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