| Musical Style: Metal/Hard Rock | Produced By: Varies |
| Record Label: Roxx Records | Country Of Origin: Varies |
| Year Released: 2026 | Artist Website: |
| Tracks: 12 | Rating: No Quote |
| Running Time: |
Roxx Records puts its tribute album making acumen on display with the April of 2026 release of To Hell With The Devil - A 40th Anniversary Salute. And with good reason in light of how a To Hell With The Devil tribute comes highly celebrated when factoring not just the 40th anniversary to the albums October of 1986 release but also a groundbreaking legacy and impact that remains true to this day. Consider how the third album from the yellow and black bedecked Southern California based four-piece is lauded as the first Christian metal album to achieve platinum status in featuring hits “Honestly”, peaking at #23 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Single Chart, and “Calling On You”, reaching No. 2 on the daily MTV list of most requested videos. Other accolades include ranking first at a 2005 Christian Metal Realm countdown of the top 100 Christian metal albums, while placing sixth on a similar list with Heaven’s Metal Magazine from 2018.
Roxx Records made the wise decision to cover each track on To Hell With The Devil in chronological order from beginning to end in addition to including a special bonus track cover to “Soldiers Under Command”. The artist support for such an endeavor went beyond all reasonable expectation. As noted by the label: ‘We were blown away at the quick response and overwhelming love and support out there for this 40-year-old, dare we say classic album, and all the accomplishments it made and doors that it opened. This release all came together easily and very nicely with amazing new interpretations of all the tracks and music’.
Roxx did an equally commendable job selecting a roster of artists that with a few notable exceptions stays true to the signature eighties Stryper melodic metal and hard rock sound, referencing occasional forays into thrash, modern metal and progressive rock. Regardless of form, participating artists respectfully impart their own diverse personality and style - whether good, bad or in between as we shall see - to the classic To Hell With The Devil material.
It was my experience after forty years to find myself in a ‘comfort zone’ as it pertains to individual To Hell With The Devil tracks. Specifically, on initial listen several of the A 40 Anniversary Salute songs sounded awkward if not disjointed when placed alongside the original renderings- something seemed ‘off’ or just not ‘quite right’. With repeat play, however, I was able to break outside any potential comfort zone and if not fully embrace and appreciate at least understand the different approach each band took to its assigned track. Again, the key is to give each song time and maintain an open mind, particularly as it pertains to those that extend outside the eighties metal and hard rock mold.
Ted Gardner gets things going with his rendering to alternatively entitled instrumental “Abyss 2.0”. Artist stays true to the original with similar ominous keyboards but separates with haunting backend voices and ringing bells. Keeping in mind there is only so much you can do with a minute and half-instrumental, artist succeeds from building upon the portent feel to the song.
Grade: B
Reign Of Glory delivers one of albums stronger showings with its version of “To Hell With The Devil”. Yes, the group imparts a similar metal anthem with a darker semblance mentality, but branches out in terms of talented sandpapery but melodic vocalist Mark Boals, who nails with ease several Michael Sweet style falsettos. Kudos all the same to Nick Layton from proving more than a match for Oz Fox with his biting lead guitar.
Grade: A
Modern rock act Becoming Sons takes its stab at “Calling On You”. Song gets off to a strong start with glistening classic tenor vocals and emboldened guitars but takes a dive upon appearance of poorly conceived ‘Viking berserker’ style extreme growling. It is not a matter of extreme vocals not always being my cup of tea, but due to the song taking a commercial hard rock heading they impress as out of place or at the very least forced if not outright laughable. My personal feeling is use any ‘growling’ in moderation to accentuate as needed. A good example of such execution is the combining of ‘melodic and extreme’ that is Divinefire.
Fear Not, whom suspiciously is missing from the roster, would have done a much more creditable job.
Grade: F
Things get back on track with “Free” as done by Latter Reign, whom pulls the song off without a hitch. Perhaps it is due to Latter Reign tracing its roots to the eighties hair-to-pop-to-glam metal era, but the group is in its natural element within a melodic hard rock environs. Front man Luis Cardenas is at the top of his game with his raspy vocal affinity, while guitarist Brad Smith shines equally in lending fitting acoustic guitar and distorted lead guitar.
Grade: A-
Albums crowning moment is the “Honestly” cover from vocalist Germán Pascual. Much to his credit artist does not impart his trademark European melodic power metal but rather takes the song in a wonderful acoustic rock direction. Heartfelt, sincere and genuine is the feel - simplistic but within a beautiful formatting - as Pascual sings with full on emotion with his graceful mixed with grit vocal affinity. I see Michael Sweet being done proud!
