| Musical Style: Melodic Metal | Produced By: Michael Sweet |
| Record Label: Frontiers | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 2018 | Artist Website: Stryper |
| Tracks: 11 | Rating: 90% |
| Running Time: 44:40 |
Rule number one in recording a new Stryper album is: Don’t screw it up. The second rule in recording a new Stryper album is: Always follow rule number one. Rule number three in recording a new Stryper album is: Don’t entitle it God Damn Evil and release it with cover art depicting God as a Greek statue tossing around bodies around like rag dolls.
In all seriousness, a legitimate case could be made that Stryper reached the apex of its commercial success at the time of Soldiers Under Command and To Hell With The Devil, its second and third albums which went Gold and Platinum, respectively. When it came time to record its fourth, Stryper faced the first critical juncture of its career: don’t screw it up, which it did in light of the overly produced pop-based sounds to In God We Trust. With the eighties metal world literally at its feet subsequent to To Hell With The Devil, all Stryper had to do was release anything of similar quality to sell another million records, but alas In God We Trust only went Gold.
Fast forward thirty years and Stryper has once more come full circle, although not in terms of matching potential sales totals but rather from the standpoint of exceeding its prime eighties creative peak. Enter the groups two most recent albums, No More Hell To Pay and Fallen, which in my opinion surpass Soldiers Under Command and To Hell With The Devil in terms of consistency and continuity, noting the 95% Angelic Warlord grade assigned to each. Hence, the standard as it pertains to recording an album in follow up to both remains unchanged: don’t screw it up, which it does not in light of the quality that is the Stryper tenth album from the spring of 2018, God Damn Evil, but not without generating its share of controversy.
It begins and ends with the God Damn Evil title itself in which some have taken offense. I for one am not one of them in that I find it to be a creative figure of speech or play on words, which is effectively summed up by front man Michael Sweet: ‘Now, with all the evil in the world that we see around us on a daily basis, it made perfect sense. It's a very bold statement yet a prayer asking God to damn/condemn evil. Nothing more, nothing less’. That said, I understand how at the same time people are ‘up in arms’ about the title or equate it to taking the Lord’s name in vain, but also consider that it is not meant to be vulgar and that neither God’s name nor the word ‘damn’ are used within a flippant context. Yes, with a title such as God Damn Evil all semblance of subtlety has gone out the window, but do not judge a book by its cover either!
Another point of contention revolves around the Walmart decision not to carry the album. My thoughts? I find it a complete non-issue. I shop at Walmart for groceries and not necessarily music- so unless Walmart also decides to ban the Special Edition Stryper God Damn Evil Pop-Tarts, I am not going to take exception…
Also stirring the pot is lead off track “Take It To The Cross”, which I like to identify with as the albums outside the box song in the same sense that the epic metal to “Yahweh” is the outside the box song off Fallen. Issue centers around musical direction from how “Take It To The Cross” reflects some un-Stryper like thrash qualities, particularly for its aggressively delivered refrain in which the songs title is recited almost to the point of being repetitious. Allowing for further angst is the presents of outside the box death growls, courtesy of Matt Bachand (Shadows Fall). Final verdict? Give Stryper credit for taking some big musical risks - I am reminded of Live To Die era Bride - but due to some slight repetition, I categorize the song as good as opposed to great when placed alongside the albums remaining material.
Second cut “Sorry” is better in line with the classic eighties Stryper melodic metal based sound. The song begins to a drum solo that transitions to chugging mid-paced riffs, with the rugged semblance backed during both its staunch verses and uplifted refrain interwoven with the group’s signature layered vocal melodies. Heavy but melodic is the feel at hand, which is what Stryper are all about to begin with.
“Lost” ensues and introduces some modern guitar tones that hearken back to sixth Stryper album Reborn from 2005. The song otherwise takes a heading more upbeat although not quite heavy as “Sorry” in comparison, with Michael stretching and hitting several soaring eighties metal style falsettos and proving he has not lost anything vocally over the years in the process. Gracing the instrumental break are the every bit signature Stryper dual guitar harmonies.
Note that I was underwhelmed with “Sorry” and “Lost” on first listen, with former a pre-release video and latter streaming audio, but came to better appreciate both once the CD was released, which proves you cannot always get an accurate gauge of a song listening to it on YouTube with headphones or cheap computer speakers.
Albums title track is first of three of the best Stryper songs you will hear. “God Damn Evil” is a metal anthem in the truest sense of the word- in the same sense as the To Hell With The Devil title track. It grasps equal levels of swarthy heaviness and backs it with a similar type of catchy bombast to demand your full attention on first listen. Hearkening back to “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” (off Soldiers Under Command) is a vintage dual lead guitar exchange between Michael and Oz Fox.
“You Don’t Even Know Me” delivers eighties melodic metal hooks galore. The song proves a guitar harmony driven monster, mid-paced with its impenetrable low end (as revealed in its driving verses) but inspiring in terms of the abundant melody that resonates (noting the infectious feel to the refrain). If this had seen released as a single during the group’s prime, would it have been a radio and MTV hit?
“The Valley” represents the Stryper take on Psalm 23 and a very good one at that. The song begins to narration from the passage in question prior to moving forward to equal parts heavy and melodic, with former realized in driving riffs of a classic metal nature and latter found in another appearance of the groups layered vocal melodies to make an equally accessible statement. Instrumentally, “The Valley” features another blinding lead guitar trade off between Michael and Oz.
