Bride - Snakes In The Playground (CD)

Name: Bride - Snakes In The Playground (CD)
Brand: Bride
SKU: A5 (CAGE 29)
Price: 11.98 USD
Availability: InStock

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You can also buy the LongBox CD version here.

2021 Girder Records GR1096
Release Date: May 21, 2021
Won 1993 DOVE AWARD™ for "Rattlesnake"
Won 1994 DOVE AWARD™ for "

Psychedelic Super Jesus"
#49 Greatest Christian Rock Album of All Time (Heaven's Metal)
Originally Release in 1992
CD, Jewel Case w/12 Page Booklet and Lyrics
Remastered by Rob Colwell (Bombworks Sound)

Description

If there ever was a defining moment in a band’s history, for Bride, it would be this one. Snakes in the Playground was Bride's fifth and most successful album. Rarely did albums grace the Christian music scene that were welcomed with as much fanfare as this one. For Christian rock fans worldwide, this album was our Abbey Road, our Hotel California, our Back in Black and our Appetite for Destruction. It was also our defining moment as much as it was the band’s. Our rock was finally as great as theirs. Maybe it was Bride's relentless touring and international attention. Maybe it was their four previous albums that brought them to this moment. Whatever the reason, we were blown away the second we heard "Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart today," followed immediately by a bell tolling and a siren. It took exactly 49 seconds to realize this was going to be something very special; and special it was. Bride won the 1993 DOVE AWARD™ for HARD MUSIC SONG OF THE YEAR for "Rattlesnake," as well as the 1994 DOVE AWARD™ for HARD MUSIC SONG OF THE YEAR for "Psychedelic Super Jesus." Snakes in the Playground also solidified its lasting impact landing at #45 in Heaven’s Metal’ magazine's list of the Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of all time.

If you have never owned this album and this is the first time you are seeing/hearing it, you are in for one of the defining moments of your life. I promise you, it's that good. For those of us that have owned it on cassette or CD it's going to be a special moment listening to this on vinyl for the very first time. It's hard to believe that this will be the first opportunity to spin this. A moment for the ages.

What Dale Thompson says:

Snakes in the Playground would be the breakthrough CD of our career. This would produce more touring, more press and even two Dove Awards for best song. But it was no easy chore achieving such accomplishments.

SESAC had now esteemed us with another award for outstanding achievement in Christian music. Seeing that we were their only Christian metal act, we felt that being recognized as a legitimate band was important. Now more than ever did I understand the importance of Bride as a band and as a ministry. I could finally see how God had been with us through all the good times and bad times, and that he had much greater things in store for us.

I felt that our next record had to really excel above and beyond anything that we had previously done. It was important to outdo ourselves, or fall into the pit with many of the other stale bands. We did a lot of work in the studio fine tuning possible songs even before a producer was decided upon. We tried to write more from the heart. Doing a more live sounding record was the key. Our energy from the live shows had to somehow come through on this record. We brought it a Producer from New Jersey named Plinky. Plinky worked crazily hard for this album.

The "Snakes" album was done on long hours into the night and Plinky's oil-like coffee. Plinky was lots of fun in the studio and had a great ear. Jerry and Plinky butted heads a few times about triggering the drums, but they seemed to work things out. Plinky needed lessons in the art of coffee brewing, and his blackened chicken dinners were a gourmet treat, though we had to eat the meals outside due to the entire upstairs filling with smoke. We had every door and window open and fans blowing on high to clear the heavy fog that rose from the skillet.

We brought in a few special guests for the album. Peter and John from the Newsboys, Rik Florean from White Heart for back up vocals, Greg Martin from the Kentucky Headhunters, Rick Elias, and Derek Jan from Novella for some solo guitar spots. The album was coming together very well, and Plinky had already convinced us through his knowledge of the studio that we would have a project of which we could be proud.

Snakes was released with overwhelming praise and acceptance. I was pleased, but had to question if maybe we had compromised our songs in order to gain such credibility from those who despised us just a couple of years earlier.

What John Thompson (True Tunes) says:

While Kinetic Faith represented a quantum leap for Bride, from their retro metal roots to the bluesy hard rock that was reigning at the top of the mainstream charts at the dawn of the Alternative era, it turned out to be a mere warm-up for the band’s real breakthrough, Snakes In The Playground. Sounding something like the musical equivalent of a car that had stripped out everything but the gas pedal, the steering wheel, and the driver’s seat, this was blistering, raw, hard rock with a laser focus on memorable songwriting, irresistible riffs, and Thompson’s voice. Sure – it may have been “Christian music’s answer to Guns N’ Roses,” but in this case, that answer was a resounding “Forget you!”

- John Thompson (True Tunes)

Tracklist:

Rattle Snake (4:33)
Would You Die for Me (3:35)
Psychedelic Super Jesus (4:17)
Fallout (4:03)
Salt River Shuffle (:37)
Dust Through a Fan (3:08)
I Miss the Rain (3:52)
Don't Use Me (Intro) (:19)
Don't Use Me (4:01)
Picture Perfect (4:21)
Love Money (3:47
Some Things Never Change (4:09)
Goodbye (Intro) (:23)
Goodbye (5:20)

Wow!!!

Hearing Rattlesnake from Bride years ago, sold me on the band. Since then, over the years, the copy of Snakes in the Playground had been lost; much to my sorrow. Snakes, to me, is the best album Bride has put out. When I heard Girder was remastering and releasing this classic album, I knew I had to get a copy. This remaster sounds better than the original. Great work Girder!!!

Welcome back old friends!

I used to be a member of the Bride fan club when they put out Snakes and this was back in the day when you would get actual mail signed by Dale Thompson and a really sweet T-shirt. (I wish I still had!) I found out about Girder music through a Facebook ad and decided to check out the website and when I saw a REMASTERED SNAKES I knew no matter what else I plan to buy from this website this was going to be purchase number one.
This remaster of Snakes in the Playground is like hearing the album the way Bride must have heard it in the studio master monitors all those years ago. The crispness of the production is noticeable and welcome. That thin sound the original recording had that was put out by Star Song has been eradicated and this version of Snakes sounds like it was made this year. I could also understand every lyric Thompson obviously took so much care to craft which I either couldn't or my ears weren't tuned to understanding metal lyric voices yet back in 92(!) My review is for the CD remaster and when I played it in my car at full volume (is there any other way to listen to Bride?!) there was no distortion at all to detract from the enjoyment of the music. And, may I just say that I love the punchiness of Rik Foley's bass on this version. A marked improvement over the original. Actually it is exactly what one would expect from a remaster - punchier sound - fuller sound and sharp highs and thundering lows. The trading card that Girder music provides is just extra icing! B