Stryper - To Hell with the Devil
Songs:
-Abyss (To Hell with the Devil)
-To Hell with the Devil
-Calling on You
-Free
-Honestly
-The Way
-Sing-Along Song
-Holding On
-Rockin' the World
-All of Me
-More Than a Man
I had heard of Stryper before this album. But other than being "those black and yellow spandex dudes," they weren't really on my radar. Well, like any self-respecting dude my age back then, I checked out this band because some girls I hung out with (and some girls I wanted to hang out with) were kind of into them. Right off the bat, I was struck by a few things.
First, Michael Sweet could SING! Man, what a voice! The dude had incredible range and power. Those familiar with the hits know he can sing high. But what he does on songs like The Way and More Than a Man are just jaw-dropping. I remain impressed to this day. The one thing about him that was one factor that temporarily cooled me off on the band is just that his voice was just a bit too...ironically, "sweet." In the last decade-plus, I feel like his voice has deepened just a bit and he has employed just a bit of grit that, to me, makes his voice more pleasing and more than makes up for the fact that he may not be able to hit all the highs as consistently in a live setting.
Second, the songwriting in general is really tight on this album. Like a lot of bands in this genre, Stryper also got a bit formulaic at times. But this album is solid in terms of the writing. This remains my favorite album of theirs (and probably the biggest overall fan favorite) because it is such a tight album from start to finish rather than a couple of hits and a bunch of filler.
Third, the playing is top notch. This isn't just a collection of hacks who could barely play their instruments and went out to bank on their looks to make a quick buck in Hollywood. Yeah, they might not be a bunch of prodigies. But to a member, they are solid players.
Finally, I appreciated the positive and overtly spiritual lyrics. I was not a Christian back then and was still figuring out my faith. But I deeply appreciated the message behind their music, even on songs where I either did not fully understand or agree with where they were coming from. And I like that, even aside from being overtly Christian, their point was "We see what is going on in society nowadays, and especially the excess and debauchery in the music industry, and we're taking a stand against that and promoting a different message." I deeply respect that.
The one turn-off for me on this album and others of theirs is the backing vocals. All the guys in the band can sing and have great voices. But the harmonies they choose to utilize sound TOO much like church hymns. And that is fine. But, to me, it just doesn't quite match the tone for metal, even where the music is supposed to be upbeat and positive. It just made it sound a bit too sanguine for my tastes and took away from the serious messages and cool guitar rock sound. And while I know I'm not the only one to feel that way, I think I am definitely in the minority in the fan base.
Overall, this is one of my favorite albums from this time period. It does sound a bit dated now, and is definitely a product of its time. But as such, it is also a sonic sign of those times, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.