1256. Stryper / The Yellow and Black Attack. 1984. 3/5

The arrival of Stryper on the music scene in the early 1980’s is an interesting story of returning to one’s faith and building a band around those beliefs in an industry that on the surface appeared to have little of that about it. The band itself began under the name Roxx Regime in 1983, the double x in Roxx showcasing the era of the band and the direction their music was going to take. On formation the band looked to be a straight-out glam metal band, with brothers Michael and Robert Sweet the core. A number of soon-to-be-famous guitar players, including Doug Aldrich and C.C. de Ville, all had short stints in the band before the arrival of Oz Fox who became a permanent member of the group. At around this time they began to write songs that reflected the band members Christian beliefs, and this was the direction they followed from that point onwards.
A change of band name came once bass guitarist Tim Gaines came on board, to better reflect the songs the band was writing. The name of Stryper is coined from a passage from the Book of Isiah from the Old Testament that concludes “by his stripes we are healed”, with the band taking ‘stripes’ and extending it to ‘Stryper’. They also began wearing what was coined as their bumblebee suits, with the yellow and black stripes becoming a major part of their stage act.
Signed on by Enigma Records in 1983, the band then recorded what would become their debut EP. It was originally just a six song EP, with a limited number of pressings made, as their record company was still unsure just what the Christian metal music market would be like.
The opening track “Loud ‘N’ Clear” is the clear winner on this EP, energetic, enterprising and fun to sing along to. Th true mastery of the song can really be judged on the album “Second Coming’ some 20-odd years later, when the band re-recorded their best songs, and this one got the full metal treatment that it deserves. It slays. This version has the bones without the meat. “From Wrong to Right” is highlighted by the great duel guitar solo breaks in the middle of the track from both Michael and Oz, which showcased their amazing talent on their instruments, and that they had more to offer than Christian themes. Michael’s vocals are also supreme during this song. “You Know What to Do” offers the harmony vocals of Michael along with Oz and Tim as its highlight in a feel good tone to pull along the lyrical content. “Co’Mon Rock” sounds great musically, again moving at a fast clip with a good riff throughout punctuated by that dual guitar solo spot in the back half of the song, the way Stryper does so well. “You Won’t Be Lonely” dials things back a little, not to the extent that future Stryper ballads would, as the music here is still up tempo and actually moving forward, not something that could be said about songs on future albums in this respect. “Loving You” closes out the EP in an energetic burst that also suggests the power that this band has musically without the production really giving it what it feels it deserves. This was another song that benefitted from being re-recorded down the track to showcase how good it can sound.

Let’s address the lyrical side of this album and band first. I’m not a Christian, and for those of you who happened to listen to the episodes that cover other Stryper albums on this podcast, you’ll know that for me it hasn’t been an issue. It’s great that the band has a message that they want to expand on, but for me the music and the band’s performance far outweighs anything I may or may not believe about what they are singing about. And I guess this is what their record companies worried about early on. Would there be enough Christians who wanted to listen to Stryper’s music? The answer really ended up being that you don’t have to be a Christian to like their music. I am a case in point.
This album, however, was initially a bit different. The EP gained a slight following but didn’t set the world on fire. It was eventually re-released following the success of the band’s follow up “Soldiers Under Command”, with two additional songs included to make it more appealing. And this was where I first heard it, having already digested and loved the two albums that followed it, “Soldier Under Command” and “To Hell with the Devil”, and having seen them in concert on the “To Hell with the Devil” tour in Sydney in 1987. Still probably the loudest gig I have ever been to. The problem for this EP was that, compared to those two albums, this one was... a bit tame sounding. It came across as less energetic and exciting in comparison to the material I knew so well. So I listened to it, but never really with ears that were willing to accept it.
Flash forward 20 years to the afore-mentioned “Second Coming” CD, a best-of by the band where they re-recorded all of those hits, including the two I mentioned from this EP. And – they sounded enormous. I actually couldn’t believe how good they sounded, so I went back and listened to this EP again, and two things happened. One, I was again left slightly disappointed by the original versions of those two songs compared to the new versions, but second, I gained an appreciation for the EP as a whole that I probably hadn’t had before. And over the time since, that appreciation has improved. Having pulled this CD off the shelves again over the last couple of weeks, it has been fun reliving it once again. It is only six tracks long (unless you count the re-released version from 1986 that has those two added tracks, which in my opinion actually drags back the enjoyment rather than expand it) so it is only a short sharp visit, but from a historical aspect it shows a lot of the great aspects of the band that were exploded over the next five years.

1057. Stryper / Soldiers Under Command. 1985. 3.5/5

Following the path of being a Christian band with a heavy metal twinge is not one that you would have considered to be one that would lead to a following on the scale of the larger bands in the world, certainly in the mid 1980’s where there was a convergence in regards to the genre of heavy metal itself. Stryper had made a good fist of it leading up to the release of their debut EP “The Yellow and Black Attack”, and on the back of that they were the opening act on tours by two of the biggest bands at that time, Bon Jovi and Ratt, and the exposure gained through those tours increased their popularity. It also had parts of their hardcore fan base, and Christian groups who were not necessarily fans of the band’s music, questioning whether they were a true Christian band given the music played by those that they were on tour with. It was a tight line that the band had to walk. Despite the success they had in picking up new fans, either for the message they were spruiking or for the music they were playing, there were just as many people who chastised them for much the same things – that they couldn’t be a Christian band if they played this genre of music, or that they were true Christians if they were touring with these other bands whose morals surely couldn’t line up with what they were espousing.
On the back of the further exposure the band received on those tours, they headed back into the studio in early 1985 to begin work on their first full length album, one that would be considered as their debut studio album. The band brought in legendary producer Michael Wagener, who had started with Accept and Dokken, and would from this point branch out into almost all of the most popular metal bands and albums of the 1980’s. His experience and suggestions helped the band put together what they hoped would be their springboard to their career. What it achieved, released as “Soldiers Under Command” in August of 1985, no doubt exceeded all of their expectations

