Bride - The Matrix Years

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Before they were known as Bride, the Thompson brothers had a three piece band from 1983 to 1985 known as Matrix.  For the record, Keaneu Reeves was not the third member.  Seriously though, this is an awesome CD to get if you are a real Bride fan or enjoy the sound on Show No Mercy.  This album was originally released independently by Bride back in the late 90's, but more recently it was re-issued by M8.  The double-disc M8 released also includes the Lost Reels 1.  The first disc is jam packed with all 20 songs from the two Matrix albums "PG-13" and "Monkey See Monkey Do."  Keep in mind these two albums were done in the mid 80's, so the production is kind of weak or muddy on a few tunes, but most of the songs actually sound pretty good.  I wasn't real impressed the first listen through, but I kept replaying the CD and have discovered these songs rock!  Some surprises on the CD include the original versions of "Heroes" and "All Hallows Eve" which don't have quite the punch the later versions would have, but still they're very enjoyable.  Another surprise is the early pictures of the band on the inside cover, you gotta love those outfits!  There's even a few times that from the sound of the guitars and verses you expect Dale to break into a chorus of "Silence Is Madness" or "Until The End We Rock" but ends up singing something else.  Throughout the songs you can hear the sound that would become Bride.  Most of the sounds of the songs are similar to or even sometimes better than the songs on Show No Mercy.  The songs are right out of the 80's, there's some cool guitar riffs & solos and songs that easily get stuck in your head...and that's a good thing!  The M8 release of this does not contain lyrics, but quite a few liner notes about Matrix.  It's worth getting for a few reasons, it's a great Bride collectors item, the songs are great, those pictures and the fact that you get 2 CD's; Matrix and the original Lost Reels 1 CD which is now out of print.  Best Songs: "Who Killed The Rock Hero," "What's The Point," "He's The Flyer" and "What Must I Do."  (Review by Gary)

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