Fifteen Years Of Broken Bride
It’s really special when an album you love dearly turns 15. As a former Jonas Brothers’ superfan in her mid-20s, most of the records that have left a mark on my life are barely pre-teens, so I’m only just now experiencing the harrowing reality that time never stops. Or maybe time is just an illusion. It sure feels that way right now during a global pandemic with no promise for future gigs or future anything. But, maybe Ludo’s Broken Bride will help you escape your seemingly apocalyptic world for another one as it does for me. My favorite album from Ludo is celebrating her quinceañera this summer and I think it’s time for me to rave about it.
Broken Bride is one of those records that effortlessly creeps back into my life from time to time. I call it ‘Rediscovering Ludo’ because every single time I listen to Broken Bride (or any of their releases), I feel like it’s the very first time all over again. Introducing Broken Bride to someone new usually means I will listen to it a handful of times in a row and try to reimagine the record as a newcomer. For the past 15 years, I’ve grown and relearned how to love this album from different perspectives of my life, which is why it’s made such an impact on it and the way I absorb and love music.
The EP consists of just five movements: Pt. 1: Broken Bride, Save Our City, Pt. 2: Tonight’s The Night, Pt. 3: The Lamb and The Dragon, and finally Pt. 4: Morning In May. As a rock opera, Broken Bride possesses a variety of sounds ranging from the traditional rock vibe to a western rock sound (complete with bandit whistling) and comes to a dramatic, tearful end with a piano ballad. Some early melodies reprise over other songs and when paired with creative, storytelling lyrics you’d find on Panic! At The Disco’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, Broken Bride becomes a musical masterpiece. It’s thunderous and it’s tranquil, it’s contemplative and it’s impulsive. There’s zombies and dinos and dragons, oh my! It tackles grief and has a shimmer of hope. It’s got everything because it’s a tale from start to finish but, for continuity’s sake, I want to talk about the songs in a different, more chronological order.
In my opinion, the storyline of Broken Bride begins with “Save Our City.” Taking place in 2005, when the album was released, “Save Our City” acts as an interlude and tells the story of an apocalyptic world taken over by zombies. It begins with a conversation between the mayor of an unnamed city and a civilian, who is trying to rally the city’s people to rise against the dead. The mayor feels hopeless in this battle and inadequate to lead his people, so amid the discussion, he shoots himself in the head. Without missing a beat, the boy steps over the mayor’s lifeless body and takes charge to save his city.
The boy steps through the window
And cries out from the ledge to the people below
“There's a time to pray and there's a time to fight
Anything can be a weapon if you're holding it right
Defend what is yours, they will not take our souls
It’s time now to rise and fight”
This song simply sets the scene for our protagonist (let’s call him Michael for biblical reasons) as he is putting his finishing touches on his time machine. You read that correctly—a time machine. The wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey goodness of a time-traveling story.
Michael, who has been working on his machine for the past fifteen years, finally decides it’s time to go. The world is going to shit and the only thing that would help ease his troubles would be to hold his wife again. He decides that night to try and open the time portal that will transport him back to the day his wife died.
“Save Our City” bleeds right into “Tonight’s The Night,” which is technically the album’s second movement. It serves as an internal monologue for Michael, who explains to us that his wife died in a car accident back in May 1989.
Oh baby, baby, how I lost my mind
Time is quite the killer when you're left behind
The airbag held you 'til the engine slept
At home your pillow cooled while the willows wept
This song is the shortest on the album but is crucial to the story because it’s the night he finally revs up his time machine and makes his initial trip back in time. However, there’s a misfire, and he ends up in the prehistoric age and finds himself fighting off pterodactyls as he tries to fix his machine.
As the album’s actual first song, “Broken Bride” really gets into Michael’s mindset and the way he’s handling his grief over losing his wife so tragically, which is not well. He spent fifteen whole years designing this machine to go back and save her life, and now he’s crash-landed in a world of dinosaurs. Throughout this record, Michael battles all kinds of monsters from zombies to dinosaurs, and later on, a dragon. I feel like I can understand his frustration, especially when he has to repair his time machine after its maiden voyage in an age where science hasn’t exactly been discovered yet. I think the most jarring thing about this scene for him, though, is the fact that his crash site reminds him of the car accident that took his wife.
