who killed the rock hero? :

Today's recipe:
Take 3/4 the melodies of Rush and let sit
Add 1/4 cup of boiling Cars
Sprinkle a pinch of Dio
add butter, salt, and oregeno for taste.
don't forget the extra helping of cheese.
There you have it...the Matrix demos!

Matrix was a hard rock band from Kentucky who just never really fit in with the times. They weren't heavy enough to appeal to the rockers, and they were too heavy to get in good with the hip new wavers.

Formed in 1983 by brothers Dale and Troy Thompson, Matrix rode the line between NWOHM-influenced hard rock and the ever present force of 80's new wave music. But the interesting thing about this band...there are no keyboards...only the trio lineup of guitar/bass/drums. So, it's much like writing new wave songs within the heavy metal/hard rock context. The whole thing sounds a bit ridiculous and naive in it's simplicity...but there is a lot of interesting ideas and strange hooks within these songs. Some tracks ("Spell House") even sound like they are aiming for a kind of 60's psychadelic pop sound.

The band signed a record deal in 1985 and changed their name to Bride (which is why this re-released collection is under that particular moniker). Along with this name change, they also chose to drop basically all of their new wave influences and focus more on the darker side of epic heavy metal/hard rock. Bride's early albums are amazing and way ahead of their time (especially within the Christian heavy metal music world, with which they belonged). But I always had a soft spot for these early demos.

But for now...here's a trip back to the garage days...before the term "matrix" was ever associated with a computer code and those tacky shades and black trenchcoats.

keep it real!