If you come looking for Stryper albums, then you know what is involved and you know what you are getting yourself in for. You can be Christian and come for the message within the lyrics. You can be... not... Christian... and come to Stryper to hear great songs with wonderful guitars and drums and amazing vocals. Perhaps you’ll come for both of those things. Whatever way it is, coming into a Stryper album, you know exactly what you are going to get – apart from the one album that I reviewed here just a few episodes ago, “Against the Law”. That was the one album that didn’t follow the Stryper script. But here on “Soldiers Under Command”, the template is well and truly set.
So. Let’s get this out there from the outset. There are a couple of… terrible… awful... songs on this album. There’s just no other way I can describe them. They are those terrible awful ballad tracks that for some reason bands insist they must produce in order to sell their records. Or gain airplay. Or whatever reason they come up with. And yes, I know there are those people out there who like them and enjoy the way that they believe that they enhance an album. But if you’ve listened here long enough you know that for me, in MOST instances, that is not the case. In most instances ballads or power ballads or acoustic ballads pretty destroy what otherwise are perfectly decent albums. And is that the case with “Soldiers Under Command?” My WORD it is! So here, Stryper has produced a couple of beauties. The first of those to appear is “First Love”, which is so sickly sweet it encourages a gagging reflex every time I have to listen to it without skipping. And here is a snatch of the lyrics, those that are repeated often through the song: “Tears in the night, filled with pain, you're running from the love that you had before, you cried out for your first love. There is no love like the love of your first love, it's so true, yes true love will never leave you”. Of course, Michael here is singing about God, which is fine. And it is a love song. That’s great. But everything prior to this song is basically upbeat, fun, happy, energetic. And then this song arrives, and kills off the mood of the album entirely. Album killer? Almost. If not for the following track which closes out side one of the album, this song could have been charged with manslaughter at the very least. Zero redeeming features here. Then on the second side of the album we have “Together As One” which is pretty much on the same level. It’s almost a carbon copy of “First Love” with lyrics such as: “Together as one we'll stand for the world to see, together as one we'll shine throughout eternity”. And yes, Michael talking about God again. But it is the music that is the main killer. Once again all of the momentum that the album has created to this point gets washed away in a huge vat-full of sad, soppy wasted material. Now I’m sure that the band and their producer and record company thinks that they are a valuable addition to the album. Well no, they’re not. They destroy the momentum and feel of the album in its tracks. In the days of vinyl and cassettes I used to cut both of these songs out when I recorded it for the car, and it made the album a hell of a lot better. No pun intended.
Okay. Now that we have got this out of the way, we can talk about the far more enjoyable parts of the album. The solid base of the album comes from songs such as “Makes Me Wanna Sing” and “Reach Out” which are the best type that Stryper put forward, hard rock songs that put forth their message but also give it to you with guitars and great vocals. The combination of guitars between Michael Sweet and Oz Fox bring these songs up above average level, as does Michael’s amazing vocals range. These two songs are on the second tier level tracks for Stryper. Along with them, we have tracks such as “Together Forever”, “(Waiting For) A Love That’s Real” and “Surrender”, which are the building blocks of the best Stryper albums. They are solid songs that may not be exceptional, but are good solid songs that fill the gaps between the best on the album, but keep the album moving forward, holding the good feelings that have been produced and not do anything to drag the album down – yes, like those songs I mentioned at the top. are also better than average tracks. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” don’t quite finish off the album as well as it could. It is a grandiose version of this patriotic American song, but it seems over-indulgent and a little bit over the top as a way to conclude the album.
On the other hand, there are two songs here that stack up with the best of anything that was produced by hair and glam metal bands throughout the decade of the 1980’s, the two songs that bookend the first side of the album. The title track “Soldiers Under Command”, which opens the album in style, and the first side closer “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” showcase the best that Stryper can offer, with the twin guitars of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox paired off with their amazing vocal work, and driven by the rhythm of Robert Sweet’s ‘visual timekeeping’ and Tim Gaines bass guitar. These are both anthemic and wonderfully and almost playfully heavy, and perhaps more than the band realised at that time, the songs that best amplify the message they were trying to promote. The choruses of both lead themselves to be sung at loud volumes – almost raising your voice to God, if you will – and as a way of drawing in fans and outsiders to their message, it is a far better method than sending fans into despair and illness by having to listen to ballads. Both are terrific songs that call for pumping fists and banging heads and are the absolute highlights of the album.

