Frontiers Records
Tracklisting: Revelation; No More Hell To Pay; Saved By Love; Jesus Is Just Alright; The One;
Legacy; Marching Into Battle; Te Amo; Sticks & Stones; Water Into Wine; Sympathy; Renewed.
Bonus DVD content: “Making of the Album” documentary; No More Hell to Pay (videoclip); Sympathy (videoclip).
When you speak of Stryper, images of bible tossing and preaching come to mind. I remember getting the "To Hell With The Devil" album(yes vinyl album) and every song just kicked ass regardless of how the message was portrayed. Years later my wife and I would chose a stryper song as our wedding song. The band promoted peace and an end to the negative. And while the positive message of stryper has never been in doubt, the music has often been pushed aside or over looked because of its obvious religious connection. Most metal heads I knew never took them seriously. Listening to the latest release we can hear the 80's version of stryper updated to include a millennial approach to songwriting and creation. The music is simply this: Awesome. They are back and this is some serious killer songwriting.
Laying down a barrage of heavy hitters the band seems to have shied away from its former glory and concentrated more on the song. The structure remains clear and concise as does the message but here there is more. More metal less preach.
"Revelation" kicks off this killer album with a full force attack on the ears and the stereotypes. Stryper is back. If this album is designed to be a follow up to "To Hell With The Devil" then they have succeeded. Soul scorching guitar leads abound. The vocals are always angelic in their form and power.
"No More Hell To Pay" is the title track and this is easily one of the best tracks on the album. Michael Sweet unleashes some serious vocal power on this one. Great chorus.
The cover of "Jesus Is Just alright With Me" is a tongue in cheek powerhouse that truly works. Stryper is the band that needs not apologize for its convictions. They simply rock and rock you hard.
Just check out "Sympathy" if you doubt the strength of this band.
10 horns up/10 horn scale
--MetalRising
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