Stryper Even the Devil Believes Album Review

Stryper's Even The Devil Believes was released in September the day I left on a road trip.  I was able to listen to it over and over which is one of best ways to do so and what I'd do when I was younger.  This album is great and the first Stryper album I've connected with since Against the Law way back in the day.  Plenty of hard rocking music here and songs I think would be hits back in their heyday.  Music reviews are not easy for me but I can tell you if I like something and I like this album.  I found myself belting out lyrics in the car even during the first listen of some songs.  That's a sure sign I'm enjoying the music.

My favorite song is This I Pray.  It is a slower, soulful, bluesy song that I really enjoy.  Plenty of songs on the album will have that familiar sound that Stryper is known for.  The music is hard and there's good variety.  You won't feel you are hearing the same song over and over.  Others favorites from the album are Do Unto Others, Divider, Blood From Above, and Make Love Great Again.  Not taking anything away from the other songs but these are my favorite.

Some of you are still shaking your head and saying "these guys and their bumblebee outfits are still around?".  The answer is yes.  They still put out new music consistently and I think this one deserves a listen.  I wouldn't say this is my favorite album of theirs but for me it is by far their best stuff since To Hell With The Devil and In God We Trust made them so great in the 80s.  This album is in my drive down the road with the windows down and music up rotation which isn't easy to crack.  I'll always be a big fan of these guys and it's fun to have new music to really be excited about.

 

Stryper Fallen Album Review

You won't see me do many album reviews because I don't know how to speak to music in the correct terms.  What I will do is be a fanboy who talks about a band's latest album.  I have been a huge Stryper fan from when I was in high school which would have been right around 1985.  I've seen them 5 times in concert and enjoyed them every time. Their latest album is Fallen (2015).  Like many hair bands they fell out of favor in the 90's, broke up and then reunited around 2000 and started putting out new albums.  There have been five albums since their last album of any note until this one. 

I wanted to put something down because I really believe this to be a good rock album.  I understand only true fans will be interested but I also think others would be pleasantly surprised.  I can hear sounds similar to past albums "To Hell With the Devil", "In God We Trust" and even "Against The Law" which I thought was a bit underrated.  It is still a newer sound the band has been tweaking the last 15 years or so.  Again I know only Stryper fans are going to give this album a shot.  I really enjoy this music and for the first time in probably 25 years I've played a Stryper album over and over  (excluding compilation albums).  It is a good feeling.  These guys can play and it nice to have an album come together with a good sound. 

Classic Stryper

Michael Sweet Autobiography, Honestly: My Life and Stryper Revealed, Review

Michael Sweet is the lead singer of the band Stryper who rose to fame in the 1980's.  Stryper is a christian rock/metal band that was part of the hair bands that came from the decade.  They, as most, bands have had their ups and downs and breakups.  They are currently together putting out albums and touring.  I was first introduced to Stryper through a school newspaper article.  I picked up their album The Yellow and Black Attack and I was hooked.  While there was plenty of rock out there at the time, this was new.  Rock with a positive message.  I soon saw them on tour which solidified my fandom for the group and I've been a huge fan ever since.  When lead singer Michael Sweet's autobiography came out last year I jumped on it. 

Honestly: My Life and Stryper Revealed is a good book, not a great book.  Michael Sweet opens up about life in Stryper and life in general.  The biggest takeaway from this is I sense Michael Sweet has a chip on his shoulder.  He seems to be defending himself throughout the pages and at times comes off as self centered.  That may be negative but I want autobiographies to be honest and I think we get that from Michael Sweet.  The book itself takes you from his early childhood, through the forming of Stryper, their rise, the band's career, their breakup and their getting back together.  Throughout he talks about his private life to include his family's influence on his musical life, the loss of his wife, and his new wife.  While I enjoyed the book, I thought it was short on some details or information.  I wasn't looking for a 1,000 page encyclopedia.  There just seemed to be places where more detail seemed appropriate.  Without going into specifics he would make a point about something but would not answer what seemed like the next appropriate point, like "what happened then".  Or large periods of time would be glossed over.  Again a ton of detail isn't necessary but maybe just more info to help the reader feel like it is time to go to the next topic. 

One thing I had to remind myself is this isn't a book about the band itself.  So I think sometimes I wanted more information on what happened that would probably be more appropriate in a book specifically about the band.  With that in mind Michael Sweet did a good job telling his story and the book is an easy read.  Again I'm surprised somewhat with how he always seemed to be defending himself or having to describe how he was the one with the plan or looking out for everyone.  He may be absolutely right in how he frames things but for me it was a theme throughout the book and I have to wonder.

I am a huge Stryper fan and a Michael Sweet fan.  I did enjoy the insight into Michael Sweet's life as well as that of the band.  There are definitely facts I never knew before which helps me paint the mental picture I have of Stryper.  Filling in some of the gaps while also providing focus on events that there wasn't much public knowledge of.  I think most Stryper fans will want to read this but I'm not sure many outside that circle (metal heads maybe) will.  I do think all Stryper fans should and anyone remotely interested in Michael Sweet and Stryper should.