Musical Style: Melodic Metal	Produced By: Michael Wagener
Record Label: Enigma	Country Of Origin: USA
Year Released: 1985	Artist Website: Stryper
Tracks: 10	Rating: 80%
Running Time: 45:13

Stryper wears the badge of a melodic metal and hard rock band - ‘pop’, glam’ or ‘hair’ metal if you will - but when at its heaviest falls under a straightforward heavy metal heading.  The two sided musical approach of the Orange County, California based four piece traces to its summer of 1984 Enigma Records debut EP The Yellow And Black Attack, which comprises material both melodic (“You Know What To Do” & “You Wont’ Be Lonely”) and heavier (“Loud ‘N’ Clear” & “Co’Mon Rock).  Sophomore full length effort Soldiers Under Command (also Enigma) from 1985 follows suite in containing songs exclusive to the former (“Reach Out” & “First Love”) and latter (“Soldiers Under Command” & “The Rock That Makes Me Roll”) categories.

When at its best, Soldiers Under Command literally fires on all cylinders musically from featuring classic songs that are revered by fans and staples to any live Stryper set list and compilation album- front man and guitarist Michael Sweet remains a world-class songwriter to this day.  That being said, I also find Soldiers Under Command to struggle in the area of consistency from including a couple songs in which I skip over.  It also hits a wall from a continuity standpoint in that a couple more songs along heavier lines in my opinion would have gone further to better balance the track listing.  Gist is that in the end I place Soldiers Under Command within a classification of good to very good as opposed to an all time great.

Soldiers Under Command is at its best when heaviest.  Consider in this regard its monumental title track, a militant anthem seeping of assaulting rhythm guitar and scrappy duel soloing - Oz Fox and Michael Sweet comprise a formidable guitar team - but also the soulful, indicating the unaffected refrain.  Initial impression is that while a bigger budget step up in comparison to The Yellow And Black Attack, production continues to impress with a rawness that successfully captures Stryper’s youthful energy.  Lyric snippet:

Are you a soldier under God's command?
Help fight the good fight, join us while you can
The battle that's waiting is fought so easily
Through Him, without sin there is victory
And we're fighting all the sin
And the good book - it says we'll win!

Soldiers, Soldiers
Under command
Soldiers, Soldiers
Fighting the Lord's battle plan

Later in the track listing but on equal heavy hitting terms is “The Rock That Makes Me Roll”.  Edgy duel harmonies get things going ahead of Robert Sweet’s brawly timekeeping and shouted ‘stand up and fight’ backing vocals- all the while raucous guitar riffs make a solidified statement.  Again, the duel lead guitar is blinding.  This one leaves little doubt as to how Stryper are a heavy metal and not a covered in frosting pop band.  Lyric snippet:

They say that rock and roll is strong
But God's the rock that makes us roll
Don't need no drugs to help us push on
We've got His power in our souls

Stand up and fight for what you believe in
We know...
He's the rock that makes me roll
Rockin' all the world
Giving me the courage to be bold

Likewise, with slugger “Surrender”.  Yes, this one delivers a forthright blow, but I also sense a slight bluesy edge to guitars and down tuned resonance to the magnanimous refrain, resulting in a somewhat lower register (and quite flattering) metal feel.  Energy, however, by no means ends up diminished as Stryper remains daring as ever.  Oz Fox, for instance, dazzles with his distorted guitar leads- Soldiers Under Command finds him literally on prime fire.  As “Surrender” fades out it segues to minute and half cover to “Battle Hymn Of The Republic”, with complementary militant drums and the group’s ever-present layered vocal melodies.

Said vocal harmonies further realize on “Reach Out”, a more melodic but no less notable cut that might not be heavy as some but is forthright all the same.  Song is borderline addictive with its bouncing rhythms and commercial sensibilities not to  mention endearing ‘I reached out, you reach out, He'll reach out today’ refrain.  Stryper remains in fine form instrumentally with several guitar harmony runs helping to take the song out to five and half minutes- one thing I appreciate about Soldiers Under Command is its lengthy songwriting with no less than half its song extended past five minutes.  Lyric snippet:

I was looking for the answer all the time
Always looking, never finding - I was empty inside
Falling into darkness
Needing the light to see
Reaching out for shelter
Then He set me free

I reached out, You reach out, He'll reach out today

A slight step down but still very good are what I like to refer to as companion tracks “Makes Me Wanna Sing” and “Together Forever”.  Each exudes of upbeat energy, with the catchy hooks and vibrant melodies also pointing to Stryper’s melodic side as opposed to straight on metal.  Groups harmony vocals again make a forward mark on former - ‘Jesus, King, King of Kings, makes me want to sing’ - while latter has a mid-point fifties doo-wop style breakdown.

