In this interview, I was able to catch up with Dale Thompson of the U.S./Brazil/New Zealand based Heavy Metal band Bride to ask them a few questions about their album 'Here Is Your God'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band:
(Dale) Thank you for asking me to be part of this wonderful work that you do. It is my pleasure to be here.
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry and what is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(Dale) When my brother Troy and I formed our first band together way back in like 1982 we just wanted to play music. I think my dreams of being on stage were greater than his was at the time. When Bride finally formed and we were recording and became a signed band everything in our world changed. At that time, we now had a responsibility and felt the need to take things a little more serious. That could have been a mistake. We'll never know because our history is set in stone. In the beginning before people expected anything from us we had a bit more of a carefree attitude. But we are all molded and shaped by things out of our control aren't we?
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Dale) Troy Thompson guitar, Scott hall Bass, Stephen Roland drums and myself were the original Bride. We never added Steve Osborne as a full fledged band member because he would drift in and out of our albums and sometimes he would do live shows but he was more of a hired gun and I think he liked it that way.
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the meaning behind it?
(Dale) The name Bride was my thought. It came from The Book of Revelation and it refers to the Bride of Christ. We have always had the desire to shine the Light of Christ to the world. I would not play music if that were not the case.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand over another?
(Dale) Troy plays Epiphone Hollow Body Guitars and plays through a Mesa Boogie amp. I use Samson mics in the studio and prefer Shure 58 for live shows and though I have not been on stage in years I think I would still prefer the Shure 58 because of its durability. I am very hard on mics and mic stands live.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire creativity within your music?
(Dale) I can only speak for myself here. But I paint cubism pieces and I write not only short stories in the Fantasy / Sci Fi genre but I delve in the Macabre too with my stories. I enjoy the suspense of a good book.
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your band along with your band's sound?
(Dale) Everyone has influenced Bride but we still sound like Bride. Some people hate change but I relish it. The worst thing in the world is to have every song you write sound just like the song you wrote before it. Without the outlet to create I would dissolve within myself.
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you've had to overcome as a band?
(Dale) Bride is well known yet not often thought of outside of the Christian Rock world. Obscurity is the hardest hurdle for any artist to overcome if you want to be taken seriously. But with being taken serious there comes the good and bad. It is like putting on big boy pants. Can you endure the critics and their diabolical opinions? Critics are usually disgruntled musicians that wish they were where you are yet instead of becoming better at their craft they decide to voice their unproven opinion on your work.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about your musical direction on your latest release 'Here Is Your God'?
(Dale) Glad you ask. In 2018 we recorded our long needed follow up to Snakes In The Playground our best selling album with Snake Eyes. I think Troy and I decided to make the trilogy follow up. So Snake Eyes was born in 2018 followed by our newest release the 2nd of the trilogy called Here Is Your God. With 'Here Is Your God' we wanted to keep the energy up like we had when we were 20 years younger. We have captured not only the energy but the vibe and ambience of what we were aiming for. It is by all rights a Metal album but we did not forsake our Hard Rock roots either. We took risk I feel with going back into the Metal sound because so many people were applauding us to do so I am not sure how many people thought we still had it in us. I will say however that 'Here Is Your God' is a monster album and we are most proud of it. It says a lot lyrically and musically and fills the gap for our 3rd album of the trilogy we have been undertaking.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Dale) Without a doubt. I feel it is the album of 2020. If people who are critical of bride for one preposterous reason or the other would remove the Bride name from their discrimination and focus on the content they could not deny that it is possibly our greatest album to date. And I feel we have a better one in us.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in the studio, and why?
(Dale) From Snakes in the Playground I would say "Would You Die For Me" because live we would take the song into different directions with every show. No two performances of that song was ever the same because we had a middle section where we all knew especially when Jerry McBroom was drumming and Rik Foley was our bassist that we would make it up as we went. It was spiritual, magical, elating, and captivating. I would always lose myself in the song and invite the Holy Spirit to lead and once I was captured under that anointing the song was divine.
(Jacob) Was there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the album?
(Dale) Oddly enough the funniest and most bizarre thing of all is that not one song was ever rehearsed as a band. Troy lives in Kentucky, I live in New Zealand while Nenel Lucena(mixer, bassist, and some guitars) and drummer-Aposan Alexandre both live in Brazil. Troy recorded the guitar to a drum machine. He sent me his tracks and I recorded all of the vocals then the tracks were sent to Brazil where our Brazilian band mates recorded their parts. Because of Covid our production was hindered because the virus was so devastating in Brazil and Nenel and Aposan were under travel restrictions. However this is the same band formula that we recorded with when we recorded Snake Eyes and both albums are superb.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any plans for future projects in the works?
(Dale) I could never stop. While 2020 was a band year for the world over the last 24 months I have recorded over 500 songs. I record for a multitude of bands at the moment. My resume of bands other than Bride is long. let me think... Perpetual Paranoia, The World Will Burn, The Thomas Thompson Earth Project, We Are Resolute, Dabster Gentlemen, Haunted No More, Iron 501, Soverign Cross, Swingle & Thompson Ordained, No Other God N.O.G., Dominus Meus, Crucible Divine.
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am excited about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in the future.
