Seen by critics as the best release of Bride's hard rock era,[4] Snakes in the Playground is commonly known as the breakthrough album in the band's career.

This album would produce more touring and press appeal for the band, as well as win Bride two GMA Dove Awards for best song.

Bride spent a great deal of time in pre-production fine tuning its material and eventually came up with two demo tapes of nine songs each.

On this album, the band tried to capture their live performance energy, creating a more raw and straightforward hard rock sound compared to Kinetic Faith.

[5]The album's output is a combination of energetic hard rock numbers such as "Rattlesnake" and "Would You Die For Me," and more hook-laden, faster songs such as "Psychedelic Super Jesus" and "Don’t Use Me" as well as tracks that have elements of the band's metal roots such as "Fall Out" and "Dust Through a Fan."

[8] According to Dale Thompson, the lyrics on Snakes in the Playground were inspired by personal experiences and the letters the band received from its fans during the months before recording.

"Rattlesnake" begins with an intro of a preacher stating, "Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart today" followed by wailing sirens as pounding drums fade away.