Stryper owns a long-term ballad history, noting its biggest hit and perhaps well-known song “Honestly” (off 1986 follow up effort To Hell With The Devil) and classy “Lady” (from 1990’s Against The Law).  Group’s comeback material is also home to choice ballad moments, as found in the Scorpions styled “Can’t Live Without Your Love” (God Damn Evil from 2018) and my favorite “Betrayed By Love” (off 2024 most recent offering When We Were Kings). 

Soldiers Under Command six minute ballad “First Love” is right in the thick of things.  It starts calmly to piano, keyboards and acoustic guitar only to pick up pace two minutes in, incrementally gaining incentive moving forward until bluesy hard rock guitars take over.  Soulful vocal melodies fade in over the final minute and half as guitar moves to the forefront to expand upon the emotion exponentially.  Vocally, Michael Sweet is in top form with his rich and expansive delivery rooted in classic tenor soaring but also a lower register affinity.  Lyric snippet:

There is no love like the love of your first love
It's so true
It's for you as you are
Tears in the night filled with pain
You're running from the love
that you had once before - your first love

Someone to take your fears away
To help you through each day
To carry you when you just can't go on

I struggle with second ballad “Together As One”, which takes a piano and keyboard based heading as opposed to the guitar focused “First Love”.  Yes, the group performs admirably - Michael as always shines vocally and the groups harmony vocals burnish as ever - but it is five minutes long, which begs the following: do we want a 44-minute album to devote 11 minutes to ballad territory?  I would much rather preferred another metal cut in its place.

I am also not a fan of “(Waiting For) A Love That’s Real”.  I find it to be the type of pop based commercial rock piece that became more prevalent as Stryper transitioned to To Hell With The Devil and 1988 fourth album In God We Trust.  Musically, I take to the creative church organ opening but otherwise struggle to embrace the song despite the passing of 40 years- perhaps it is the restrained guitars or overemphasis on backing vocals, but it fails to register with me.

Back in the day, Stryper composed two songs in metal anthem “Marching Into Battle” (later recorded for 2013 effort No More Hell To Pay) and melodic hard rocker “King Of Kings” (appearing on 2015 release Fallen) that in my opinion are better than “Together As One” and “(Waiting For) A Love That’s Real”.  At the very least the two would have made Soldiers Under Command the deeper album- imagine it opening to the one two punch of “Soldiers Under Command” and “Marching Into Battle” or its second half transitioning from “Reach Out” to “King Of Kings”.  In my opinion, “Together As One” and “(Waiting For) A Love That’s Real” would fit better on a Michael Sweet solo album.

Soldiers Under Command finds Stryper at the top of its heavy metal and others melodic hard rock game.  Problem, however, is that in my opinion the album features a bit too much on the ‘melodic’ category as opposed to that ‘heavy’.  Another metal based cut or two might better round out the track listing- keeping in mind early Stryper was at its best when heaviest, not that its more melodic material is in any way flawed.  Overall, Soldiers Under Command shines when at its best and exhibits the potential Stryper went on to fill with platinum release To Hell With The Devil.

Review by: Andrew Rockwell

Track Listing: "Soldiers Under Command" (5:03), "Makes Me Wanna Sing" (2:51), "Together Forever" (4:03), "First Love" (5:43), "The Rock That Makes Me Roll" (4:56), "Reach Out" (5:21), "(Waiting For) A Love That’s Real" (4:36), "Together As One" (5:01), "Surrender" (4:28), "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" (2:36)

Musicians
Michael Sweet - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Oz Fox - Guitars
Tim Gaines - Bass & Keyboards
Robert Sweet - Drums