But damn, Stryper's new album is actually amazing! To say I didn't like them as a teenager would be really true, as any self-respecting 80's (young) true metalhead never would have! I only casually heard 1 or 2 songs around 1988 and I just thought it was pop rock disguised as Metal with your standard late 80's too damn high vocals with cheesy yellow & black out fits, as well as the Christian lyric bent, which I didn't have any feelings on.
So to say that they couldn't compete with Metallica, Metal Church, Forbidden or even Dokken back then would be a safe statement, to say the least!
But a friend told me that I should Youtube some live vids of them from the last 2 years and I might change my mind after all this time. My reaction of thinking of listening to recent Stryper was
uke:uke: (you get my drift!)
Still though, it was free so why not? I found a live good quality boot on youtube from Norway in 2012 and started from there. And guess what? It was actually pretty good! I was shocked! This was the band I laughed about for all those years? Shit, 4 guys in the band, 2 guitars with multiple solos, 3-part vocal harmonies (done well!) and good solid drumming (though lets be real, Robert Sweet still looks glam like a MoFo) And Michael Sweet's once really far too high voice has come down from the rafters and he now has a much more accessible warmer lower tone but still gets up with the vox, though not as much!
So to sum this up, I then listened to their newest album "No more hell to pay" (2013) and this was shockingly good too! Obviously still melodic but MUCH heavier and musically really the closest thing to TRUE metal that I've heard from them! The title track is really just a fantastic song with some really great lead singing by Michael Sweet. Overall, after a couple listens I find it really addictive! Either they have changed or I'm getting soft in my older years but I'm stil METAL!!
Go to Youtube and check them out! You'll be surprised like me!
So to say that they couldn't compete with Metallica, Metal Church, Forbidden or even Dokken back then would be a safe statement, to say the least!
But a friend told me that I should Youtube some live vids of them from the last 2 years and I might change my mind after all this time. My reaction of thinking of listening to recent Stryper was
uke:uke: (you get my drift!)Still though, it was free so why not? I found a live good quality boot on youtube from Norway in 2012 and started from there. And guess what? It was actually pretty good! I was shocked! This was the band I laughed about for all those years? Shit, 4 guys in the band, 2 guitars with multiple solos, 3-part vocal harmonies (done well!) and good solid drumming (though lets be real, Robert Sweet still looks glam like a MoFo
) And Michael Sweet's once really far too high voice has come down from the rafters and he now has a much more accessible warmer lower tone but still gets up with the vox, though not as much!So to sum this up, I then listened to their newest album "No more hell to pay" (2013) and this was shockingly good too! Obviously still melodic but MUCH heavier and musically really the closest thing to TRUE metal that I've heard from them! The title track is really just a fantastic song with some really great lead singing by Michael Sweet. Overall, after a couple listens I find it really addictive! Either they have changed or I'm getting soft in my older years but I'm stil METAL!!
Go to Youtube and check them out! You'll be surprised like me!