My introduction to the band Stryper didn’t come until 1987 when the band first toured Australia on their “To Hell with the Devil” album – a story in itself that will shortly appear on my Patreon page should anyone be interested in signing up and having a listen. It was then that I first got the three albums that the band had released to that point, the EP “The Yellow and Black Attack”, the album they were touring on and “Soldiers Under Command”. And without going into the whole story behind it, being confronted with Christian lyrics on these albums was slightly confronting for a then 17-year-old who had left any pretence at a belief of a higher being behind long ago. But once I heard the music... I was sold enough to continue. And actually seeing the band live so soon into my discovery of their music was absolutely so important. It is still one of the loudest gigs I have ever seen, and hearing them play all of those great songs live brought them to life. That helped enormously.
As you will have guessed, I was not – nor am I now – sold on the two ballads on this album. Terrible tracks, they destroy the album, or at least at much as I allow them to. But the rest of the album is mostly excellent, and because I come to the albums of this band for the music, it has to be good to retain my interest. And it is. All four members are wonderful on their instruments, but it is those melodic and riffing guitars of Michael and Oz that take centre stage, and of course Michael ridiculous vocals, that extend themselves even further on the following album.
I’ve listened to this album a dozen times over the past few days once again. And nothing has really ever changed for me about it over the last 38 years that I have owned it. And the Stryper structure has barely changed over the years, to me at least. There are usually one or two tracks that I just outright hate, there are half a dozen that I think are good, usually better than average songs, and then the 2-4 tracks that are outstanding and continue to be so. That holds up here on “Soldiers Under Command”. Compared to their albums of the past decade this has perhaps dated a bit, but given I was on board at a very early stage with this band, it will always be an attachment that I’m unwilling to let go of.

1035. Stryper / God Damn Evil. 2018. 3.5/5

Before I sat down to write this review of Stryper’s new album God Damn Evil, I took a look back at what I have said about their last four or five albums. Not to steal from them, but more to confirm that in essence how I feel about this album is exactly how I have felt about those albums. I didn’t want to head into writing what I guessed was essentially the same old feelings without knowing that was what I was going to do.

So yes, that’s pretty much what I’m going to do. Because here is yet another excellent sounding album by a band that rediscovered its mojo with their 2009 release Murder by Pride and has maintained that level of excellence since. And I can’t really say anything different this time around because all of the same things stand true here as they have on the previous three albums. Those being:

1. This is a Christian band, and these are Christian-themed lyrics in each song. If you are in to that kind of thing then you are in the right ballpark. If you aren’t, then you should ignore what might be being proclaimed in the lyrics and just enjoy the songs, because they still sound great.
2. The musicianship and production is fantastic. Robert Sweet’s drumming is still terrific, and drives each song perfectly. He has always seemed to get a great sound from his equipment on Stryper albums, which is not always the case on studio recordings. New bass guitarist Perry Richardson does his job admirably in support of the rhythm section.
3. The guitars of Oz Fox and Michael Sweet are just incredible. Not only the sound they get, but the brilliant riffs and soloing from the two of them has always been one of the major themes that draws me to this band. Whatever you might think of their themes, the actual guitaring is always magnificent and more than worth coming back to hear time and time again.
4. The vocal chords of Michael Sweet. I’m not sure if he has ever gotten due praise for his voice. It is one of the best in the business, in any genre of music. In harmony with Oz Fox, these two just nail every song and still hit notes that are surely impossible to sing.

I don’t always find particular songs to rave about on Stryper albums now, but I can put on this album and listen all the way through and then have a repeat dose. There are some things mixed in on this edition, the chorus high pitched screaming of “TAKE IT TO THE CROSS!” on the opening track of the same name is a change in habit, and then the drop back in intensity in “Sorry”. The hard core riff and beat of “God Damn Evil” is followed by the smooth and rumbling “You Don’t Even Know Me”. The closing track “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” is another favourite.

In the long run, if you have enjoyed Stryper in the past you will enjoy this album as well, even though it probably isn’t quite as heavy or creative as the previous couple of albums. The groove is well maintained here, and the best parts of the band are highlighted and maintained. If you are not a fan of the band then you won’t find anything here to change your mind.

Rating:  “You better change your reflection and start a new crusade”.  3.5/5

886. Stryper / Fallen. 2015. 3.5/5

The resurgence of Stryper over the past decade has been nothing if not remarkable. Not only have they stuck true to their Christian values, they have continued to emphasise this through their songs and lyrics. And yet, through the release of their live album 7 Weeks: Live in America 2003, and the release of their covers album The Covering where they channelled the bands that helped create their style, the band has redefined their music, combining the catchiness of their popular 1980's sound with a revitalised heavy sound that has brought them into the new century with a purpose.

While the entire album mightn't be out-and-out heavy metal, you can't help but be impressed with the direction that Stryper has continued on with Fallen. As with their previous release No More Hell to Pay, the metal has been injected into the songs. "Yahweh" starts off in a flurry of drums, guitar and that ridiculous Michael Sweet high note. Both "Fallen" and "Pride" follow in this same class. The heavy edge in the music is noticeably infused, both through the hard hitting drumming of Robert Sweet on each track, emphasising as it does the back beat and tempo in tandem with the excellent riff work from both Michael Sweet and Oz Fox. Their harmony guitars still sound as sweet as ever (no pun intended) while their solo spots continue to be a highlight of every song. "Big Screen Lies" can be added to this, while "Heaven" drops back a peg without losing any of the wonderful musicianship of the earlier tracks.
"Love You Like I Do" is perhaps the best example of how Stryper has evolved on the album. A song that for all intents and purposes I shouldn't like, I can't help but enjoy. Listen to Michael's lyrics dominate, soaring into the clouds in harmony and encouraging you to sing along. Robert's drumming is so simple, but the hard hitting beat is perfect for the song, while the guitar break between Oz and Michael is worth the wait. This is a terrific moment. Funnily enough, it is followed by perhaps the most despondent for me, as "All Over Again" is the perfect replication of the hair metal ballad, with slow pace, acoustic guitar, and back up mood harmony vocals. Stereotypical much? Wow. Here's a song for the skip button. Just to complete the irony, this is then followed by the band's cover version of Black Sabbath's awesome "After Forever", a song that Stryper has done a magnificent job on. This Stryperised version is just brilliant, and Michael lets his voice cry to the heavens as he progresses through it. Awesome.
"Till I Get What I Need" then busts out of the speakers at a rollicking speed, with Michael's vocals and Oz's guitar again dominating, reinvigorating the tempo of the album and is supported by "Let There Be Light". What has come before is perhaps let down a little by the final couple of tracks, which don't match most of the rest of the album for the modern excellence that has been achieved. Yeah, they are just a little annoying in structure.