Like motor oil down my throat, I couldn't speak, I dropped the phone
The burning flares, the steam, your hair, bits of glass, they sparkled everywhere
Like winter nights, the stars, the ice all intertwined to hold and keep
Like petals pressed in sheets, making love to moonlight in our sleep
And now above the pits of tar, in a cave I hide
That massive, screaming thing with wings of reaper's cloth
It's standing just outside
I must get to my machine, I will bring you back to life
Fix your ruined lungs, I'll undo what time has done
Michael loses hope in getting back to his present day, let alone back to 1989. In his defeat, he seeks shelter in a cave where he carves his wife’s name into the wall, but he knows it’ll eventually be washed away with the ice age. No one will have heard of his journey or of his wife, and that idea motivates him to fix his machine and try again.
I carve your sweet name into the cave
I'm sure to die
All my strife has been in vain
The glaciers come and wash my words away
The machine fires up, the portal opens, and Michael narrowly escapes the Jurassic world he crashed into. This time, however, he’s traveled into the future to the very end of the world. This dystopian world is gruesome and always reminds me of Alex Pardee’s artwork. Through rapid lyrics, Ludo describes what Earth looks like now and it isn’t pretty. The oceans have dried up, leaving corpses of marine life in its wake. The sun is black, which makes the world void of light. The town is riddled with ongoing earthquakes. Fear has overthrown civilization and the apocalypse has officially settled in with the Four Horsemen and all. This song is caked in religious undertones, which is why I named our protagonist Michael.
In the Book of Revelation, the archangel Michael becomes the hero during the War in Heaven, slaying a dragon and defeating Satan, all that jazz. This is exactly what happens in our story, but with a twist, of course. As Michael watches innocent people die in the line of the Dragon’s fire, he realizes that this battle isn’t his to fight and decides he needs to flee, he needs to make his way to 1989 and save his wife’s life.
I watch these people fall
The Dragon shrieks and burns it all
I flip the circuits on, I've got dragons of my own
The portal glows and my machine's destroyed
While a little vague, I always interpret this bridge as the portal blowing up, killing the Dragon, and destroying Michael’s machine once and for all. The end of the song can be taken in many ways, but I think the war ends, Michael meets God, and God grants him his final wish: to see his wife again. He travels for a final time and finds himself outside of his home with his wife still in bed. It’s finally May 1989.
And now I'm coming home, my dear
The light is warm, outside at dawn
The garden has no weeds, no grave beneath the tree
Through the silent house, my love, after all
Curled up in a ball, there you are...
Michael crawls into bed with his wife and cuddles her for the first time in fifteen years. It’s the morning that she will die. Through this song, he speaks blatantly about the grief he endured, about how his friends and family tried to help him cope, but that he knew only his wife could console him. He tries to savor these minutes with her before she frantically gets out of bed and waves goodbye to him as she leaves for work. He stops her, gets in on the passenger side, and chooses to die by her side in that fateful car accident.
As you're starting the car and I'm tearing inside
I knock on your window, you stop just in time
Around to the other side
I say, "Baby, I thought I'd come along for the ride."
I've been waiting for so long
(Time slows and I take your hand)
To touch you and sleep in your eyes
(I hold you as we lose control)
Together, our hearts beating so hard
Hold on, baby, we're almost home
Broken Bride was the first rock album I’ve ever heard that told a continuous story from start to finish, and before that, I only experienced this form of storytelling through musicals. Ludo has without a doubt helped shape my taste in music, which is a solid mixture of Broadway and emo bands from the early 2000s, and my love for live performances. Two of my most memorable gig moments came from seeing Ludo in concert.
In 2010, Ludo released their third studio album Prepare the Preparations and toured it around the US. As they performed their single “Whipped Cream,” they had the crowd do the dance from the music video, which is something I have never experienced before in my life, and I’ve honestly never experienced it since. It created this foolish atmosphere and had fans laughing at themselves and one another, forming a bond between us that I carry with me still a decade later.
