STRYPER
STILL ROCKING FOR JESUS AFTER 30 YEARS!
S
tryper remains hard rock's best
kept secret. However, that secret
has been hidden in plain sight for
far too long. Sure they're Christian, but
they're also decidedly metal. That's the first
thing that should come to mind when you
think of the black and yellow stripes as well
as immortal hits such as "To Hell With The
Devil," "Calling On You," "Free," "Honestly"
and "Always There For You."
The iconic quartet—Michael Sweet [vocals,
guitar], Robert Sweet [drums], Oz Fox
[guitar], and Tim Gaines [bass]—built a
formidable catalog since first forming in
1983. They've sold over 10 million albums
worldwide, garnered GRAMMY Award
nominations, scored DOVE Awards, sold
out arenas everywhere, and inspired one of
the most diehard fan bases in history. The
band's signature style of overpowering
melodies, harmony solos and thunderous
52 > CHRISTIAN REVIEW
rhythms is certainly its trademark, but it
hits harder than ever on 2013's No More
Hell To Pay and the just released Stryper
Live at the Whisky CD/DVD set.
The members of Stryper initially bonded
over their faith in God and their devotion to
music in 1983. Originally named Roxx
Regime, they signed to Enigma, and the
label urged a name change. Nodding to a
Bible scripture Isaiah 53:5, "By his stripes
we are healed," they adopted what would
become their moniker as a reminder of
Christ's sacrifice.
Facing a close-minded musical climate not
ready for "God in metal," Stryper did the
most rock 'n' roll thing possible and
completely went against the grain. It
worked too.
"We were really defying the entire music
industry," says Michael. "We had heard it
all at that point, but we persevered and
rose to the top.”
“We progressed as a
band in our abilities
and in our faith.”
Michael Sweet
It's clear that time has only strengthened
Stryper's impact. As soon as No More Hell
to Pay dropped, it soared to #1 on the
iTunes Rock Albums Chart and garnered
universal applause fro