This is another excellent release from a band that has made a resurgence in recent times, through staying true to their beliefs, but also by staying true to the music they love, and improving it to encompass the modern heavy metal sound. While not all of their material will always appeal to all of the fans, there is again plenty here to make even the casual fan prick their ears up in appreciation of their work.

Rating:  I want to show you the world I see.  3.5/5

796. Stryper / To Hell With the Devil. 1986. 4/5

To be completely honest, I have absolutely zero idea exactly how I first came to hear of this band, and this album in particular. It was 1987, it was my final year of high school, and I was trying to grab any piece of hard rock/heavy metal music I could find. Stryper announced a tour of Australia, and about of dozen of my group got tickets to go. I'm hazy on whether I had heard this album before that moment, but I certainly listened to it a lot in those months leading up to the tour. I know the band appeared on the "Midday Show" on Channel 9 with the Rev. Fred Nile, who tried to denounce them on live TV, and they were able to win the crowd over in attendance (Nile even had his photo taken with them wearing a leather jacket). So I knew they were a Christian band before getting into the album, that much is somewhat clear. Given my non-religious views and that of my parents, it must have confused them slightly at the time. It probably confused me as well.

So how to take this album? I take it the same way I take albums like Slayer's Hell Awaits or Morbid Angel's Covenant or Mercyful Fate's Melissa. All great albums and all with lyrics that aren't anything I consider important to me or to be a way of leading my life. I love all of these albums on their musical merit and not on anything that the lyrics in the songs may be trying to represent. It is fine that Stryper is a Christian band, and that they are trying to spread their message in their music. Good for them, go right ahead. I'll pass on the message thanks, but I will enjoy some ripping tunes all the same, and try to ignore some rather dreadful ones at the same time.
If I was to focus on the ballads here, I wouldn't get more than a fifth of a second into the album before frisbeeing it across the room into a wall at a thousand miles an hour. Hair metal bands breed power ballads like rabbits, and most of them are just awful. There's no hiding from them here either. "Honestly" is a travesty, that keyboard-based touch-your-heart kind of puking vomit that makes some people feel good about themselves, but which just makes me want to gouge my own eyes out. Michael Sweet can sing, but oh please no more of this! Of course, there is more, because "All of Me" is the Side 2 equivalent of this. It could conceivably be its twin, and they both terribly corrupt the great music that is otherwise prevalent on the album. I can tell you that it was a painful act on my original vinyl copy of this album having to get up and lift the needle off these tracks each time they came on and replacing it at the start of the next good song. Transferring it to cassette for the car took that problem out, as did they 'skip' button when the CD version was purchased, and also now that it has been transferred to a digital copy as well.
Let's get to the important stuff. The opening track "To Hell With the Devil" is a balltearer, and was my first taste of Michael Sweet's pipes - bloody hell, this guy can SING! Then get a load of those twin guitars of Sweet and Oz Fox. Awesome, and more was to come. "Calling On You" falls back to a more basic hard rock track, but is still impressive. "Free" falls into the same category, good solid songs with great harmony vocals throughout. Then after the moroseness of "Honestly" you get the gem of "The Way", a charging metal track highlighted by Michael's amazing vocals. Those notes he hits at the end of the song are just amazing. Even more so when you hear him sing it live, because yes, he does it just as well and note perfect. Ridiculous.
Side 2 commences with "Sing-Along Song", which seems to be a metaphor for a kids song - surely it had to be when they came up with the title. "Holding On" is a straight forward, less convincing track that could have done with a little more power when they wrote it. "Rockin' the World" is much better, faster, heavier and with a more enjoyable beat to it. After the second abominable track, the album finishes with the hard rocking "More Than a Man".

As I mentioned, I saw Stryper when they toured Australia on this album. 28 years later and it is still the loudest concert I have ever seen. The band was brilliant, and Michael Sweet sings everything the same live as he does in the studio. The memory of that brilliant gig probably continues to prop up my enjoyment of this album. I still think the positives far outweigh the negatives here, though it will always held in higher esteem with me through the tinge of nostalgia it will always bring whenever I listen to it, I think it still holds most of that of its own accord.

Rating:  You want it, we got it, rock that lifts you up it doesn't bring you down.  4/5

742. Stryper / No More Hell to Pay. 2013. 3.5/5

No matter what way you swing when it comes to religion and the matters of God, you cannot help but be impressed by the music that is produced by Stryper, and more to the point, you cannot help but enjoy this album. Whatever their thoughts were when they came into writing and recording this album, they have finally managed to find a formula that is reminiscent of their glory days back in the mid-to-late1980's, utilising their greatest assets to produce an at times scintillating album.

