Musical Style: Heavy Metal	Produced By: Armand John Petri
Record Label: Pure Metal	Country Of Origin: USA
Year Released: 1989	Artist Website: Bride
Tracks: 9	Rating: 75%
Running Time: 39:11

West Point, Kentucky based Bride did not start to come into its own from a musical standpoint until its very fine 1989 outing Silence Is Madness. Abandoning many of the overriding thrash elements found on its 1988 sophomore release Live To Die, the album finds Bride moving in a mostly classic metal direction while reflecting an occasional groove flavored or blues based influence as well. Catchy hooks abound, best showcased on energetic hard rockers such as “Fool Me Once”, “Hot Down South Tonight” and “Under The Influence”. “Evil Dreams”, “All Hallow’s Eve” and “No More Nightmares”, on the other hand, give rise to a haunting if not portent atmosphere while exhibiting in no uncertain terms the bands creative songwriting skills. Bride even delivers a heavy blues heavy rocker in “Rock Those Blues Away” and pulls it off without a hitch.

Lead vocalist Dale Thompson continues to bring his high pitched and at times operatic lead vocal style, his performance reflecting the added growth and maturity gained in his vocal delivery since the release of the bands 1986 debut Show No Mercy. As a result of the departure of shredder Steve Osborne following the release of Live To Die, the underrated Troy Thompson now takes on lead guitar duties, contributing his gritty style of soloing to four of the albums tracks. Rob Johnson was brought in to fill in on lead guitar on the five others and helps bring out the best in “Evil Dreams” and “No More Nightmares” with his fiery playing. While I am uncertain if this is the same Rob Johnson who is currently part of the Ohio based power/progressive metal outfit Magnitude 9, I cannot help but notice a striking similarity between the styles of the two. Bassist Frankie Partipilo and drummer Stephan Rolland return as the bands rhythm section.

Production values, while far from bad, reflect a slightly raw and low budget feel.  The rhythm guitar, for example, could have come across fuller and edgier and the drums cleaner and more pronounced.

“Fool Me Once” gets the album underway to a pounding riff before quickly moving through its first verse to Dale’s rapid fire vocal delivery.  Repeating its punchy bridge twice, “Fool Me Once” transitions to a metal-laced chorus with a catchy refuse to go away hook.  I like how Johnson’s lead guitar work is allowed to bounce between the left and right channel.  “Fool Me Once” focuses on televangelists:

Gods of silver, Gods of gold
Donations sell your soul
They try to tell us what to do
They’ll never take me for a fool

Don’t you see what they’ve become
All the damage that they have done
You know what gives my spine a chill
I see them getting richer still

“Hot Down South Tonight” brings a bluesy and groove flavored vibe that foreshadows the musical direction Bride would take on its 1991 follow up effort Kinetic Faith.  Fading in to a brief drum solo, the song tapers off to a pronounced bass line as the rhythm guitar drops from the mix upon reaching its first verse.  Picking up in pace as the rhythm guitar returns with just the right amount of edge, “Hot Down South Tonight” obtains one of those great, catchy choruses you will be challenged to ride of your mind.  The song talks about a girl who became a star but lost her soul in the process:

Clipped her wings now she’s falling
She is deaf, the Saviour is calling
Satan won the bet, on his private jet
Goodbye to ballroom waltzing

Bought an acre in a place called hell
They say that everyone’s soul is for sale
If greed’s our dream we may be awakened
To find it vanished and ourselves mistaken

The whispered narration opening the albums title track gives way to a foreboding if not ominous ambience that brings to mind the introduction to “Heroes” (from Live To Die).  Kicking in to an edgy rhythm guitar, “Silence Is Madness” moves through its verse portions at a moody mid-tempo pace prior to gaining momentum for a chorus that is repeated twice in near heavy handed fashion.  Johnson’s lead guitar work at the start of an extensive instrumental section gives way to a very well done bass guitar solo. 

“Until The End We Rock" is the only track here I tend to skip over.  Taking off to a scream from Dale, the song moves ahead at a more subdued and laid back tempo until it attains a chorus that does not quite hold up due to the slight pedestrian feel to its delivery.  In the end, “Until The End We Rock” fails to generate the power and charisma characteristic of the albums better material.
 