My favorite moment, however, was from a concert in 2011. Ludo had the audience sit on the floor, disconnected their instruments from the pickups, and walked through the crowd singing “Love Me Dead” acoustically. I’ve been to so many shows now and that hasn’t happened since but has absolutely changed the live music game for me forever.
One thing that this quarantine has brought us all has been music. From a surprise Taylor Swift record to livestream concerts, music still strives to be a steady part of our lives. And finally, after ten years, Ludo is back in the studio once again, preparing to bring a little more light to this hellish year.
Rhiannon Leigh is a medical assistant and cat mom from the Greater Philadelphia area. When she’s not taking care of her oncology patients, she occupies her time by writing music reviews for Cut It Out Magazine and Galaxy Magazine, and by spending her paycheck on growing her vinyl collection.
Comments
Charanya Brown
May 30 2025
Hi everyone, the cryptocurrency world is extremely unstable, and many people have lost some cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency assets to online scams. I was also a victim of faux Uniswap group telegram employees, and my wallet address security and 12 phrases were compromised, resulting in the loss of all my cryptocurrency (BNB, Eth, Btc, and USDT) to the tune of $542.000. This left me devastated and at my lowest point of depression because, had I failed to successfully recover my cryptocurrency, which accounted for the majority of my savings and financial assets, my family might have been homeless. I complained in the group, and a real group administrator directed me to the Wizard James Recovery Company. In just 92 hours, this cryptocurrency recovery company helped me recover all of my losses, saving my life. I supplied the prerequisites and pertinent data needed to finish the successful recovery of my cryptocurrency. When I got my coins back, I was ecstatic. Wizard James Recovery can be reached at wizardjamesrecovery@usa.com or by WhatsApp at (+44)7418-367-204.
Chris Lee Wong
May 30 2025
Trojan Hack Cyber Security Company should be the Go to Company for anyone who wish to recover their lost digital assets of all kind. be it BTC ( Bitcoin), USDT, Solana. they are just too good and very brilliant at what they do.
i was able to recovered my 92,000 American Dollars with their help. after i was scammed online by fake Crypto Trading investment.
I’m forever grateful to TROJANHACK CYBER SECURITY COMPANY for their support. in case anyone which to contact them for help:
Reach out to them via their Email: Trojanhack@qualityservice.com
London Grades
May 30 2025
If you’ve ever fallen victim to a mining or investment scheme where you had to send your personal assets, money, or cryptocurrency to a third party, you’re likely feeling lost. I’ve been involved in crypto since 2014 and was a victim of the Quadriga scheme back in 2016—recognizing the red flags was too late. Fortunately, I found an article that helped me report and recover my lost assets. You can also report and reclaim your crypto loss by reaching out to fastlinerecoveryservice @ Gmail.com—they’ll help you put the pieces back together.
Loptman
May 30 2025
With the help of {fastlinerecoveryservice AT Gmail com}. I was able to recover my funds invested in an online scheme. This investment company and its employee lured me to invest, which I did and all my funds were gone but with their help of them, we were able to trace and recover enough of my funds. Was not easy initially but I am excited we succeeded.
Chrispath Melissa
May 30 2025
If the process is too good to be true, it’s probably a phony crypto recovery expert. I have been scammed by so many recovery companies, and I can tell, it’s almost not possible to recover stolen or crypto sent to the wrong address. It’s rare to find a legit recovery company without getting scammed believe it or not. I’m saying from experience and I can tell you, fastlinerecoveryservice AT Gmail com reliable, not 100% but will never leave you stranded.
Travis
May 30 2025
I lost my bitcoin after falling for a spam email promoting an investment in a bitcoin company promising 100% profits in just two months. I invested $90,000, but when it was time to withdraw my funds, they told me I needed to pay $30,000 in fees to unlock my money. I continued paying the requested fees until I couldn’t afford it anymore. Then, a friend introduced me to “Fast Line Recovery Service at GMAIL.COM”. I decided to take a chance and contacted them for help. To my surprise, they successfully recovered my funds within a week
Teski
May 30 2025
I lost 1 million for trading scam, Fastlinerecoveryservice @ Gmail com was able to come through and recover half of the payment
A huge shoutout to Fastlinerecoveryservice @ Gmail com for their incredible skills and dedication in recovering my bitcoin! What a fantastic achievement! If anyone needs help in a similar situation, don’t hesitate to reach out to Fastlinerecoveryservice @ Gmail com
May this victory serve as a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and the value of seeking professional assistance. Here’s to your continued success and security in the world of cryptocurrency! #BitcoinRecovery 🚀🔒.