This goes back to their metal roots. There is a definite push on this album to make heavier songs and heavier music, and you can't argue with the results. The drumming and drum sound here is terrific. Rob Sweet appears to be playing his kit harder, and getting the maximum thump out of his toms. The 'visual timekeeper' of old is more than holding up his end of the bargain on this album. Listen to songs such as "Sticks & Stones", and you wonder how he has any unbroken drumsticks left. The always remarkable lead guitar of Oz Fox continues to astound. He and Michael Sweet have a unique and brilliant guitar sound, one that any band would give their eye teeth for. Not to mention Michael's amazing vocal chords once again. He still retains once of the most remarkable voices in music, let alone the hard rock and metal scene. The notes he still hits are ridiculous, without ever sounding like they are forced. The end of "Saved by Love" is a perfect example of this. His vocal harmonies with Oz Fox match those they perform with their guitars. Unbelievable.

I don't listen to Stryper for the lyrics or their perceived message. I listen to Stryper for the music, for those amazing guitars, and to hear Michael Sweet sing. I know every word off the album To Hell With the Devil because I was 17 when it was released and that's what you did when you were 17. Now I could barely tell you a line I remember from this album, but that doesn't mean I like it any less.
I'm not trying to oversell this album, because no matter what your music taste is you will find flaws here along the way. I'd be more impressed if the songs were faster, because that's what I like. My favourites from the album would include "Legacy" and "Te Amo" for that reason. And sure, after a while some of the songs will begin to repeat on you. But it is the style they have headed in that I like. If you enjoyed Stryper back in their golden years you should also enjoy this. If you haven't been a fan, this is unlikely to convert you. Pun intended.

Rating:  I’ve seen enough to write tale after tale.  3.5/5

659. Stryper / Murder by Pride. 2009. 3.5/5

When you come into a new Stryper album, you can be sure of a few things. One, the vocals will be awesome, pitch perfect and sensational. Two, you will come across at least two ballads, ones that will suck the life out of your listening pleasure if only for the fact that they will stall the impetus that the album has made up until the point they arrive. Three, the guitars of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox will constantly surprise and amaze you with their power and force.
Murder by Pride is no different.

The great songs here are brilliant. To be honest, surprisingly so, given the length of time that has passed since their last truly great album, To Hell With the Devil. Sure, they've had some good songs since then, but their appearance has been stagnant and more like potholes on a highway than the highway itself. The opener "Eclipse of the Son" is powerful and gritty. "The Plan" is driven by Sweet's amazing vocals and a great solo by Fox. "Murder by Pride" follows the same path. "Love is Why" and "Everything" are also favourites of mine here.

The ballads, as always for me, are the killer. "Alive" and "I Believe" both come along at their specified intervals and halt the progress of the album. Don't get me wrong, the vocals and the guitars sound strong and spectacular, but they aren't enough to stop that nagging feeling I have with so many albums of this nature, that if they just out these songs aside and didn't allow the momentum to shift, they would be so much better. I'm also not too sure about the Boston cover song, "Peace of Mind". We know you played with them for a few years Michael, no need to remind us of it!

There is a lot to like about this release, and in most ways it not only proves that Stryper the band can still make good albums, it also hopefully points to a resurgence in their fortunes. It is interesting to note the difference that Kenny Aronoff on drums and Tracy Ferrie on bass make on this album, compared to long term members Robert Sweet and Tim Gaines. Both are excellent here. The twin guitars of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox are again just truly awesome, while their vocals also are soaring. Whether or not this is a 'comeback' is worth arguing about, but it is worthy of a listen.

656. Stryper / Second Coming. 2013. 4.5/5

On first impressions, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is just a grab for cash, a way to pull in a few more dollars while the band keeps touring without having any more new material out. It was what I was thinking before getting the album.
Well, I was mostly wrong.

For a start, this album contains fourteen of Stryper's greatest songs, all culled from their three first, and best, albums. Two are from the EP The Yellow and Black Attack, six from Soldiers Under Command and six from To Hell With the Devil. All have been re-recorded here, updated and improved as required. For instance, as Michael Sweet also concurred, on the original albums the bass guitar is almost non-existent in the mix, and that is certainly sorted out on these versions. Also with better mastering now than from 25-30 years ago, these songs now sound fuller, brighter and louder than the originals. More than anything else, it also gives you another example of how Michael Sweet can still hit those same ridiculous notes this many years after first singing them (though, again in his own words, he doesn't quite sound like "a helium-induced kid at Disneyland" on these versions as he did to a certain degree on the original albums).

This is a real joy, and barring a couple of songs really is a greatest hits album. Those of you who, like me, are not a power ballad fan will probably still cringe at songs like "First Love" and "Loving You" and "Surrender", no matter how well they are done. But then there are the real gems, the big time songs like "Loud 'N Clear", "Soldiers Under Command", "The Rock That Makes Me Roll", "To Hell With the Devil" and "The Way" that are still just as strong and ballsy and so damn metal as they ever were. Ignore the lyrics and the "message" if you are not that way inclined (I am very atheist), because it is the music that is the star attraction. Not only that, Michael Sweet's vocals are purely awesome. He has one of the greatest voices in all music let alone heavy metal or hard rock or Christian rock. He is an amazing lead singer, and his harmonies with Oz Fox too are spectacular.
There are also two new songs here, "Bleeding From the Inside" and "Blackened" which are both also great.

Even if you have the three albums that these songs are from, this is still worth purchasing for the pureness of the recordings. If you don't, or you have never experienced Stryper in all of their glory, then this album is one you must add to your playlist.