The haunting “Evil Dreams” begins to a hard rocking blend of rhythm guitar and drums that segues to several seconds of bluesy lead guitar.  Forging through its first verse in an unrelenting manner, “Evil Dreams” smoothly flows to a hook filled chorus giving rise to a vitriolic but groove flavored vibe.  Johnson pulls out all the stops with a nice stretch of blazing lead guitar work.  I like everything about this song – the hook, the riff, the solo and lyrics – with the lone exception being the rap based vocal delivery found at its halfway point.  “Evil Dreams” deals with an individual dreaming of power authority:

All my life I’ve searched for power
The ability to do or act
To gain control over the simple ones
To show the wise fiction from fact

Every day my energy was released
So effective but very deceiving
Honest expression to cheat the children
Foist upon to leave the mothers grieving

“Under The Influence” is by far the albums best track.  Introduced to several seconds of open air rhythm guitar, a resonant environment is put in place as the song grooves through its first verse and the showy bridge that follows.  A predominant chorus delivered with a ton of grit and attitude will pull you in and refuse to let go.  Troy delivers the goods with his tenacious work on lead guitar.  As its title implies, driving and driving is the subject matter to “Under The Influence”:

Just like the prophet spoke, babe, it’s not a joke
Don’t’ take another sip of wine
You better leave the bottle ‘cause its coming full throttle
And it’s going to mess with your mind

Under the influence
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Killing the innocent
No, no, no

“All Hallow’s Eve”, which appeared on Bride’s second demo when it was known as Matrix, reflects a thrash influence similar to some of the material on Live To Die.  Commencing to a slowly moving, almost doom tinctured riff that gradually builds in intensity, “All Hallows Eve” breaks out in portent fashion before an anthem-like riff muscles it to a rousing chorus backed by a haunted mix of vocal harmonies.  Bride showcases the strength of its instrumental sound during the subsequent two minute instrumental section.  Very creative composition with a bit of a progressive edge to it.  “All Hallow’s Eve” attempts to warn the listener about the true meaning of Halloween:

This black day is a special one
Trick 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 seam
This is the night, they all come to meet
To wager and practice, their mystical deceit

“No More Nightmares” immediately kicks in at an upbeat tempo, a pronounced bass line pushing the song ahead until an energetic swell of rhythm guitar drives it to a punchy chorus holding up as a result of the ominous manner in which it is delivered.  After the song breaks for a spoken word interlude, it moves on to an instrumental section carried by Johnson’s radiant lead guitar work.

“Rock Those Blues Away” is a terrific blues based hard rocker certain to appeal to fans of Glenn Kaiser Band and Darrell Mansfield.  Dale adds some grit and gravel to his vocal delivery as a harmonica blended with a touch of organ slowly compels the song to a chorus effectively fortified by soulful vocal harmonies.  While “Rock Those Blues Away” is somewhat of a departure from the classic Bride sound, it proves an enjoyable and compelling composition nonetheless.  The lyrics here focus on a wino who has found a new life- literally “rocking those blues away”:

I don’t need no doctor, to tell me I’m a sick man
Don’t need no doctor to give me a helping hand
I need to roll those blues
Rock those blues away

I don’t need no bottle talking to me
I don’t need no bottle, full of misery.

I find the better material on Silence Is Madness, for a lack of better words, to be great in that tracks such as “Fool Me Once”, “Hot Down South Tonight”, “Evil Dreams”, “Under The Influence”, “All Hallows Eve” and “No More Nightmares” are nothing less than first rate.  In the end, however, I am left with the feeling of wanting more in that the album is not only a bit short in featuring just 9 songs but I tend to hit the skip button once or twice as well.  Bride, ultimately, exhibits the growth and maturity in its performance and songwriting skills which led to some of the most noteworthy work of is career on the follow up efforts Kinetic Faith and Snakes In The Playground.

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)

Musician
Dale Thompson – Vocals
Troy Thompson – Guitars
Frankie Partipilo – Bass
Stephen Rolland – Drums

Guest Musician
Rob Johnson – Guitars
John Caruso - Bass
Armand Jon Petri - Keyboards
Bill “Bolan” Scott – Harmonica

Also Reviewed: Bride – Show No Mercy, Bride – Live To Die, Bride - Kinetic Faith, Bride - Snakes In The Playground, Bride – This Is It, Bride – Skin For Skin

Reference List
Van Pelt, Doug. “Here Comes Bride.” Heaven’s Metal  22 (1989): 8-11.