Grace: A+
Testimony Of Apocalypse brings its high-energy metal with thrash, groove and death overtones to “The Way”. Yes, clean vocals mix with those extreme, but it works in that the songs natural aggression better lends to any potential ‘Viking berserker’ style growling. That said I might pass if the entire album were in such direction, albeit it sounds fresh if not inspired from a one shot standpoint. I do not know who the bands guitarist is but he nails to perfection the Oz Fox style distorted guitar leads.
Grade: B+
Give credit to All For The King with its powerful take on commercial hard rocker “Sing-Along Song”. With Ricard Hulteke’s gravel soaked melodic vocals and Carl Grimmark’s crunch worthy guitar leading the way, group successfully imparts its melodic hard rock meets modern rock touch but without forsaking the songs eighties roots. The signature ‘whoah-whoah-whoah-whoah-la-la’ backing vocals are layered to catchy perfection, while keyboards take a symphonic form but unlike the original not to the point of overriding. Roxx Records did a great job matching the right band to the right song.
Grade: A-
Undoubting Thomas, better known for the progressive rock to its 2025 debut In The Process Of…, conveys a delectable seventies style classic rock imprint to what I always identified as a good but customary pop metal piece in “Holding On”. The use of piano, organ and distinctive but not metal guitars alongside layered vocal melodies furnish the song a depth of character it might not have owned in the past- when placed alongside I take to the Undoubting Thomas rendering. That said, and I do not intend to be unfair, but I also wish the project of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Thomas McKeown had imparted an added progressive flair by extending the song outside its four-minute boundaries into the six to seven minute range. Regardless, still a fine effort.
Grade: B+
Weapons Of God unleashes a storm of fury with its metal meets hard rock interpretation of the revved up “Rockin’ The World”. The 2025 Angelic Warlord album of the year recipients, noting the groups 95% graded third full length album TRIbulation, takes the song in a heavier and faster direction in light of mammoth but high energy rhythm guitars and impactful lower register vocals while retaining the unmistakable melody focus. No, not a great deal of polish and about subtle as a punch in the jaw but supremely effective all the same.
Grade: A-
Things get murky with Seth Metoyer’s ‘rock mix’ to “All Of Me”. What was previously a keyboard ballad is now unrecognizable in that artist rearranges the song in a completely different direction, which is not necessarily a bad thing in that in my opinion “All Of Me” should not have made the final To Hell With The Devil cut. Gist is a Gothic tinged brew of modern vocals, elevated bass and guitar ranging from ethereal to hard rocking that with time I grew comfortable with if not able to accept. To be completely honest, I was expecting any ‘rock mix’ of “All Of Me” to be in similar fashion to the ‘rock version’ to “My Love I’ll Always Show” off The Roxx Regime Demos from 2007- in other words, maintaining the songs original formatting but within a heavier context.
If you want to go even further out in left field check out the artists industrial version to the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW8YWhGufQ8
Grade: C+
Motivik imbues its trademark thrash swayed sounds to “More Than A Man”, taking a pristine melodic metal piece and successfully morphing it into a straight on metal romper with double kick drum, course but clean vocals - good news is that our Viking berserker friend does not crash the party - and impressionable guitar harmonies. Overall, a nice job on part of Motivik with a respectful rendering to “More Than A Man” without going over the top in terms of any repetitive thrash aspects.
Grade: B+
Talk about saving your best for last with Severed Angel and its straight on heavy metal take to “Soldiers Under Command”. Group stays true to the original with classic tenor vocals, soulful vocal harmony adorned refrain and intricate duel guitar leads but diverges in terms of accenting (but complementary) backend keyboards. In the end, Severed Angel provides a technically intricate but flattering interpretation to a Stryper classic!
Grade: A
Roxx Records deserves more than its fair share of credit for having the vision and foresight to put together a 40th anniversary To Hell With The Devil tribute album. An overall solid selection of artists and creditable job on part of the label for matching the right song with the right band - noting a few missteps along the way - equates to a thumbs up on my part. Further kudos for the eye-catching interpretation of the ‘angel’ cover-art not to mention a detailed 20-page booklet with one page devoted to each artist. If a Stryper fan, my advice would be to make the album a necessary purchase, but also allow repeat listen to adjust to the differing interpretation of individual songs. If like me, you might be in a comfort zone from having listened to To Hell With The Devil the past 40 years, but I found the investment of time in the album more than worth the effort.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: Ted Gardner - “Abyss” (3:19), Reign Of Glory - “To Hell With The Devil” (4:07), Becoming Sons“ - Calling On Your” (4:14), Latter Reign - “Free” (3:24), Germán Pascual - “Honestly” (4:40), Testimony Of Apocalypse - “The Way” (3:53), All For The King - “Sing Along Song” (4:55), Undoubting Thomas - “Holding On” (3:58), Weapons Of God - “Rockin’ The World” (3:20), Seth Metoyer - “All Of Me” (rock mix) (4:17), Motivik - “More Than A Man” (4:25), Severed Angel - “Soldiers Under Command” (5:09)