Liderson
May 30 2025
I have been scammed so many times,but all thanks too Elias ,who recommended me too fastlinerecoveryservice, I was able too make more profit from every investment i made,reach out too them today,
Email them at; FASTLINERECOVERYSERVICE @ GMAIL COM)
William Hart
May 30 2025
gilbertrevis346
May 30 2025
The most common crypto scam is the Romance scam, affecting all genders. In 2024 alone, nearly 64,000 people lost $1.14 billion. One woman sent almost $100,000 to a scammer posing as a successful businessman in Asia who promised to marry her. After months of conversation, he began asking for money—and never stopped. If you’ve faced a similar situation, we’re here to guide you through recovery and offer the support you need. Contact:(fastlinerecoveryservice @ Gmail com)
YONAS
May 30 2025
Posting here because people need to know they can recover their lost money invested in Crypto or mistakenly sent to a wrong wallet id. I have fallen victim to fraudulent investment brokers in the past and I totally understand what it means to lose all of your money. I suffered for so long after losing a sum of $350,000 to fake brokers. Until I got to know of the Recovery support services offered by some firms and how support service teams like FAST LINE RECOVERY SERVICE, were successfully recovering stolen funds. I never thought I would get help. I sent them an email via: "FASTLINERECOVERYSERVICE @ GMAIL COM and reported my experience to the team and I was really fortunate to get all of my money back
Allen Maple
May 30 2025
I was able to recover my lost bitcoin that I had invested in a bogus investment platform. Thanks to the agency that helped me, I contacted them on fastlinerecoveryservice @ Gmail com
Destiny Kurt
May 30 2025
TSUTOMU SHIMOMURA IS BEST HACKER TO RECLAIM LOST FUNDS ON CRYPTO TRADE
Now, let’s talk about our hero in this story – Adware Recovery Specialist It is truly amazing what you can achieve with the right information. Now, let’s talk about our hero in this story – Adware Recovery Specialist It is truly amazing what you can achieve with the right information. I’m truly grateful for the service of TSUTOMU SHIMOMURA and his recovery team, which was able to recover my cryptocurrency funds from fake investment accounts. Losing $218,000 of my hard-earned money was excruciating and devastating when I thought I could earn more from investing in cryptocurrency, not knowing that I had fallen for a scam. I was able to contact TSUTOMU SHIMOMURA and his recovery team, when I did my research online and came across TSUTOMU SHIMOMURA and his recovery team. net I saw that TSUTOMU SHIMOMURA and his recovery team, has been helping many victims like me to recover their funds. I’m truly grateful for their service and I commend them for being professional and trustworthy. Get in contact with these gurus Adware Recovery Specialists for a fast recovery. WEBSITE: https://tsutomushackexpert.com/ Telegram @TsutomuShimomurahacker or WhatsApp via: +12569564498,
Viktor Avilov
May 30 2025
Can You Recover Lost or Stolen Bitcoin // Lost Recovery Masters Got You
I was scammed over ( $275,000 ) by someone I met online on a fake investment project. I started searching for help legally to recover my money and I came across a lot of Testimonies about Lost Recovery Masters recovery Experts. I contacted them providing the necessary information and it took the experts about 36hours to locate and help recover my stolen funds. I am so relieved and the best part was, the scammer was located and arrested by local authorities in his region. I hope this helps as many out there who are victims and have lost to these fake online investment scammers. I strongly recommend their professional services for assistance with swift and efficient recovery. They can be reached through the link below.
