Kev Rowland When I came back from university in 1984 I was intrigued to discover that my sister had been seeking out Christian rock music, which soon gained the genre name of White Metal. One band interested me in particular, Stryper, as I was also heavily into Kiss in this period and was intrigued how another band was using imagery so prominently within their music. I bought their first two albums from America, but was not a huge fan of their third, ‘To Hell With The Devil’ and lost interest not long afterwards. Then 10 years ago they signed with Frontiers and this is their fifth album with them, so consequently I have heard more of their music in recent years than I have in decades. In March they came to New Zealand for the first time in aeons and I was fortunate enough to be there reviewing, and I was blown away by what was a wonderful performance from a rock band who have never strayed from their stance, and still give out New Testaments at their shows. That three of the original members, Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano), Robert Sweet (drums, percussion) and Oz Fox (guitar, vocals) are still there is nothing short of incredible as they enter their fifth decade as a band, while this is the third album for bassist Perry Richardson (who first found fame in Firehouse).

Here we have a band who know what they are about, have found their niche, and see no reason whatsoever to change it. They may not have the hunger and desire which came through in the first albums when they were so beloved of the glam scene, yet when it comes to music this is all about melodic hard rock with great hooks and the wonderful vocals of Michael Sweet. Not only does he have an ongoing project with George Lynch (Dokken), but he was also lead singer and guitarist with Boston for a period as well, not an easy gig at all. Their lyrics are still Christian, as that is what this band has always been about, they even took their name from a bible passage in Isaiah 53:5, "By His stripes we are healed", which is still part of the band's logo. Yes, the yellow and black striped attire is a gimmick, as is Robert’s kit being placed at a 90 degree angle to the norm so everyone can see him more easily, “the visual timekeeper”. But at the heart of this is solid music which is enjoyable the first time it is played, and one can easily relax into it even if the listener may not agree with the words being used. When Sweet screams in falsetto as he does on “No Rest for the Wicked” it is effortless, and so very easy indeed.

Is this something which will encourage new fans to listen to them? Not sure on that, as I still prefer the albums when they were out to prove something and the world was against them, but it is certainly something which will please those who have been following their career over the years. I only hope they come here again soon, Michael did promise.

Vim Fuego Mainstream metal fans have always had a couple of problems with Stryper which has held the band back from greater success.

The first is the obvious one – the Christian lyrics and message the band has been broadcasting for the best part of 40 years. However, celebrations of, and exhortations to, Big Daddy, J.C., and the Spook, er... I mean the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (gotta keep the atheist piss-taking to a minimum here because this is a review of the album, not the religion) aside, Stryper have produced some absolutely banging metal tunes over the years. Take the first track from “The Final Battle” as an example. “Transgressor” is a booming lead-off track, so forget those old 80s glam metal reservations you might still be hanging on to. This is a full on powerful heavy-fucking-metal… oh, sorry, heavy-f***ing-metal song. Solos, a relentless rhythm, killer Judas Priest/Saxon/Accept style riffs, and lyrics guiding you on the path to eternal life, if you so desire. Yes, Stryper can rock hard with the best of them.

And so the album continues. Musically “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” isn’t a million miles distant from Judas Priest’s “Touch of Evil”, and vocalist Michael Sweet even hits a Halford style falsetto scream. “Same Old Story” and “Heart & Soul” are a pair of stadium rockers which modern day Mötley Crüe would kill for, all with positive, life-affirming messages instead of death and destruction or party anthem lyrics.

So far, so good. This is exactly what anyone who’s been paying attention to Stryper over the years would expect. However, the second problem hinted at earlier rears it’s ugly head with fifth track “Near”. The bane of many a young metalhead from the 80s, it’s a POWER BALLAD! Yep, Stryper’s ballads are just awful. The ballads are just so sappy and saccharine, and with the Christian sentiments come across as the Imagine Dragons of metal. These songs might really tear it up in the live setting in an evangelical mega-church, but in recorded form these are the tracks the skip button or air sickness bags were designed for.

From here on, the rest of the album seems to lose a bit of it’s bite, teetering between hands-in-the-air hard rock hymns to Him, and rockers that don’t quite roll like the first few tracks. The album could easily have just fizzled out like this, but final track “Ashes To Ashes” elbows it’s way in, and it’s a rocker which wouldn’t seem out of place on a W.A.S.P. album.

The Yellow and Black Attack have always been a bit problematic for metal fans not looking for religious messages in their music. The messaging has put off a lot of potential listeners over the years (yes, I’ll own up, I was one), but if you can put prejudices and preconceptions aside, and then filter through the filler tracks, there’s some absolute killer metal contained here. Just make sure your finger on the skip button is quicker than your gag reflex when you hit the ballad...

Kev Rowland I’m not really sure what is left to say about Stryper, who have remained true to their goals for most of their career. Back in 1983, when they were known as Roxx Regime, they released a six-track demo, and three of the four participants are still there today, namely Michael Sweet (vocals, guitar), Robert Sweet (drums) and Oz Fox (guitar, vocals). There was a point recently when the band went on hiatus due to the other founder, Tim Gaines, having some personal issues and at that time Michael said the band would not perform as Stryper without him. Obviously there has been a rethink, as he has now been replaced by ex-Firehouse bassist Perry Richardson.

I first came across Stryper not long after the first two albums, ‘The Yellow and Black Attack’ and ‘Solders Under Command’, and even managed to get their 1985 video ‘Live In Japan’ when it was released, but by the time of their third album, ‘To Hell With The Devil’ I felt they were incredibly formulaic and that view has not really changed in the intervening years. Christian preaching lyrics? Check. Hard rock which is melodic but never likely to frighten the faithful? Check. Loads of harmony vocals? Check. Songs which are fairly enjoyable while they are playing but instantly forgettable as soon as they are over? Check and check.

