Two of my favourite Bride albums are 1992's SNAKES IN THE PLAYGROUND and 1994's SCARECROW MESSIAH. When I found out lead singer Dale Thompson was involved with a new band, I knew I had to review their album. N.O.G. (No Other God) dropped their album TAKE IT BY STORM (Roxx Records) this year, 2019. Thompson is joined by Nenel Lucena (guitars), Alexandre Aposan (drums), and Raphael Dafras (bass). Thompson wrote all the lyrics.
Starting things off is the hard rockin' title track 'Take it by Storm'. It includes these biblical lyrics: "The Stone that the builders rejected is where I will lay my head.../If you have seen Me/You have seen the Father/So let there be light/I must be leaving but I will send another to show you the way". 'Burn All The Way' begins with these words of indictment: "Give me shelter from the storm in the forest of the witch/Voodoo in the air, crying voiced in the air/With your guns and with your drugs/Saying right is wrong and wrong is right/This generation hasn't learned from the past".
'Turn' sizzles musically and features a chorus focused on the end times: "Turn, turn your head to the east/Turn, every eye will see/Turn, turn your head to the east/Turn, every heart will believe, will believe". There's a great electric guitar solo! 'Phobia' has a plodding rock feel to it and warns against disobeying God: "Sins of the flesh is an evil kind of death/It chases you till you are out of breath/The army of pornography, addiction, and apostasy/All of its profanities/Slow killing with fantasies/Sin should be your phobia"(4X).
'Death of the Millions' is sort of an eerie hard rocker warning against false teachers: "You wear deception ignorantly/Forcing a lost man to his knees/When the price has already been paid/By a man that rose from the grave". Those who like 2 Corinthians 5:7 will like the message of the chugging chorus of 'Walk By Faith'. It goes: "Walk by faith, not by sight/Walk by faith, fight with all your might".
'Life is Long' is a kickin' hard rock song of spiritual determination: "The days are getting shorter and I am getting older/I still have fight left in me/Jesus makes me wiser/I pray that I am nicer than I used to be/Life isn't long enough to quench/Thirst for eternity/Death isn't final enough my friend/To stop me from believing". This song has great electric guitar work. 'One More Day' is an emotional Bowie-influenced rock ballad: "I've lost the song in the rhyme/Poem trapped in my mind/Stumbling on the melody/It's the beat I need to find/The notes all sound the same/Movement doesn't change/As I turn the page/Someone takes the stage".
Up next is 'Pay the Price' which begins with these mysterious words: "Into the blackness, into the dark/The forbidden curse, the Judas heart/I lay prostrate upon our grave/Hoping in Jesus' Name you will be saved". 'Matter of Fact' is a headbanger that includes these words of encouragement: "There is nothing impossible/Dreams come true/Pray that the Spirit rises up in you/Devils and demons, they are all the same/They all bow down at Jesus' Name".
'The Great One Falls' runs over six minutes. These lyrics about the end times mince no words: "I smell the foul stench of the devil's remorse/Burning my nostrils and making me hoarse/I taste the bitter gall of unrepentant blood/Stinging my lips and swelling my tongue/Horsemen riding with death in their eyes/I am sure that the wicked are surprised". It's an epic song! Last up is 'Your Time Has Come', which begins with a depressing narrative. This is another epic song, this time running over eight minutes long. It offers these words of comfort: "The Spirit's there to teach us/The Son is there to guide us/The Father's there to love us/Forevermore, forevermore".
Wow! TAKE IT BY STORM is one heck of a wild hard rock and heavy metal ride! Dale's vocals are absolutely terrific and gripping. I also really appreciate the killer electric guitar solos. These songs pound and pulse with life. Lyrically, these tunes encourage us to live godly, righteous lives. We should desire to be 100% dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ even in these dark times in which we live. This album will also really get you thinking about the end times and things to come. This is the best album I've heard in this genre of music since Stryper's GOD DAMN EVIL. I'm rating this N.O.G. record a perfect 100% and recommending it to fans of X-Sinner, Bride, and Guns N' Roses. There are great photos of the four band members in the CD booklet. For more info visit: www.roxxproductions.com and/or connect with the band on social media.