Website https://lostrecoverymasters.com/
Support team Mail Support@lostrecoverymasters.com
WhatsApp: +44(7537)-105921
Anna Torres
May 30 2025
Swift Assets Recovery helped me recover $450,000 I lost to a fake crypto investment scam. I was devastated and thought the money was gone for good, but their team was professional, supportive, and incredibly skilled. They guided me through the entire process and successfully recovered my funds. I’m beyond grateful for their help and highly recommend them to anyone who’s been a victim of online fraud. Reach them on email:(swiftrecoveryservice006 (@)gmail . com) or WhatsApp number: +1 (352) 436-7955 Or Telegram @SWIFT_HACKING Website https://swiftspyassetsrecovery.com
Christopher Myers
May 30 2025
Losing about $605,000 to a fake investment scam was one of the worst experiences of my life. I was completely crushed—emotionally and financially. I had no idea who to turn to, and honestly, I thought the money was gone for good.
Then I found TROYHACKS CYBER SERVICE, and everything started to change.
From our first conversation, they were professional, honest, and incredibly supportive. They didn’t make any wild promises—they just calmly explained what they could do, how the process worked, and what the chances were. That honesty meant a lot to me.
What really stood out was how dedicated and skilled they were. They worked carefully and consistently, and to my absolute relief, they were able to recover my lost digital assets. I still can’t fully put into words how grateful I am. It wasn’t just about the money—it was about getting a part of my life back.
I can’t thank TROYHACKS CYBER SERVICE enough for their help. They were professional, understanding, and genuinely cared about getting a good outcome for me. If you’ve been through something similar, please don’t lose hope. Reach out to them—you won’t regret it.
You can contact them directly at [Troyhacks@cyberservices.com]. WhatsApp +1 (260) 237-6241 They helped me when I thought no one could, and I’ll always be grateful.
William Hart
May 30 2025
William Hart
May 30 2025
cathy
May 30 2025
Recovering from a Cryptocurrency Scam: My Personal Experience
As a single mother seeking to improve my family’s financial situation, I was approached by a company called BTCM Company on Facebook, promoting a Bitcoin investment opportunity with promises of high returns. The offer appeared legitimate, and after being persuaded by their representatives, I invested $330,000, believing it would secure a better future for my children.
However, after two months, I discovered that I couldn’t withdraw any of my funds. It was then that I realized I had fallen victim to a sophisticated and well-organized scam. Desperate to recover my money, I reached out to several so-called “experts” and “hackers,” but they turned out to be scammers as well.
Just when I had lost all hope, I came across Icon Assets Recovery through a local community recommendation. Their team was professional, trustworthy, and worked tirelessly to recover my funds within just a week.
I am incredibly grateful for their prompt and effective assistance. If you’ve fallen victim to online scams, I highly recommend Icon Assets Recovery. Their expertise and integrity set them apart in an industry overwhelmed by fraud.
For more information, please contact Icon Assets Recovery at:
Website: https://iconassetsrecovery.com
Email: service@iconassetsrecovery.com
WhatsApp: +1 (501) 249-3295
Telegram: @Iconassets_recovery
cathy
May 30 2025
Recovering from a Cryptocurrency Scam: My Personal Experience
As a single mother seeking to improve my family’s financial situation, I was approached by a company called BTCM Company on Facebook, promoting a Bitcoin investment opportunity with promises of high returns. The offer appeared legitimate, and after being persuaded by their representatives, I invested $330,000, believing it would secure a better future for my children.
However, after two months, I discovered that I couldn’t withdraw any of my funds. It was then that I realized I had fallen victim to a sophisticated and well-organized scam. Desperate to recover my money, I reached out to several so-called “experts” and “hackers,” but they turned out to be scammers as well.
Just when I had lost all hope, I came across Icon Assets Recovery through a local community recommendation. Their team was professional, trustworthy, and worked tirelessly to recover my funds within just a week.
I am incredibly grateful for their prompt and effective assistance. If you’ve fallen victim to online scams, I highly recommend Icon Assets Recovery. Their expertise and integrity set them apart in an industry overwhelmed by fraud.
For more information, please contact Icon Assets Recovery at:
Website: https://iconassetsrecovery.com
Email: service@iconassetsrecovery.com
WhatsApp: +1 (501) 249-3295
Telegram: @Iconassets_recovery
Comments
5107 Comments