Veteran Christian rockers Stryper haven’t changed much since their hairy heyday in the 80s.
Their messaging is a little more nuanced than on early albums To Hell With The Devil and In God We Trust, but their faith in the Lord – and in old-school metal – remains unshakable. And their line-up still includes three original members: Michael Sweet on guitar and vocals, his brother Robert on drums, and Oz Fox on second guitar.
This twelfth studio album is delivered with total conviction and age-defying energy, and Michael still sings his songs of praise like an overexcited Dennis DeYoung. It’s only in the songwriting that they come up short.
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The title track and Rhyme Of Time are mighty rock anthems, though, and there’s a melodic finesse in Grateful and (the poorly punctuated) Loves Symphony. But a bunch of predictable, generic numbers proves that even the most fervent of believers can run out of divine inspiration.
