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REVIEW – I am shocked that when people talk about classic records, they hardly ever mention To Hell With The Devil. The record from the once “yellow and black attack” that changed the way people viewed so called “Christian music”. How many proms or weddings had the song “Honestly” playing? How many divorce parties or breakups did you hear the song “Free” or “To Hell With the Devil” playing at? While this record would give Stryper their biggest success, it would also be the record that would see Stryper failing to follow up on its success. In God We Trust and Against the Law saw Stryper try to change their image and also try to recreate the magic on their big success, and ultimately come up short. The sad thing while both those records had some decent songs, they just felt underwhelming and trying too hard. The sad thing is that Michael Sweet is a great vocalist, he can sing the ballad where grow men will have a tear in their eye and then the rockers that will get people pumped up. After a 5 year hiatus, Stryper came back with Reborn which to be honest is the record we were waiting for since To Hell With the Devil.
It showed that the band was passionate again and did not care recreating past successes; they wanted to focus on where they were at now. 2015 gives us Fallen and to be honest, I am the harshest fan of Stryper and their sound, but this record I feel is their best music to date. I will even go so far as to put this up against my personal favorite To Hell With The Devil. This cd has such a great crunch from the guitar riffs that plays a strong part on this record along with the epic vocal feel that Michael put on display. Pride is a song that every fan will be playing on repeat for days to come. What a catchy and crunchy little song that just showcases the strengths of this band. The record opens up with Yahweh just comes out the gates with its heaviness and yet the classic Stryper sound. This song just sets the stage for old school fans that will get excited and new school fans that this may be the first taste and they will be hooked. Sweet at this point in his career still hitting those high notes so flawlessly on this record is amazing. If anyone thought after almost 40 years doing this has Michael lost anything, the answer on this record is clearly a no. Like the last two records, Michael is still pushing his voice to highs that he has not attempted in the past. By the end song King of Kings, Stryper has clearly taken the speakers and blew them, and showcased why this band deserves so much praise for still delivering great music.
I have went on and on about Michael, but Oz Fox, Robert Sweet and Tim Gaines really showcase all over this cd what they truly bring as well, and they sound rejuvenated. These guys have so much faith in each other’s role and know how to complement each other. The guitar on this record like the last two albums is another huge positive. Stryper these days seem to be making records more for the fans than anything else. And that passion is so addictive and really showcases how great the band truly is. I felt their downfall early they were trying to recreate for the sake of popularity, today they truly see the big picture and the music for the last 5 years has been the strongest the band has ever done. I said last time around, how can they possibly follow No More Hell to Pay, I found out and not only did they follow it up, they succeeded. Stryper is clearly not aware of the memo that said, “ Metal is Dead”. They have resurrected what metal fans love this music for, what an amazing band and how can they put this cd out after close to 40 years and making so many classic records? I am truly blown away, and this record is one of the best albums of 2015 easily.
