''Live to Die'' is the second album by the American heavy metal band

Bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, brides ...

. It is the band's second album to be released on the label Pure Metal Records in 1988. ''Live to Die'' is considered by critics to be the band's finest release in its metal era. Songs such as "Hell No" and "Heroes" have become

Christian metal Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...

anthems and were popular songs in the band's concerts.

Recording

''Live to Die'' saw Bride adding elements of

speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

to its output. The compositions reflect a more mature song writing in some of their more well-known tracks such as "Hell No", "Whiskey Seed", and "Heroes". The vocalist Dale Thompson continues to display a high-pitched, pseudo-operatic vocal style. The album is characterized by the dual guitar work and harmonies by Troy Thompson and Steve Osborne, highlighted on the songs "Fire and Brimstone" and "Heroes". On this album, the drummer Stephen Rolland began playing precise double bass technique. Frank Partipilo replaced Scott Hall on bass. ''Live to Die'' also shows a more advanced production compared to that of ''

Show No Mercy ''Show No Mercy'' is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in December 1983, by Metal Blade Records. Brian Slagel signed the band to the label after watching them perform the song "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron M ...

''.

Overview

The opening track "Metal Might" is a more

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

type double bass driven song, followed by the

anthem "Hell No", known for its chorus with a catchy hook. The lyrics of "Hell No" talk about sailors trying to stay afloat at stormy seas as a metaphor for struggling in life: "The storm is screaming with vengeance to kill/ Faith has plunged into the sea beneath/ Waves beat the ship with iron first to sink/ We won't go to hell, no we won't go." "In the Dark" takes off at an upbeat tempo to an edgy rhythm guitar only to slow to an acoustic guitar for its first verse. The song contains a short interlude reminiscent of

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

. "Out for Blood" is about Judas betraying Christ: "You're just a kiss away from your destiny/ Just a word away from deceiving a friend/ Judas kiss, Judas kiss/ Out for blood, you're out for blood." The title track begins with and aggressive guitar driven output moving to an epic feel. The meaning behind "Live to Die" is about salvation: "I won't be the one to say/ That you don't need religion/ But without a Savior/ There's no chance to be forgiven." The

influenced riff at the beginning of "Fire and Brimstone" gives the track an aggressive feel. It features some virtuoisic dual lead guitar work by Troy Thompson and Steve Osborne. "Whiskey Seed" takes a stance on alcoholism: "So you want/ to drink/ Because it makes you feel big/ Pour it down, I'll break you like a little twig/ You're so young, but you want to feel so old/ The only way to be hot, gain the world and lose your soul." "Here Comes the Bride" takes a

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

approach, and the song speeds up to a fast pace with a double bass driven riff. "Heroes" is a seven-minute epic songs about the fight between good and evil. The song starts with a narration reminiscent of horror movies accompanied by organ playing. "Heroes" progresses to the point when Troy Thompson and Steve Osborne play together for over a minute of rhythm guitar harmony. The song progresses through its first verse at a double bass driven mid-tempo pace until it reaches an anthem type peak.

Track listing

# Metal Might (3:36) # Hell No (3:51) # In the Dark (4:12) # Out for Blood (3:00) # Live to Die (2:54) # Fire and Brimstone (4:27) # Whiskey Seed (3:43) # Here Comes the Bride (2:29) # Heroes (7:11)

References

{{Authority control 1988 albums Bride (band) albums