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Bride made a name for themselves in the early to mid 90s releasing memorable classics such as
Snakes in the Playground and Scarecrow Messiah. Initially, they started out as a dark metal band with a
sound similar to Dio (former lead singer of Black Sabbath) on their debut album Show No Mercy in 1986 and
Live to Die in 1987. Kinetic Faith is where Bride began a new chapter with a more commercial hard rock
sound, although they still had plenty of surprises available to the diehard fans. Their newest album, Tsar Bomba,
is quite a departure from the Bride we knew in the 90s. It's still Bride, but it's a little heavier than past efforts,
and it has a sound that would share a place with bands like Deliverance.
"Industrial Christ" and "All We Are" are straightforward tunes that sound like something that could easily fit
on the Scarecrow Messiah album. Both tunes are a good way to begin Tsar Bomba. Much like Relient K's
Forget and Not Slow Down, Bride has many small instrumental tracks on album ("Prokofiev," "1973," "Bach Minuet," etc.).
"Never" is a song that covers issues such as people underestimating what they don't know such as the power of God.
The sound is very reminiscent of Alice in Chain's "Man in the Box."
Later, the album provides a more melodious song, "Downward," complete with piano accompaniment. It's one of Bride's
most memorable ballads in recent years since "Goodbye" on Snakes in the Playground. Bride seems to have a well
balanced album here as they continue the album by offering songs, "Look in My Head," "We Are the People," and "When I was a
Kid" that would easily please fans from the past.
Unlike musicians from older generations, Bride has given listeners something that is truly unique
and different than past projects. Tsar Bomba doesn't have a tired sound that many bands seem to invoke after
20 years. Bride brings the diehard fans something to appreciate and some material that might astound listeners considering
the band's age. This could be Bride's best album since Scarecrow Messiah. Fans of Bride, Alice in Chains, and
Disciple should appreciate this massive 67-minute event.
- Review date: 1/10/10, written by Wayne Myatt of Jesusfreakhideout.com
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Bride reigned as one of the top metal acts in the Christian industry in the early 90s. The band's best efforts
are arguably Snakes in the Playground and Scarecrow Messiah, but the metal act seems to have struggled
with each album since then to recreate the magic captured on those albums. Moments on a few follow-up records did get
close, but for the most part, it's been an uphill battle for Bride. Tsar Bomba doesn't do much
to help things, either. While it has a few standout tracks - like "Industrial Christ," "All We Are," and "Last Thing That I Feel"
- it's things like Dale Thompson's rough and worn
vocals that are regrettably unable to perform the kind of jawdropping feats they once could. The instrumentals (which there are too many of) don't
really add much to the album either, other than to break up the onslaught of metal-flavored hard rock. Tsar Bomba isn't
necessarily a bad rock record, but it's not a great Bride record either. When you have a band who has
produced some amazing songs ("I Miss The Rain," "Would You Die For Me," "Beast," "Thorns," "Murder," to name a few),
material like that found on Tsar Bomba is pretty much just disappointing. It's a record worth checking out,
especially for the most devoted Bride fans, but ultimately, it's not the grand finale many were hoping for on Bride's
reported final album.
- John DiBiase
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Record Label: Retroactive Records