Stryper’s formula has been successful enough over the years for them to reform a few times and keep it going, and there is no doubt that within the mainstream they are the most visible Christian rock band out there. Undoubtedly this will appeal to those who feel that Christians should not listen to any type of secular music, and may even get a few non-believers intrigued, but there is little to really distinguish this from any of their other recent albums. Pleasant enough to listen to, but nothing here to drag me back into playing it again.

siLLy puPPy OK, i admit it. There has been a barrage of postings on Facebook regarding US politics in this 2016 election season and a frequent visitor to my screen is the claim that Ted Cruz is actually the singer of STRYPER (as well as the grandpa from the 60s TV series The Munsters but that’s another story). Well lo and behold the similarities are striking but more importantly it reminded me that i have been wanting to check this band out for eons. BTW the band’s name came for the King James Version of the Bible. A reference to Isaiah 53:5.

The truth is i’ve only heard one album “To Hell With The Devil” and although i wasn’t totally blown away, was impressed enough with the good catchy metal songwriting even if the lyrics bordered on ludicrous and the over-the-top vocal style was a hair scratcher even for glam metal but what the hey. Check them out i did. I figured what better way to give these yellow and black Jesus freaks a chance than with a compilation that spans their career just to figure out if i want to dig deeper into their discography. Well, after a couple spins i would have to give a firm resounding negative to that sentiment.

STRYPER originally formed in 1983 under the Roxx Regime moniker but soon changed their name to express their Christian faith. They came from the conservative enclave of Orange County, CA just south of L.A.. and to date have released a total of 11 studio albums with this compilation 7: THE BEST OF STYPER covering their first six albums that ranged from 1985-90. The band reformed in 2005 and has released an additional six albums.

One of the strange things about this album is that it doesn’t start the tracks from oldest to newest but rather starts with two unreleased tracks and then goes backwards beginning with 1990’s “Against The Law,” the album where the band decided to flip the middle finger to Christian themes and suddenly tried to cop a bad ass image which backfired big time essentially ending the band’s successful trajectory even before grunge derailed the whole glam thing altogether.

The first two tracks which were unreleased are rather bland and insipid and a throwback to the most run-of-the-mill glam metal of the 80s. The three tracks from “Against The Law” are equally bland with a boring ballad “Lady” and the pitiful attempt to cover the classic funk and soul song “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind and Fire. “All For One” is a bit better but this is pretty standard glam metal for the day and finds STRYPER treading water.

The two tracks from “In God We Trust” are much better. The title track and “Always There For You” find the band at the pinnacle of their song writing skills. They have honed their sound, the lyrics are not as naive and the vocals aren’t as goofy. I think i actually like these two tracks the best save the high pitched screams and Robert Sweet’s incessant lazy drumming skills. I think the band could have been much better with a more competent drummer.

My next favorite tracks come from the only album i’ve heard from them “To Hell With The Devil.” This is a title that cracks me up big time. I mean telling the devil to go to hell is like telling a whore to go to a whorehouse or a Christian to go to church. Silly! Good melody though. Same with “Free” and “The Way.” Their big top 40 hit “Honestly” is a bit much on the sappy side though and a clear attempt to cash in on the hairspray ballads of the late 80s. This album was the most successful going double platinum in the US.

The most metal of the tracks comes from their first two albums when they were trying to emulate Queensryche or Judas Priest. “Soldiers Under Command” was a great anthem for Christians who were suddenly given the green light to join the world of “naughty music” and found the band in its most energetic and uncompromising mode but even on the first two albums STRYPER was simply following the trend and not adding much to it in terms of creative musicality.

I dunno. There are aspects of STRYPER i do like. They clearly could write some crunchy catchy riffs and their hooks are one of their strongest attributes. I have absolutely no problem with their Christian views as i am attracted to music before lyrical content but STRYPER was clearly disciples of the time and never broke out of the glam metal norms of the day. Everything is totally predictable and i do seem to have a problem with vocalist Michael Sweet’s goofy yelps and high pitched screeches. The whole thing is a fun little romp through the 80s but after sampling snippets of their career laid out in this discography leaves me little motivating factor to pursue their actual albums although i’m quite aware that “Best Of’s” never really do a band justice. Oh well, this one is more than enough.

If you’re into Christian metal than there is much better product out there. I really love the un-black metal of Horde and have even got on board with other Christian theme bands such as King’s X, Savior Machine and Tourniquet but STRYPER is a little too saccharin for my tastes but it does have nice cheese factor which i do appreciate for a good laugh now and again. There’s enough good stuff here to warrant 3 stars.

Stephen STRYPER never cease to amaze me and their musicianship is as tight as they were in the 80s and Michael's voice seems to be consistently great in the upper range. This new album is incredible but a pity there are still a few weaker tracks that prevent this from scoring into 90% region. The first track, 'Revelation', honestly didn't impress me much but still a good track, while 'No More Hell To Pay' is a big winner. This one is the second best track after 'Te Amo' which is the 10/10 for me, a very classic style that's close to 'IGWT'. 'Sticks and Stones' started with a great verse and even better chorus, this is the third best track here!

The cover, 'Jesus Is Just Alright', is actually pretty good but getting boring in the middle and 'Marching Into Battle' was intense but lacking of memorable hooks. 'Renewed' is a spectacular heavy metal closer and the rest are spread between 8 to 8.75. 'Saved By Love' is an amazing showcase of Michael's sensational vocal, that guy nailed it big!

Production is maybe around 8/10, and musicianship is no doubt should be around 9 or 10. Replay value is around 8.5 and all in all based on around two-three spins, this is around 85% and maybe climb more with further spins