583. Stryper / The Covering. 2011. 3/5

I think there is always an initial excitement when a band you like brings out a 'covers' album, especially when so many of the songs/artists on said release are also big favourites of your own! And so it was when this release was first announced that I felt a tingle of anticipation.
 Having said that, the other main thing that must be made about covers albums is that the versions of the songs done very rarely match up to the original versions, and after a few listens the cover album generally gets placed on the CD shelf and is left to its own devices.

In all respects I could leave the review there, but that may be a little unfair.

The songs chosen could easily have been a best-of selection of 1980's heavy metal - could almost have been the song list I would have chosen if I was putting together just such a compilation. I guess there is an inherent danger in taking on songs of this magnitude - they are some of the most recognisable songs in heavy metal history, and if they aren't done justice it can be a cruel blow.
Cutting to the chase, and the good news is that the boys have done a good job on the album. The songs have been somewhat "Stryper-ised", in that they do not possess the raw power and heavyness of the original material, and they have quite rightly attuned the guitars and music to a "Stryper-ised" sound without compromising the basis of the music. So if you have come looking for a modern metal take on these songs you have come to the wrong place. However, if you have come to see how this very good band interprets some of the best metal songs of all time, then it is worth a listen.

Most of the songs have the tempo just dialled back a little from the original versions. My interest was always going to be focused on two specific elements. First was the guitaring of Oz Fox and Michael Sweet, and the best way to describe it is 'efficient'. Having seen the band live I guess I was hoping for some ripping solos from the two of them. What you get is some very good guitaring which never really breaks out of the mould, apart from perhaps the Kansas song "Carry on Wayward Son". Mind you, they are up against some of the best of all time, so it's a tough task. Second was the vocals of Michael Sweet, and how he approached the task at hand. There is a lot of double tracking of vocals, which works on most songs, though perhaps not on Iron Maiden's "The Trooper". Sweet has always had an awesome voice, but again is up against some of the best in the business in Dickinson, Halford, Osbourne and Dio.
In conclusion, I can but repeat my remarks from the beginning of the review. It's great to hear a band love the same songs that you do, and make an album of them. Once you have listened to it 8 to 10 times, as I have since buying it two days ago, you begin to crave listening to the original songs again, and start burrowing through the CD shelves to find them. They are good versions of these great songs, and the band is faultless in their musicianship. Michael Sweet's vocals soar as they always do. But the novelty can only last for a certain period of time, and then you will move on.

542. Stryper / In God We Trust. 1988. 2.5/5

In the preceding four years, Stryper had not only managed to find a way to make Christian rock accessible to more people, but had well and truly infiltrated the glam metal and heavy metal scene with the success of their bombastic yet harmonising songs that found a way to be attractive to a wider and more varied audience imaginable. Having started with their debut album “The Yellow and Black Attack”, they had followed it with two albums that truly managed to cross codes in “Soldiers Under Command” and “To Hell with the Devil”, which combined not only their Christian themes and beliefs into songs, but did so in a way that made some of those songs heavy metal anthems, something that seemed to be completely out of step with how the religious community looked at the heavy metal scene.
The success of the “To Hell with the Devil” album, which you can hear all about in an episode of Season 1 of this podcast, would have put a significant amount of pressure on the band leading into the writing and recording of their fourth studio album. Not only that, but the composition of the songs is also something that must have been crucial. The band had had commercial success with their singles and the music videos that they comprised, especially through the MTV market in the US. On the whole it was their sugar laced ballads that had brought this commercial success and what still drove that point of sales. But the other market they had cracked had been through their heavy metal anthems, songs such as “Loud N Clear”, “Soldiers Under Command”, “The Rock That Makes Me Roll”, “To Hell with the Devil” and “The Way” that had been just as important in increasing their fan base. Metallica and Megadeth fans taking on Stryper as well was a massive thing for the band, and in moving forward this had to be an integral part of the songs they produced in order to retain that part of their fan base. Or so one would have thought.

Whatever the eventual reason may have been, most critics and fans alike would agree that there is a drop in the overall quality in the songs here on “In God We Trust” compared to their earlier efforts. And perhaps it is unfair to compare it to “Soldiers Under Command” and “To Hell with the Devil”, but from early on in the piece it is obvious that this doesn’t stack up against them. The stronger tracks on the album can hold their own, but there is far too much wimping out here in regard to the strength of the tracks.
The album starts off strong with the title track, which at least echoes those great anthemic tracks mentioned earlier, and in particular gives centre stage to those great guitars and Michael Sweet’s amazing vocal chords. However, one of my major gripes with this album is that, in essence, it starts to sound like a poor rip-off of their previous album. Take a close listen to the second track on the album "Always There for You" and tell me you can't hear the song "Calling on You" from the previous album. Beyond this, there is little doubt that the rather disappointing "It's Up 2 U" is a very ordinary re-hash of the infinitely better "Sing Along Song" from the previous album. And then when you get to the tremendously awful ballad “Lonely”, you can positively hear the same melody and feeling that came with the same tremendously awful ballad “Honestly” from that previous album. Now one can only imagine in the writing process that it was decided that they needed to retain the same successful formula for this album as for the “To Hell with the Devil” album, and that is to be commended... but at least try and make it sound a LITTLE different! And better! Or had the band simply run out of ideas?
Elsewhere there is still much to enjoy on the album, in particular the harder hitting tracks such as “The Writings on the Wall” and the closing song “The Reign” tap into that enthusiasm that marks the best of Stryper’s work, while songs such as “Keep the Fire Burning” and “Come to the Everlife” are average harmless songs. On the other end of the scale, the ballads of “I Believe in You” and “The World of You and I” are right alongside “Lonely” as ones I would like to avoid for eternity.
Kudos once again though to Michael Sweet, whose vocals again soar to hitherto unnatural heights. I am constantly amazed at his ability to not only sing how he does, but to play guitar at the same time as well. Oz Fox again is supreme on guitar, while Robert Sweet’s drumming is efficient without showing the star quality of earlier albums.