(Dale) Thank you for this time so I could share a small portion of my life and ministry with you. I pray God blesses you always and that we will talk again. Keep the faith!
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band:
(Dale) Thank you for asking me to be part of this wonderful work that you do. It is my pleasure to be here.
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry and what is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(Dale) When my brother Troy and I formed our first band together way back in like 1982 we just wanted to play music. I think my dreams of being on stage were greater than his was at the time. When Bride finally formed and we were recording and became a signed band everything in our world changed. At that time, we now had a responsibility and felt the need to take things a little more serious. That could have been a mistake. We'll never know because our history is set in stone. In the beginning before people expected anything from us we had a bit more of a carefree attitude. But we are all molded and shaped by things out of our control aren't we?
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Dale) Troy Thompson guitar, Scott hall Bass, Stephen Roland drums and myself were the original Bride. We never added Steve Osborne as a full fledged band member because he would drift in and out of our albums and sometimes he would do live shows but he was more of a hired gun and I think he liked it that way.
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the meaning behind it?
(Dale) The name Bride was my thought. It came from The Book of Revelation and it refers to the Bride of Christ. We have always had the desire to shine the Light of Christ to the world. I would not play music if that were not the case.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand over another?
(Dale) Troy plays Epiphone Hollow Body Guitars and plays through a Mesa Boogie amp. I use Samson mics in the studio and prefer Shure 58 for live shows and though I have not been on stage in years I think I would still prefer the Shure 58 because of its durability. I am very hard on mics and mic stands live.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire creativity within your music?
(Dale) I can only speak for myself here. But I paint cubism pieces and I write not only short stories in the Fantasy / Sci Fi genre but I delve in the Macabre too with my stories. I enjoy the suspense of a good book.
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your band along with your band's sound?
(Dale) Everyone has influenced Bride but we still sound like Bride. Some people hate change but I relish it. The worst thing in the world is to have every song you write sound just like the song you wrote before it. Without the outlet to create I would dissolve within myself.
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you've had to overcome as a band?
(Dale) Bride is well known yet not often thought of outside of the Christian Rock world. Obscurity is the hardest hurdle for any artist to overcome if you want to be taken seriously. But with being taken serious there comes the good and bad. It is like putting on big boy pants. Can you endure the critics and their diabolical opinions? Critics are usually disgruntled musicians that wish they were where you are yet instead of becoming better at their craft they decide to voice their unproven opinion on your work.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about your musical direction on your latest release 'Here Is Your God'?
(Dale) Glad you ask. In 2018 we recorded our long needed follow up to Snakes In The Playground our best selling album with Snake Eyes. I think Troy and I decided to make the trilogy follow up. So Snake Eyes was born in 2018 followed by our newest release the 2nd of the trilogy called Here Is Your God. With 'Here Is Your God' we wanted to keep the energy up like we had when we were 20 years younger. We have captured not only the energy but the vibe and ambience of what we were aiming for. It is by all rights a Metal album but we did not forsake our Hard Rock roots either. We took risk I feel with going back into the Metal sound because so many people were applauding us to do so I am not sure how many people thought we still had it in us. I will say however that 'Here Is Your God' is a monster album and we are most proud of it. It says a lot lyrically and musically and fills the gap for our 3rd album of the trilogy we have been undertaking.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Dale) Without a doubt. I feel it is the album of 2020. If people who are critical of bride for one preposterous reason or the other would remove the Bride name from their discrimination and focus on the content they could not deny that it is possibly our greatest album to date. And I feel we have a better one in us.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in the studio, and why?
(Dale) From Snakes in the Playground I would say "Would You Die For Me" because live we would take the song into different directions with every show. No two performances of that song was ever the same because we had a middle section where we all knew especially when Jerry McBroom was drumming and Rik Foley was our bassist that we would make it up as we went. It was spiritual, magical, elating, and captivating. I would always lose myself in the song and invite the Holy Spirit to lead and once I was captured under that anointing the song was divine.
(Jacob) Was there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the album?
(Dale) Oddly enough the funniest and most bizarre thing of all is that not one song was ever rehearsed as a band. Troy lives in Kentucky, I live in New Zealand while Nenel Lucena(mixer, bassist, and some guitars) and drummer-Aposan Alexandre both live in Brazil. Troy recorded the guitar to a drum machine. He sent me his tracks and I recorded all of the vocals then the tracks were sent to Brazil where our Brazilian band mates recorded their parts. Because of Covid our production was hindered because the virus was so devastating in Brazil and Nenel and Aposan were under travel restrictions. However this is the same band formula that we recorded with when we recorded Snake Eyes and both albums are superb.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any plans for future projects in the works?
(Dale) I could never stop. While 2020 was a band year for the world over the last 24 months I have recorded over 500 songs. I record for a multitude of bands at the moment. My resume of bands other than Bride is long. let me think... Perpetual Paranoia, The World Will Burn, The Thomas Thompson Earth Project, We Are Resolute, Dabster Gentlemen, Haunted No More, Iron 501, Soverign Cross, Swingle & Thompson Ordained, No Other God N.O.G., Dominus Meus, Crucible Divine.
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am excited about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in the future.
(Dale) Thank you for this time so I could share a small portion of my life and ministry with you. I pray God blesses you always and that we will talk again. Keep the faith!