 on M8 Records with eight bonus tracks and second time in 2011 on Retroactive Records in the digi-pak format but no bonus tracks. A Gold Disc Edition third re-issued from fall of 2021 also on Retroactive comes with a foil stamped trading card, four bonus tracks and expanded packaging (noting work of Scott Waters of No Life Tile Metal graphics) to feature vintage band photos and third part of an interview with Dale. First and second interviews can be found in the Retroactive re-issues to Show No Mercy and Live To Die also from fall of 2021. Re-mastering, attributing to Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound, improves upon an already very good product in yielding the brighter and crisper sound to provide added backbone to bass, firmer rhythm guitar and added clarity to drums.
Track By Track
“Fool Me Once” delivers the melodic heavy metal goods: melodic in terms of the compelling indications to its chorus but metal from standpoint of the muscular riffs to take hold its length. Rounding things out is a shred guitar solo. It adds up to one of the more overlooked tracks in Bride’s repertoire. Lyric snippet:
All the gods have fallen
Grace trampled under feet
Stepping down, making lies
Lips speaking in deceit
Gods of silver, gods of gold
Donations sell your soul
They try to tell us what to do
They'll never take me for al fool
Religion, forgiven, paradise living
Dynasty, make-believe, spiritual fantasy
Bluesy metal would be best manner in which to describe “Hot Down South”. Pace tapers somewhat, reflected in the songs concentrated bass heavy verses; when impetus picks up, it is for an emotionally charged chorus energized by gritty rhythm guitar. This one would fit nicely on Snakes In The Playground. Lyric snippet:
She gave the devil her soul now she's crying
Voodoo in Louisiana, she's dying
Lost her dreams, torture and screams
Broken promises he's lying
Clipped her wings now she's falling
She is deaf the Savior is calling
Satan won the bet, on his private jet
Good-bye to ballroom waltzing
It's hot down south tonight
Albums title track dominates. “Silence Is Madness” starts in similar fashion to Live To Die track “Heroes” from also featuring a creepy voice over opening. It is full on metal remainder of the way, not albums catchiest but still certain to draw in with the powerful delivery and no-nonsense appeal. Lyric snippet:
There is a town where no man walks
The streets are silent and the walls don't talk
Still in the past a ghost may wait
To open the door or close the gate
And though time has passed them by
A day will come when the secretes will die
Upon the mountain strong and high
In the darkness the mystery lies
Silence is madness
Silence is madness around the world
“Until The End We Rock” is my albums least favorite. Perhaps it is the cliché ridden title or simplistic song structure (at least in comparison to much of the material here), but I have never grown into this one despite passing of several decades. That said, there are those who embrace the song (passion to Dale’s vocals cannot be denied).
“Evil Dreams” separates as a swarthy and haunting plodder. It starts with the chorus - punchy, terse and gripping all the same - but inclusive of its shadowy underpinnings and occasional bluesy guitar outbursts. I am even tolerant of the ‘rap interlude’ at the halfway point, which you have to hear to believe. What we have is a classic example of Bride songwriting at its best.
If I were to compile a list of my favorite Bride songs “Under The Influence” would be at or near the top. It represents classic eighties heavy metal all the way, perseverant and forceful but not to the point of overbearing. Hook driven and deserving of radio play all the same but also not held back by any commercial hints, “Under The Influence” should have been a hit back in the day.
The sky grew black and like an engine humming
I could tell it was my time
I could hear the sound of my heart beat thumping
And the echoes in my mind
Just like the prophet spoke, babe it's not a joke
Don't take another sip of wine
You better leave the bottle
Cause it's coming full throttle
And it's going to mess with your mind
“All Hallows Eve” maintains the excellence. Song brings back some of the Live To Die thrash elements, particularly for the bone crushing opening seconds with crescendos of pounding drums. Remainder distance we have another darker metal slab upheld by Dale’s portentous vocals and extended instrumental passage ending to eerie choir-like vocals. If ever the music matches a songs title this would be it. Lyric snippet:
This black day is a special one
Tric or treat the house of fun
Dress up, make up, costume delight
Poison kids until midnight
Little do they know, what it really means
Rip your heart out, at its very seams
This is the night, they all come to meet
To wager and practice, their mystical deceit
“No More Nightmares” picks up pace to an underscoring bass line refusing to go way. Intensely delivered during its verse sections as momentum builds, song culminates for an ethereal chorus accented by keyboards on the ill-boding side of things. Angst laden lead guitar adds to the foreboding scene. Lyric snippet:
The night is alive
It calls out your name
Say your prayer
To ease your pain
I try to hold on one more day
I pray the vision will fade away
So afraid to close my eyes
I don't want to die
No more nightmares
No more crime
“Rock Those Blues Way” closes the album in blues-rock fashion. No, not Kinetic Faith (Bride’s 1991 follow up release) style blues based hard rock but rather traditional blues with complementary doses of harmonica, Gospel backing vocals and Hammond B3. It works- put it on any Glenn Kaiser Band album and it would sound at home. I would like to hear this one live.
Four bonus tracks take a bluesy hard rock focus akin to Kinetic Faith. “Dirty” storms out of the gate to a boogie-flavored ardor with torrents of vivid hooks and electrifying lead guitar, while “Good Rock ‘N’ Roll” ups the bluesy focal point with its grainy guitars and soulful vocal signatures and “18 And (On Her Own)” heaviness in terms of intrusive guitars and assailing refrain. Amazing how much good material Bride left on the cutting room floor.
Best of the bunch is “Same ‘Ol Sinner” to make its initial appearance on 1990 Bride compilation End Of The Age. It makes a harmonica laced mid-paced demeanor its focal point in maintaining the same recognizable melody but also differs in light of the double kick drum at the end.
Silence Is Madness is my favorite of the three eighties era Bride releases, keeping in mind predecessors Show No Mercy and Live To Die are musically solid and not without merit when placed alongside. What separates the album, at least for this reviewer, is the abundance of great songs: “Fool Me Once”, Under The Influence”, “Hot Down South Tonight”, “Evil Dreams”, “All Hallow’s Eve” and “No More Nightmares”. Quality re-mastering and packaging to the Retroactive re-issue (not to mention bonus tracks) adds that much more value to an already very good album.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: “Fool Me Once” (3:57), “Hot Down South Tonight” (3:10), “Silence Is Madness” (5:15), “Until The End We Rock” (3:10), “Evil Dreams” (4:04), “Under The Influence” (4:03), “All Hallow’s Eve” (5:10), “No More Nightmares” (4:12), “Rock Those Blues Away” (5:35), “Dirty” (demo) (2:58), “Good Rock ‘N’ Roll” (demo) (3:06), “18 And (On Her Own)” (demo) 3:00), “Same ‘Ol Sinner” (3:48)
Musician
Dale Thompson - Vocals
Troy Thompson - Guitars
Frankie Partipillo - Bass
Stephen Rolland - Drums
Guest Musician
Rob Johnson - Guitars
John Caruso - Bass
Armand Jon Petri - Keyboards
Bill “Bolan” Scott - Harmonica