Coming off the joy of their earlier albums and the stunning concert on the ‘To Hell with the Devil’ tour in Sydney the previous year, I jumped at this when it was released in the belief it would be another step further on from those other albums. So it is possible I went into this in a state of over excitement which doesn’t always allow an album to be heard in its best setting. And while I did enjoy the album and many of the tracks, I guess I was still let down by the number of ballads that were present and that soured the whole experience. And to be fair, it does with every Stryper album ever released. But getting beyond that there is lot here to still enjoy, and that is what I hold onto when it comes to listening to this album, and I have done that about thirty times over the past three weeks leading up to doing this podcast episode.
To me this album had the potential to be as good as their previous works, but in the end it falls down in the final direction they allowed the music to go. Because there isn’t a real metal feel about the harder songs here, they are more of a hard rock genre, a softening of what they could have been if the band had wanted them to be. And that is where this album is led, by where the band wanted to go. A shame when you actually listen to the album, and can hear for yourself where they really should have taken this material. At least, that’s what I would have done.

44. Stryper / Against The Law. 1990. 1/5.

For the previous five or so years prior to this album coming out, Stryper had found a way to place themselves in a happy medium, in a place that seemed to work perfectly. Overtly Stryper was a Christian rock band. They sang about God, they sang about Jesus, they sang about the power and the glory that their religious beliefs offered them. And for this they gathered a following that exuded the gratitude that they expressed in the lyrics of their songs. Along that path, their music had managed to draw the interest of the mainstream scene, those that followed the different genres of heavy metal that existed at the time. Though their music could well have been said to side on the glam and hair metal side of the border, some of their songs actually crossed that border into genuine heavy metal, and by this fact they had managed to lure this fan base towards them as well, even those that were far less interested in any message that their lyrics might be promoting. In doing so, through albums such as “Soldiers Under Command” and “To Hell with the Devil” had gained exacting followings.
The band’s third album “In God We Trust” had not garnered the same reaction, enmeshed as it was with a slightly altered sound and perhaps a too heavy focus on the power ballads. Or perhaps, as was discussed at the time, perhaps the fans of the band who were not religiously motivated had grown tired of hearing about what the band was singing about, that no matter how excellent the music might sound perhaps the tide had turned when it came to the band’s viability to fans of all music genres.
Was this a motivation as to what happened next? It does seem feasible, though never truly investigated. Because when it came to their follow up, there were a great many changes that took place. The first was the abandonment of the stage gear that the band had worn since their inception. The yellow and black spandex was discarded, and in its place came the leather jackets and jeans of a more familiar scene that was occurring around this time. More noticeably however, was the change in the lyrical style and substance of the songs produced for the next album. Rather than visibly evangelical lyrics that had come from the first three albums and the initial EP, now we had songs that were most noticeably about relationship troubles and more common world topics. There was still a slight bent towards the ideals that they had once sung about, but the themes in general left the preaching aside.
This was all intimated well before the album hit the shelves, and the reaction at the time was as mixed as you might expect. The fans of the religious side of the band were confused and concerned, the fans of the metal music side of the band thought perhaps this might be a revelation. And in the long run, perhaps no one really knew what to expect when Stryper’s fourth studio album finally landed, under the name of “Against the Law”.