I identify with “Sea Of Thieves” as albums least remarkable track. It also takes a straight on metal heading albeit with touches of low-end groove and bluesy tinctures to guitars, but perhaps due to its shorter (three and a half minutes) length it is not given opportunity to define itself in the manner in which it should. At just the moment it begins to peak, it fades out. In the end, I might not consider it filler but there are also other God Damn Evil tracks in which I am better drawn.
Album gets back on track with “Beautiful”, a mid-paced melodic hard rocker with a darker edge. That darker aspect manifests from its use of lower register vocal melodies, which when combined with the emboldened bass tones allows for a decided worshipful aspect. On first listen, I was reminded at once of Hero, a Swedish at times melodic and others Gothic metal band whose third album from 2013, Afterlife, is also exclusive to a song entitled “Beautiful” that shares a near similar melody with its Stryper counterpart. Of course, any similarity is coincidental but haunting all the same- and good song either way.
What is your favorite Stryper ballad? Mine is “First Love” (off Soldiers Under Command), although “Lady” (Against The Law) is a close second. God Damn Evil ballad “Can’t Live Without Your Love” is a strong contender due to the manner in which it is a Scorpions style hard rock ballad. As a result, I like it a bit better than NMHTP and Fallen ballads, “The One” and “All Over Again”, which while good do not presents with similar levels of staying power (in my opinion). Also featured is a complementary emotional guitar solo.
“Own Up” is the type of quality deep cut to help make an already very good album that much better. It proves a catchy groove rocker to showcase the work of bassist John O’Boyle (new Stryper bassist Perry Richardson could not participate due to a scheduling conflict) but also includes plenty of restive rhythm guitars and classic rock style cowbell to the backdrop. Instrumental moments slow to a near standstill as bass maneuvers to the front of the mix.
Closing things is barnburner “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here”, which with its dashing tempo and boogie flavored metal feel brings to mind Against The Law cut “Rock The Hell Out Of You”. What I appreciate about the song is the manner in which it allows timekeeper Robert Sweet to exhibit his copious licks and chops, including the opening drum solo and technical if not intricate flair throughout. Of note is how “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” gives prominence to a frenetic guitar riff reminiscent to that of Motörhead’s “Ace Of Spades”. No, Michael does not do Lemmy, but the affinity is striking!
Production is up to the same high standard as NMHTP and Fallen. Bass in particular receives ample space to stand out in the mix as do all the needed ingredients, including projection filled drums, rhythm guitar to taste and fluidly placed leads. With cover art, however, I am on the fence. I understand the symbolic use of a Greek statue to represent God, wrathfully damning evil with staff in hand. That said, the bodies being tossed around (I count five of them) seems a bit preposterous. In the end, I give it thumbs up even if a hesitant one.
As always, lyrics leave little doubt as to the group’s faith, such as on “Take It To The Cross -
The flesh is so weak but the spirit is strong
Faith could move mountains away
Why do we seek everything that is wrong
And become the prey?
We were created yet that is debated
But Christ said it so perfectly
"I am the way and the truth and the life
And you get to the Father through me"
Through me!
Take it to the cross
- and “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here”:
I'll take the endless trials
Under the eagle eye
But that won't make me
Second guess what I believe
Or even why
You've spent a lifetime
Hiding from the final law
But when you bow before the King
You'll have to answer for it all
The devil doesn't live here
Only, Jesus
Sold out with no fear
Only to Jesus
Lyrics to the albums title track are powerful in summng up the “God Damn Evil” theme:
We open locks and break the chains
To let the devil in
We're losing all of what remains
In a war we'll never win
A war that never ends
The only saving grace is love
And we know where that lies
It's what we feel unworthy of
So we don't claim the prize
We never claim the prize...
God damn evil
God damn it all
God save the people
But God damn the walls
As noted, “Valley” draws its prose from Psalm 23:
I've spent my life trying to be
A solar light in the darkest sea
Wearing my shield for the final fight
I won't back down, I won't bend a knee
Yea though I walk through
The Valley of the shadow
Of Death
I fear no evil, no evil
NMHTP and Fallen grade out at 95% and God Damn Evil at 90%. What is the difference? Obviously, a score of 90% is nothing to sneeze at, but the overall feel I have is that God Damn Devil needs one more song to rank alongside its more highly graded compatriots. Please note that God Damn Evil is the first Stryper album since In God We Trust not to include a cover track- so if perhaps a cover had been included as the albums twelfth song then we might be talking about the possibility of a 95% score. That, however, is beyond the point in that what I find to define the album is Stryper’s willingness to take on significant risk in the form of not just the controversial title but also the cover art and a song drawing upon a thrash quality. Yes, the group could have played it safe and released, well, another good Stryper album without all the bravado, but it might also not have made the same arresting (and meaningful) statement in the process. Hence, if initially turned off by the musical direction to “Take It To The Cross” or remain at odds over the God Damn Evil title, I still encourage you to give the album the time and attention it deserves or at the very least a second chance.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: “Take it To The Cross” (4:56), “Sorry” (3:56), “Lost” (3:44), “God (Bad Word!) Evil” (4:06), “You Don’t’ Even Know Me” (4:10), “The Valley” (4:14), “Sea Of Thieves” (3:40), “Beautiful” (4:03), “Can’t Live Without Your Love” (4:33), “Own Up” (3:43), “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” (3:23)
Musicians
Michael Sweet - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Oz Fox - Guitars
Robert Sweet - Drums
Additional Musicians
John O’Boyle - Bass
Paul McNamara - Keyboards/Moog
