Stryper - “Even the Devil Believes”
(Frontiers)
Stryper is comprised of original members Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Robert Sweet (drums), and Oz Fox (guitar), plus the addition of seasoned bassist Perry Richardson.
Visit: www.stryper.com
Iconic Christian rock band Stryper returns with its 13th studio album, Even the Devil Believes Available now wherever music is sold. Filled with the band’s signature riffs, harmony-laden melodies and positive themes, the 11-track project is Stryper’s first studio album with Perry Richardson (Firehouse) on bass and background vocals.
Even the devil, long reputed in some circles to be in league with rock ‘n’ roll, must believe by now that Stryper could well be God’s favorite band. The Christian heavy metal quartet is still slamming it so hard, fast and loud nearly 40 years later that they may have friends in the highest places.
Stryper came of age in the big melody-bigger hair ’80s, epitomizing the decade’s blend of harmony and hardness. It’s a sound they have led the way keeping alive; their twin guitar solos remain instantly identifiable, and singer Michael Sweet hasn’t lost anything off his vocal fastball.
The band over the course of its life has been the object of much ridicule and the butt of a ton of jokes, but one thing is for sure the band (whether you want to admit it or not) has had a tremendous influence on several subgenres of metal the most obvious would be power metal, from the leather lunged screams, twin guitar shred fests, and the over the top but very solid drumming this band was an obvious influence on the genre along side of pioneers like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Helloween....also the mainstream Christian music scene would never have been what it was if not for this band taking the risks it did.
As solid as any heavy hitter of the 80's, Stryper still covers all the bases to this day, hitting every note and welcome cliche' of the bands familiar repertoire, and exceeding all expectations with every release since their comeback album "Reborn" (an album admitted to be a Michael Sweet solo album at first) up to the newly released "Even the Devil Believes", this band just never disappoints. Now off to the review proper....
The band's new album, “Even the Devil Believes,” kicks off with a roar in “Blood from Above,” and it sets a breakneck pace right through the equally accelerated closer “Middle Finger Messiah,” a song about how many people turn their back on Jesus. These two tracks were apparently kicked around as to which one would open and close the album, and both would have served the positions well but "Blood from Above" was seen as the stronger song, and on this I can agree, it has an emphatic edge that the other track kinda lacks in comparison...but both tracks are excellent bookends for this album.
Sweet insists the provocatively titled “Make Love Great Again” isn’t a swipe at President Donald Trump, but rather a call to unite and embrace goodness and light — even though one of its verses speaks of “a culture that’s building walls.” They record, you decide, but I can believe the band on this one, especially since this wasn't the only suggested title for the track, even Robert piped in suggesting the track be called "Make God Great Again" which most likely garnered a look and a comment in the vein, "How can you make God any greater than he already is?".
“This I Pray” is Stryper’s own “Blaze of Glory,” in the same vein as the Bon Jovi classic, where the singer begs God for one more day of a life he hopes to turn around. And “Divider” could be the best song that Judas Priest never wrote, and this is no fanboy boast either, it contains every element that would make it fit into almost any Priest album, but then it's obvious that Priest was an influence on the band early on given how competently they covered "Breaking the Law" on their covers album "The Covering".
The track "Invitation Only" actually has its origins in the 80's as a track that was originally written in 1989 for the album "Against the Law", however main songwriter Michael Sweet was suffering a major "writer's block" in regards to the lyrics at the time so it was not included on the album at the time. It was summarily pulled from the shelf for this album with some tweaks and new lyrics...and in all honesty it was worth the wait, it is a great track that maintains that pseudo 80's feel that everyone loves, with a more modern twist.
All in all this is by far their best album since their seminal 80's album "To Hell with the Devil" (the album that made me a fan when it hit the streets, although I was curious before that because of a photo in a copy of metal edge magazine around the same time), it just hits all the right marks and evolves their sound in all the right ways, If this for some reason was their last album, it would be a great one to go out on, but these guys are still only just beginning, and I feel even better things coming from tihis band, count on it. If you like in your face Hard Rock and Heavy Metal then do yourself a favor and grab this one, if you have been on the fence about this group or you have always seen this band as a joke, give this album a try, you might just like it...I recommend it highly, in fact it is getting my highest score.
SCORE: 5/5
