The original line-up goes back into the studio to re-record fourteen classics using todays state-of-the-art equipment ...and two new songs as an extra! Second Coming is much more than a greatest hits collection.....
Second Coming
Artist: Stryper
www.stryper.com
Label: Frontiers records
Time: 16 tracks / 67:04

Okay, so what's there to get excited about with a new Stryper album that consists of fourteen classic tracks and two new songs? Well, as it turns out, there's plenty to be excited about – that is, if you're a fan of the masters of Melodic Metal. For one thing, the original line-up went back into the studio to re-record the best songs from the first EP, The Yellow and Black Attack, the follow up Soldiers Under Command and the iconic To Hell With the Devil. These are not 'digitally re-mastered' tracks, but totally new performances with the band using state-of-the-art studio technology, and the results are speaker-shattering. The arrangements are basically the same, but with a richness and clarity of sound, a presence to each instrument and voice, and a solid bottom-end that gives Robert's drum kit a whole new voice.

All of this doesn't mean that people who hated Stryper's pop-influenced Metal before will suddenly love it now – and that's really one of the strong points of this band and this collection: the fundamental elements that give Stryper their unique identity haven't changed. While many bands evolve over the years to arrive at a 'sound,' Stryper has always sounded like Stryper – and that's why these songs, that span years, haven't dated. While Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox and Tim Gaines have certainly grown and matured as musicians, the result is a renewed confidence and surefootedness in their attack – not an abandonment of their original sound.

So what can you expect to hear on Second Coming? For one thing, you'll hear fourteen songs – a 'best of' collection by any standard – sounding fresher, heavier, and more potent than ever before. You'll also hear two new songs - "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened" - that show the original band members full-strength, on these songs that combine years of experience, song-writing ability, and good old fashioned chops. These men can play. And just in case you're wondering: Michael can still hit those crazy notes.

If you're a fan of this band you already have the collections, the compilations, the 'greatest hits' albums – but they never sounded this fresh. Yes, you'll want this album – Second Coming is Stryper the way they were meant to be recorded. Always hated Stryper? Hey – don't go for this, because this is Stryper full-strength.

In 2009 Murder By Pride showed that Stryper still had great years ahead of them. In 2011 The Covering showed that they could reach beyond their own catalog and cover the heavy rock classics with style. Today, Second Coming looks back at the early years, says, 'yeah – we've still got what it takes,' and then takes it that much further. If "Bleeding From the Inside Out" and "Blackened" are any indication, Stryper's future is looking heavier, but brighter, than their past.



-Bert Saraco

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