The opening song sets the mood and the direction for the album ahead with the title track “Against the Law”. Gone is the anthemic and holistic musical rhythm of earlier albums, replaced by a more workmanlike and layman's hair metal hard rock sound driven by bands such as Ratt and L.A. Guns. It follows a template away from their usual style, and immediately announces that this is a statement album from the outset. Lyrically it also tells the listener that there is a change of attitude here, with lines such as: “You've got to point your finger, you think you know it all, I want you to remember, I don't live for you, 'cause I'm against your law” and “We've still got the fire burning in our souls, but we're just rockin' harder to make our music roll”. The message seems clear from the start. We might be singing about different topics here, and we are making music for ourselves, but we are still the same band. Opinions as to whether this worked or not would be mixed. “Two Time Woman” follows, and this is where it begins to get a bit strange for Stryper fans. We are used to hearing Michael Sweet singing his praises to a higher power, but hearing him sing about a two timing woman... that’s a bit weird. You get used to songs that preach a love for Jesus, but the love for a woman who is doing the dirty on him? Hearing him sing: “Hangin' out at a party, all my friends everywhere, thought you were right beside me but you weren't there, no. Then I caught you with someone else, that's the end of the show”... is a little off putting. Then “Rock the People” is very lyric-nascent, simplified and very much in the style of I’m a rocker, I just wanna rock. It has a basic rock riff, that to be fair is improved by Oz Fox’s solo in the middle of the song. And then we have “Two Bodies (One Mind One Soul)”, the next song to reference the ‘girl in a relationship’ vibe. I mean, in many ways, Sweet has just change the focus of his songs from the ’almighty’ to the ‘all-woman’, though more pointedly not avoiding the conflict in the earthly relationships than he was with the heavenly ones on previous albums.
“Not That Kind of Guy” is a complete Van Halen rip-off song. Musically, lyrically, the way Michael sings it, the backing vocals in the chorus, even Oz Fox’s guitar solo sounds like Eddie Van Halen. Everything about it. You could take this song and put it on any of the first few Van Halen albums and you wouldn’t skip a beat. Hey, it sounds fine, but this is a little too close to plagiarism for my taste. “Shining Star” is a cover of the Earth, Wind & Fire song, and has more energy in Michael’s vocals and the two guitars, working together to push the harder rock variety of track. It continues to induce more of the hard rock into the music than previous Stryper albums have, but is still missing an ingredient to make it work. Perhaps that ingredient is polish, because although they have Tom Werman as their producer, who had been involved in albums by bands that this album feels as though it is trying to replicate, such as L.A. Guns, Poison and Twisted Sister, it doesn’t quite make it. “Ordinary Man” which follows is in exactly the same boat, a song with some bones and structure but without the basis to fill it all out. This is followed by the only ballad of the album (which at least was a step in the right direction). “Lady” is lyrically desolate, with wonderfully basic and unwritable lines such as “Lady, I wanna be your man, Lady, I’ll love you all I can”. I mean, at least in the ballads on the previous albums, when they were singing to their God, they sounded like they meant it!
This at least is saved by the next track, “Caught in the Middle”, the only song that sounds like a Stryper song. Everything cooks on this song. The lyrics at least show some heart, some meaning. Michael is singing in the style we know, Oz is riffing and soloing the way we know he can, the backing vocals are Stryper, and the pace of the song is fantastic. Easily the best song on the album. It is followed by “All for One” that moves back to the style of the first half of the album, a style that, as I have already mentioned here, if it had been refined a little would have worked better than it does.
The closing track is “Rock the Hell Out of You”, the fastest and dare I say it heaviest song on the album. For the first time, Michael attacks with his vocals, hitting the gruff scream and the typical high sweet screams that he was renowned for. One might ask the question - ‘why did it take until the final song on the album to really go down this path, if what they wanted to do was do a more mainstream metal album?’ The core elements are all here to show that they COULD have gone further down this path – if they had wanted to. It isn’t a perfect song, but perhaps with a bit more work they could have achieved what it was they appeared to be aiming for.

For me, I think everything about this album just didn’t work when it came to the timing of its release. I had all of Stryper’s releases up to this point, and had even seen them live twice on two different tours of Australia. So it couldn’t be said that I wasn’t a fan. And if memory serves me correctly, I am sure I greeted the news that they were going to release an album that did not focus on religious ideals and instead would focus on other topics with open arms. The possibility of this fabulous band unleashing with some true heavy metal and with lyrics that I could perhaps indulge in without second guessing myself seemed like a perfect match.
Two things probably didn’t help. The first was, I didn’t think the songs on the album were... great. They didn’t have the hooks that songs on each of the other albums had. It is true that I do not find every song on every Stryper album to be appealing, but there were always four or five that had great hooks and riffs, and those Michael Sweet screams that made them conclusively awesome. But for the most part, that just isn’t the case here. In changing the focus of their lyrics, they also changed the focus of their music, and that just didn’t work as well as it had previously. There are some okay songs here, ones that are still enjoyable today. But they aren’t exceptional like on previous albums. The second was, the timing of the release of the album sucked. Like I mentioned on the recent episode for Ratt’s “Detonator”, this album was released in a six week period where some of the greatest albums ever were released – and that list again included Alice in Chains’ “Facelift”, Anthrax’s “Persistence of Time”, Queensryche’s “Empire” and Judas Priest’s “Painkiller”, and with others just around the corner. It meant that even if this had been a better than average album, it would have struggled significantly to get listening time with me on the release of those other albums. And the fact is – this wasn’t a better than average album. It was slightly far less better than that.
Over the years, nothing much has persuaded me to give it much airtime when it came to listening to it again. There have been occasions when it does come up, and I have taken it off the shelves and given it a go again. But that has only been as a result of not really knowing what I wanted to listen to at the time. So for the occasion of this podcast episode, it has had a far larger run in the CD player than it perhaps ever has in the years since its release. And what do I think of it now? Well, given it is 35 years in the past, I found it to be listenable. It is still, for the most part, uninspiring. It is... generic... in a way. It sounds like it was trying to jump onto a trend but missed its mark. Take out “Caught in the Middle”, which is the closest to their original sound, and this album is a missed opportunity. Compared to what had come before, and absolutely compared to what they have released since their reformation in 2005, this is the dullest album of the band’s career. Michael Sweet eventually left to pursue a solo career, and it wasn’t until the next decade that the full band performed together again. Time was to be a great boost for the band’s sound going forward, and to confine this period to the discount racks.

15. Stryper / 7 Weeks : Live In America. 2004. 5/5.

We always knew these guys could play and, above all else, sing. But when you listen to this album, it still just blows you away that a guy can sing like this live.
Containing their best of the best (on a reunion tour around the US), this is a fabulous showcase of what Stryper were all about. Whether you pay attention to the lyrics or not (I tend not to...), the music and energy is just brilliant. This is up there with the bet live albums of all time.

Memories : Front row of the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, June 1987. One of the loudest gigs of all time, in the Yellow & Black outfits. Remembering the whole day – Pete Orgill with his scotch, which was duly confiscated, Dorky losing his card in the cashcard teller, Bono asking for a lift with a guy in a Porsche, people getting trampled fighting over the Stryper Bibles they tossed out during gigs. Ah to be 17 and foolish again...

Rating : One of the best live albums of all time (oh – I've already said that.. :) ). 5/5.