Bride: Vipers And Shadows | More Lights Than Shadows
(The Father Of Bride Music – 2025)
The vitality that Bride has been demonstrating in recent times seems to know no limits. For several years now, they have been releasing one album better than the last, and whatever was missing from “Are You Awake?” is certainly present in this new album.
Inspiration is not a problem for the Thompson brothers; out of nowhere, they released 20 new songs on a double album, naming the first “Vipers” and the second “Shadows,” in a self-produced and completely independent production.
The album follows the line already traced with the previous album, but with a much more introspective and less explosive direction, although richer from a musical point of view. One could even say that on a much more comprehensive level, Bride dares to explore and delve deeper into different aspects of their own music, reaching new heights in terms of composition and arrangements in general. And then there’s a guy like Dale Thompson, who has aged well and whose vocal range has increased, even daring to experiment with different nuances of his powerful voice. Troy Thompson on the six strings also has his own thing going on, contributing different sounds, interesting riffs, intricate orchestrations, etc., as well as taking on the incorporation of a whole range of instruments (violin, cello, piano, keyboards, sitar, and mandolin!). The rest of the band accompanies him, perhaps in a secondary role, but no less important for that. Alexandre Aposan remains on drums, plus Nenel Lucena on bass.
Is there any way to separate the two albums? In other words, is there a “Vipers” and a “Shadows”? We believe it is difficult to differentiate between the two, although I would venture to say that perhaps ‘Shadows’ is the more experimental part of this double album, and “Vipers” maintains the classic Bride sound, although as I said, it is extremely
difficult to differentiate between them.
As for “Vipers,” its opening track, “Million Miles,” takes us to the less subtle, more direct and aggressive side of Bride. And not only that, but both “Anytime I Call On You” and “Take It Out On Me” show us a dense, overloaded, mid-tempo sound that reminds us a little of the “Kinetic Faith” era. Along the same lines are “Fall To The Pieces” and “No Better Time,” but with “Beginning Of Sorry,” it’s a different story; its more frenetic rhythm and different moods and sounds make it somewhat picturesque and different. I loved the ballad “Black Kiss,” which showcases Dale Thompson, revealing other facets of his voice, and a song that seems older than it is. The groove is present in “Wrath,” with a slow tempo but a firm and pounding base. “It’s A Living Hell” and the climactic and interesting “In One Life” complete this first part.
A frenetic percussion rhythm with an almost hypnotic riff welcomes us to the second disc called “Shadows.” “Whatcha Doin Out There” is responsible for such a welcome. Without a doubt, this second part is where Bride allows itself to explore a little further in terms of sound, and the compositions become much more intricate. There you have “Higher” and “Live And Love,” which, while maintaining the style we know Bride for, have a totally different structure and their conception does not follow a predefined line. “Deliverance From Evil” gives us a bouncy riff and one of Troy Thompson’s best guitar performances on the entire album. “Can You Stole The Fire” is a rap song reminiscent of the “Fist Full Of Bees” era, but with the difference of being more rock-oriented and sophisticated.
“Rescue Me” is where this quest to do something different is most evident. It’s a groovy track with layers underneath that make it an interesting piece. The classic Bride ballad can be found in “Tried So Hard,” with great string work and Dale Thompson’s heart-wrenching vocals; another of the album’s high points. The intensity is put to the test with “Name Of The Game,” and with “Tried On The Outside,” Bride takes a chance on something else. Towards the end, “All Of My Life” seems to be the most pretentious. It’s a piece that aims for a grandiloquent sound.
It is more than evident that, unlike previous works, with “Vipers And Shadows” Bride leaves intensity and speed aside, taking the difficult path of musical richness, at the risk of sounding boring. For us, this double album passes the test and deserves a few listens to discover everything it has to offer so as not to go unnoticed.
The production of this work is independent, “made at home” it seems, but with a phenomenal cover. Really striking and intriguing. This double edition does not have a booklet, as the information is transcribed on the album packaging itself, so we do not have the lyrics to the songs or any photos other than the one on the back cover. It could be said that this edition is austere enough to mention anything else about it.
As for the sound, Nenel Lucena was responsible for the engineering, mixing, and mastering, doing an excellent job. Unlike previous albums, “Vipers And Shadows” has a more modern, clear, and powerful sound. Thumbs up.
Unlike other bands that have been around for over 20 years, it seems that Bride is not content to live in the past but continues to aim for something more. It’s true that their current sound has a lot of the Bride we knew in the ’90s, but if “Are You Awake?” was a nod to that era, “Vipers And Shadows” guides us towards a different future for Bride, and of course, how could we not like it!
As it is an independent release, it is difficult to purchase this work in physical format, as it is only available on CD and in digital format, so we invite you to visit https://www.bridepub.com to get it.
