The Classic Metal Album Reviews:
Title: To Hell With the Devil
Artist: Stryper
Label: Enigma
Release Date: 1986

Rating: 3 Skulls
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    • Submitted by Solomon:
    Odd as this may seem, Stryper was the band that plunged me into metal. Not Slayer, not Metallica, not Celtic Frost, not Iron Maiden, but Stryper. As a thirteen-year-old kid who didn't know any better about speed vs. pop or "hair" vs. "real," I just knew what I liked and the video for "Calling On You" got my attention. No doubt, the well-rehearsed marketing ploy revolving around big bumblebee suits had a part in it, but the fat, angelic vocal lines and catchy arrangement hooked me in just as well. THWTD was the band's biggest seller (platinum plus) and they got rotated like crazy on MTV back in '87. The fact this was a Christian band, and a very bold one at that, makes it hard to fathom how a group like that ever made such an impact on the secular market. Only heaven knows. Aside from maybe Petra, Stryper was the first really commercially successful Christian rock band. Not only do other, more extreme metal acts like Living Sacrifice and Believer owe the Great Yellow Ones a nod of thanks, but I'd say Jars of Clay and DC Talk have also benefited from the push these guys gave Christian popular music fifteen years ago.

    For me, Stryper's appeal came mostly from their vocal delivery. Michael Sweet is still one of the best vocalists I've come across in metal, even if the band does come across a little like a bizarre meeting between Air Supply and the Scorpions. Mike is almost a little too "sweet" to be doing this type of music, but his voice plus the thick choral accompaniment by the rest of the band makes Stryper one-in-a-million. Whether you like the syrupy tunage on Devil or not, you have to respect a metal band that actually cares about SINGING, like, actual NOTES and stuff. On the guitar front, the potent dual leads are a major part of the band's sound. The intro to "Free" and the title track are straight out of the Schenker how-to handbook, and several of the axe solos follow a very good Vivian Campbell/Randy Rhoads template, notably on "THWTD" and "More Than A Man." The album's first single, "Calling On You," is catchy as, well, "hell," and, unfortunately, the rest of the record has a hard time competing with it. Harder tracks like "THWTD", "Free," and "More Than A Man" are major contenders, but there's a lack of really memorable guitar riffs or rhythms that make me want to jump up and down and bang my head. This ain't "Burn My Eyes," you know? As for the ballads "Honestly" and "All of Me": hey, great as wedding material, but I think I'll pass. Too bad these guys broke up so soon. It would have been interesting to see if they could have weathered the grunge and rap-core movements intact. Oz Fox in baggy pants, orange hair, and face piercings? Okay, maybe it's good they died when they did.
    3 out of 5

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