The reincarnation of
Stryper is complete.
It's no reinvention, nobody expected or wanted that. What we have is a band who've rediscovered the heartfelt, finely tuned, perfectly weighted, carefully measured metal of their past. Metal that's just bursting with skyscraping vocals, muscular performances and towering hooks.
Stryper inspired a fevered allegiance among fans of Christian rock and metal, giving rise to a cult of believers who spent decades spreading the gospel.
Their target audience has widened of course. Yes, they're still soldiers under command, but now they are battle hardened by life's tragedies and triumphs. They're dealing with those twin imposters the only way they know how. By reshaping (and resharpening) the message (and the music) to appeal to a broader demographic.
The results are some of their slickest and most ambitious tunes yet. And arguably, the music is the message now.
'Murder By Pride' opens with the razor edged '
Eclipse For The Son'. Propelled by whiplash riffs and blades of wristy, trebly guitars, it just burns with punky intensity. A fabulous start. But there's better to come.
A pneumatic riff, Michael Sweet's charged vocals and the band's high octane harmonies drive drive
'4 Leaf Clover' home like nails in a cross. A magnificent song. Contender for standout track.
Michael Sweet has been touring with Boston this last year, handling lead vocals and playing guitar. Tom Scholz returns the compliment by contributing lead guitar to an energetic cover of '
Peace Of Mind'. But it was never one of Boston's strongest songs, and it seems a little out of place here.
'
Honestly' was the band's highest charting ballad back in 1987. A lot of critical print inches were spent on the ambiguity of the lyrics. The old story...you can write about sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and no one gives a damn. Mention God and the music world rushes to judgement.
'
Alive' is an '
Honestly' for this millenium. It's a powerful, yet low key ballad that lifts off unexpectedly as Sweet's stratospheric vocals soar up through the octaves, Nilsson like, pulling free of earth's gravity, delivering a devastating hook with a huge lyrical payoff.
Elsewhere, even comparitively ordinary songs like '
The Plan' and the poppy '
Run In You' sound special, thanks to the breathtaking musicianship and the cutting edge, state of the art studio sonics. A truly intense (and often inventive) production job from Michael Sweet and his co-producer, Danny Bemini.
But in truth, there are very few ordinary songs here.
The title track,
'Murder By Pride', is a pulsating , call and response melodic metal stomp. A chest beating affirmation of faith, '
I Believe' starts out ballad like, before a stuttering riff and ironclad harmonies suddenly and forcefully bring it to life.
The gritty
'Love Is Why' fights impressively through angular rhythms and jagged riffs, while the sizzling '
Everything' simmers in the hard rock heat.
No question, '
Murder By Pride', the album, has dazzle and distinction. It simply soars on the imagination of a genuinely great rock/metal band.
Written by
Brian Friday, August 21, 2009
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