Pushing too many boundaries

[blayze5150]

It sounds okay... but they really phoned it in on that one. “Sorry doesn’t always make it starry?” I know Michael doesn’t write insightful lyrics like Bob Hartman or Wayne Kirkpatrick... but he can do better than that (Sorry, love ya, Mike!).

[Mountain Man]

Despite their bad-boy bravado, Stryper has always had a cheesy streak. It's one of the reasons I never listened to them much in high school or college, because I found them a bit embarrassing. It will probably be a surprise to nobody who has read my posts over the years that Petra was always my go-to Christian band when I wanted to impress my secular music-loving friends with great music and solid songwriting (White Heart was my second choice).

But now days, I don't take my music as dead seriously as I used to, and I can just enjoy it for what it is. I still don't have much fondness for old "glam rock" Stryper, but Murder By Pride and forward sounds like it was at least made by grownups and has some great grooves and a thundering back-beat that is fun to rumble with on my morning commute even if the lyrics aren't especially profound.

[brent]

I can make an argument for and against them.

Since they weren't a Christian band, on a Christian label, playing to a Christian audience, they could kind of do what they wanted to do, to stand apart from the competition. They came from the California Christianity world. It is different out there. When they released their first album, I liked what I heard, because it was so different from the rest of CCM. I wanted them to be legit.

Now, I watched the Japan video and saw some posters. They looked like trannies waiting for their snip snip operation. One of the posters with Mike and a cucumber stuffed in his drawers was too much. He regrets all of that, including some of the stylistic choices. They were young, naive, not very grounded or "churched". They were a reflection of the scene out there in CA, and they did what they could to stand apart from the rest of me-too bands.

Now, they appear legit. I like some of their music.

[Mountain Man]

As one of my good friends described Sweet's attire in the "Live in Japan" video, "His pants were so tight, you could tell his religion."

[blayze5150]

Soldiers Under Command and To Hell with the Devil were awesome. It got really soft after that. They never had much meat to the lyrics (comparing Stryper lyrics to Petra lyrics is like comparing Joel Osteen to Billy Graham), but they were still cool. I think the new title is all about the shock, but since it’s not 1985 anymore and people aren’t playing records backwards and trying to find interview snippets that prove everyone from Motley Crue to New Kids on the Block Satanic, it just comes across as offensive. Maybe they know something I don’t (I’m actually sure they know a lot I don’t). We’ll just have to see.

[Mountain Man]

Well, now that the new album is out, I can say that it kicks you-know-what. I've only had a chance to listen to the first few songs, but this is a powerhouse album, possibly the heaviest Stryper album to date, the kind of music that will loosen the screws in your speaker cabinets.

[brent]

This is a great Stryper record. It bares no resemblance to a MS solo record. Their influences are obvious. The title song, GDE, is great. Lost is great. I run an audio, video, lighting integration firm. Our sister company is a retail music store. When I was working in the office, Lost was playing on my computer. One of the music store guys, an 80s rocker, turned around the corner with a big goofy smile on his face and said, "Man. Michael's still got it." When I heard the chorus, I laughed out loud, because it's perfect and Michael delivered a classic vocal. Like it.

[executioner]

Now this is a great album!! The songs that really stand out to me are GDE, Lost, The Valley, Beautiful, You Don't Even Know, & Own Up. For me the song I really don't like at is Sea Of Thieves. All the others are good songs that really fill out an album. GDE the song has a southern rock feel to it which was unexpected. BTW its funny on how GDE has already gone into abbreviation mode, even Michael was doing it on Facebook.

[Mountain Man]

Finally listened to the whole thing. Wow! Not a single ballad or "radio-friendly" track. It's all tough-as-nails, in-your-face heavy metal from beginning to end, and very sonically pleasing. I think I chipped a tooth while listening to Beautiful's thundering intro.

Definitely some Metallica influence in there. A little Motley Cru. Maybe some Sabaton.

[Mountain Man]

I just noticed that the Amazon listing for God Damn Evil flags the album as "explicit".

When I mentioned the name of the album to my wife to see her reaction, she thought for a moment before saying, "Yes. Yes He does."

[executioner]

I just noticed that the Amazon listing for God Damn Evil flags the album as "explicit".

When I mentioned the name of the album to my wife to see her reaction, she thought for a moment before saying, "Yes. Yes He does."

She gets it!!!

[executioner]

Finally listened to the whole thing. Wow! Not a single ballad or "radio-friendly" track. It's all tough-as-nails, in-your-face heavy metal from beginning to end, and very sonically pleasing. I think I chipped a tooth while listening to Beautiful's thundering intro.

Definitely some Metallica influence in there. A little Motley Cru. Maybe some Sabaton.

Have you listen to Stryper's last 2 offerings No More Hell To Pay & Fallen? I believe both of those have a harder edge to them compared to God Damn Evil. I think God Damn Evil is more in tune with the 80's Stryper which I really like except for In God We Trust(I think was a total misstep)

[brent]

I just noticed that the Amazon listing for God Damn Evil flags the album as "explicit".

When I mentioned the name of the album to my wife to see her reaction, she thought for a moment before saying, "Yes. Yes He does."

She gets it!!!

Meh. PDC Mechanism was flagged for explicit lyrics too. That's stupid.

[Mountain Man]

Finally listened to the whole thing. Wow! Not a single ballad or "radio-friendly" track. It's all tough-as-nails, in-your-face heavy metal from beginning to end, and very sonically pleasing. I think I chipped a tooth while listening to Beautiful's thundering intro.

Definitely some Metallica influence in there. A little Motley Cru. Maybe some Sabaton.

Have you listen to Stryper's last 2 offerings No More Hell To Pay & Fallen? I believe both of those have a harder edge to them compared to God Damn Evil. I think God Damn Evil is more in tune with the 80's Stryper which I really like except for In God We Trust(I think was a total misstep)

I have every album from Murder By Pride onward, except for The Covering, which I didn't care for, plus a couple of earlier albums like Soldiers Under Command, Against The Law, and a compilation album, and I still think God Damn Evil hits harder than any of them. It's like a Stryper version of Jekyll & Hyde.

[Jonathan]

I'm going to see them Thursday here in Grand Rapids. I have never seen Stryper live before. I expect a bangin' rock show from some seasoned pros.