Stryper - When We Were Kings
these four men really know how to rock …giving every Stryper song an energy, passion, hope, and fire.
When We Were Kings
Stryper
Frontiers Music
11 tracks / 45:48
“It’s the End of Days / And the final bow / The world is aflame As the scriptures avow / Angels will weep - When the heavens unfurl - On this dark and Broken World”
So begins When We Were Kings, Stryper’s latest effort, proving that they are in fact still the kings of Christian pop-metal – or whatever it is they play. Some things are just hard to nail down. Certainly, the music is heavy and rocks relentlessly (for the most part), reveling in the locomotive propulsion of Robert Sweet’s drumming, the operatic metal of Michael Sweet’s vocals, the furious attack of Oz Fox and Michael’s guitar work (including lots of the signature Stryper harmony soloing), and the dependable and often stand-out bass work of Perry Richardson. Still, it would be wrong to label them strictly as a metal band – even a pop metal band. The truth is, Michael Sweet - the band’s principal songwriter – really knows how to construct a song with a classic verse, chorus, verse format and irresistible hooks. The fact that these four men really know how to rock puts a raucous edge to the whole affair, giving every Stryper song an energy, passion, hope, and fire that you seldom find the often-dark world of Metal bands.
The aforementioned opening track blasts out of your speakers like gangbusters, blazingly apocalyptic and ending with as stentorian a scream as Michael ever performed (yes, you need to look that one up). This is followed by a steady slow burning hard rocker called “Unforgivable,” a track that shows how meat-and-potatoes the band can be when they want to – bang your head and revel in the guitar solo.
“When We Were Kings - Of our own time / We started young - And hoped to climb / But seasons change And so did we / Now we long for what We used to be.” The title track seems to be a wistful look back to the past - but it’s hard to hear this as a lament to be ‘what we used to be’ – because this moderately paced but powerful tune shows that they’re a band still in their musical prime. “Betrayed by Love” follows with heavy chords and a deliberate pace in a tale of betrayed love as Michael sings, “The pain’s hard to bear - As I stop and stare / At the mountain I’ve built from my own despair / I’ve made up my mind - I won’t stop till I find The reasons why I Used to care” in powerful Stryper Ballad style. The following track’s hooky harmony-filled chorus and twin guitars deliver “Love’s Symphony” in the band’s classic rock/pop/metal style.
Right in the center of the album is a hard-driving shouter. “Trinity” is exactly what you might think: a little rock exposition about the triune nature of God: real rock and roll, with a stunning guitar solo and another of Michael’s trademark screams. This is followed by the big, slow, heavy, relentless “Rhyme of Time.” Despite the title, “Raptured” is not an end-times song but actually (lyrically, anyway) a genuine love song. What makes it unique is that it’s structured in a very funky blues-rock format, albeit with a very hooky harmony-filled chorus (“I’m Raptured, Raptured - Raptured by your love - I’m Captured, Captured - Captured by your love”). At 3:45 it’s the shortest track on the album but delivers the goods in a tight, funky package.
The pop/metal returns on “Grateful,” a song with a great sing-along chorus and an impressive harmony guitars section – Summer single, anyone? The hard rock comes back with “Divided by Design.” The vocals are sung with the attitude of a warrior (a soldier under command?) and the chords are big and fuzzed appropriately with Richardson’s bass ringing out nicely between the phrases. The song even has a beautifully old-school solo with some wah-wah tossed in for good measure.
The album closes explosively, just like it began – looking at this “Imperfect World.” The song ends the project in grand Stryper form, full of great guitar work, pounding drums and Michael Sweet hitting impossible heights with his patented scream. And yes – harmony guitars!
In many ways this album reminds me of Soldiers Under Command – maybe because it’s a batch of songs that really show you everything this band is capable of. Produced by Michael Sweet, this feels very much like a live-in-studio project. Stryper is showing its chops – and they’re considerable. Not very introspective, yet it’s often profound, and it’s always loud. Because, well …the bottom line is not that they were kings but that they sing about one particular King. Crank up the Royal stereo.
- Bert Saraco
4 tocks
You can see Bert’s concert photography - including pictures of Stryper - at www.facebook.com/express.image
