Unlike their numerous Christian metal peers from the 1980s such as Stryper and Barren Cross, Louisville, Kentucky’s Bride have sustained their faith-driven message for nearly two decades without breaks caused by lineup changes or shifts in musical direction. Brothers Dale on vocals and Troy Thompson on guitar, who first operated under the name Matrix, began composing material as far back as 1983. Three years of low-profile work followed, during which they produced demos sold at live shows and advertised in Contemporary Christian Music magazine, before Refuge Records finally signed them. The label responded by launching a specialized subsidiary called Pure Metal expressly for the group, which at that point also included guitarist Steve Osborne, bassist Scott Hall, and drummer Stephan Rolland. Their first two releases, Show No Mercy in 1986 and Live to Die in 1987, carried abrasive titles and aggressive tracks recalling Judas Priest, yet these elements concealed the intensely devout Christian themes running through the lyrics. Silence Is Madness arrived in 1989 with the band now operating as a four-piece, while the 1990 compilation End of the Age appeared premature because Bride returned the next year with their fourth studio album, Kinetic Faith. A revised rhythm section of bassist Rick Foley and drummer Jerry McBroom backed Dale and Troy Thompson on this record and on the subsequent Snakes in the Playground in 1992 and Scarecrow Messiah in 1994, both of which revealed a softer sound shaped by prevailing hair metal styles. Another hits collection, oddly titled Shotgun Wedding, surfaced in 1995. After bassist Steve Curtsinger joined, Bride continued issuing albums such as Drop in 1995 and The Jesus Experience in 1997 while maintaining regular tours through the decade, resulting in several live sets that greeted the new millennium. In 2001 the relentless Thompson brothers debuted yet another rhythm section, bassist Lawrence Bishop and drummer Mike Loy, on Fistful of Bees to help celebrate their twentieth year in music with This Is It in 2003.
