{"id":28565,"date":"2013-03-31T07:56:34","date_gmt":"2013-03-31T12:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=28565"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:34:08","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:34:08","slug":"stryper-second-coming-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/stryper-second-coming-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Stryper | Second Coming<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Stryper\"Sometimes giving old things a fresh twist can generate renewed excitement. That \u201982 Camaro rusting in peace behind the shed suddenly seems fun to drive again when spruced up with some spiffy new paint. Jacking some jalapenos into your mother\u2019s tasteless meatloaf recipe juices it up with some extra kick. Introducing a new toy into your carnal escapades can turn bedroom dullness into bedroom delights. But when it comes to tinkering with their beloved tunes, fans tend to get a little testy \u2026<\/p>\n

Re-recording songs or albums has become a tolerable but not entirely welcome trend in hard rock circles. Sometimes it makes a certain amount of sense (Whitecross\u2019 debut definitely benefited from sonic enhancements) but other times it\u2019s a real head-scratcher (did Firehouse actually think they could improve their stellar debut?). KISS, Scorpions, L.A. Guns \u2026 all have trotted out revamped versions of their early stuff; even Harem Scarem is hopping on the bandwagon later this year. The reasons cited often have more variety than a pharmacist\u2019s medicine cabinet, but the primary purpose is usually mercenary in nature. In other words, it\u2019s all about business, with creativity generally taking a back burner.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s time for one of the most famous bands in Christian metal to touch up the yellow and black stripes on some of their early output, and while singer Michael Sweet is candid about this release being mostly about licensing and catalog control, Stryper did not just crank out some cut-rate crap and call it a day. Instead, they took the opportunity to correct some of the issues with their earlier albums; namely, the thin production, lack of bass, and absence of Tim Gaines\u2019 on To Hell With the Devil<\/em>. They were also cool enough to grace Second Coming<\/em> with two new studio tracks, both very much vintage Stryper.<\/p>\n

The band took two songs from their debut, then six each from Soldiers Under Command<\/em> and To Hell With the Devil<\/em>. Inexplicably, they ignored In God We Trust<\/em> like a redheaded stepchild. Omissions aside, while this may seem sacrilegious to the Stryper stalwarts, these retooled incarnations are superior to the originals. The bulked up bass, upgraded production, and thickened harmonies empower the songs with the rich metal fullness they previously lacked. Granted, the original tracks possessed a pure, primal hunger that only a young band can bring, but the loss of that raw edge is amply compensated by the inclusion of more bottom end muscle. Stryper boldly proclaimed they were going to improve these tracks and to quote Yoda, \u201cLie, they did not.\u201d Classic Stryper tunes like \u201cThe Rock That Makes Me Roll,\u201d \u201cFree,\u201d and \u201cMore Than a Man\u201d have never sounded better.<\/p>\n

But what about the new songs? Well, \u201cBleeding From the Inside Out\u201d is pretty solid. No, it doesn\u2019t compare to the band\u2019s best \u2026 more like a B-side from Soldiers Under Command<\/em>. \u201cBlackened,\u201d on the other hand, hearkens more toward some of the heavier tracks on To Hell With the Devil<\/em>, loaded with slashing guitars, powerful rhythms and head-banging beats. It\u2019s indisputable proof that Stryper can still craft a killer commercial metal tune and should whet everyone\u2019s appetite for the new studio album due out later this year.<\/p>\n

All too often these re-recording projects turn out to be a case of the Emperor\u2019s new clothes. But Stryper have performed a miracle by remolding some of their most beloved compositions into upgraded versions that are better than the originals. Nobody could have seen that coming. Long after so many others of their era have faded into oblivion, Stryper continue to show that they have the chops to keep on rockin\u2019 for the Rock. And for that, Christian metal fans should say, Amen. <\/p>\n

Genre: Christian Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMichael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar)
\nRobert Sweet (drums)
\nOz Fox (guitar, vocals)
\nTimothy Gaines (bass, vocals)<\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1. Loud N\u2019 Clear
\n2. Loving You
\n3. Soldiers Under Command
\n4. Makes Me Wanna Sing
\n5. First Love
\n6. The Rock That Makes Me Roll
\n7. Reach Out
\n8. Surrender
\n9. To Hell With the Devil
\n10. Calling On You
\n11. Free
\n12. The Way
\n13. Sing Along Song
\n14. More Than a Man
\n15. Bleeding From the Inside Out (new track)
\n16. Blackened (new track)<\/p>\n

Label: Frontiers Records<\/p>\n

Webpage: www.stryper.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen – Senior Columnist — Sometimes giving old things a fresh twist can generate renewed excitement. That \u201982 Camaro rusting in peace behind the shed suddenly seems fun to drive again when spruced […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,7340,374,334,1922],"class_list":{"0":"post-28565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2013","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-christian-metal","9":"tag-frontiers-records","10":"tag-review","11":"tag-stryper"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28565\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}