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Stryper named
themselves after an Old Testament prophecy: Isaiah 53:5 - "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." Yes, so
they took a bit of artistic license with the word "stripes", but who's
asking?
Stryper started out in Orange County, CA as a band called
Roxx Regime. The Sweet brothers, Michael and Robert, did not start
out as Christian metal musicians, but headed back in that direction
after a short time away from the church. Later, Oz Fox and Tim
Gaines would join the band, in time for the release of their debut on
Enigma Records in 1984 (The Yellow and Black Attack). In
the early days, Stryper was on the metal tour circuit with bands like
Ratt and Bon Jovi, which is an interesting dichotomy. The band's
third album, To Hell with the Devil (1986), proved to be their
most successful, giving us songs like "Calling On You", "Free", and
"Honestly." Subsequent MTV videos for these songs were the most
requested on Dial MTV.
The band's 1988 release, In God We Trust, featured
the song "Always There for You" and was also a big release for Stryper,
although some fans were disappointed with the pop metal sound (hey, we
liked it). The band's 1990 release,
Against the Law, found Stryper moving away both from their
yellow and black image as well as their lyrical message. However,
in our opinion (and that of others), this is probably the band's best
album from a metal perspective.
In 1992, vocalist Michael Sweet left the band to pursue a
successful solo effort. Tim Gaines and Oz Fox started a band
called SinDizzy. By 1999, the band was back on stage together.
By 2005, Stryper released a new album,
Reborn, which many consider to be a successful mix of metal
and grunge. At the time of this writing, Stryper was still active.
The Stryper Discography is as follows:1984: The Yellow and Black Attack
1985: Soldiers Under Command
1986: To Hell with the Devil
1988: In God We Trust
1990: Against the Law
1991: Can't Stop the Rock
2003: The Best of Stryper
2003: 7 Weeks Live in America, 2003
2005: Reborn
2009: Murder by Pride
2011: The Covering |
