STRYPER
“EVEN THE DEVIL BELIEVES”
Album Review by Syl Pdll

9/10

Stryper is a band that has gained fame for professing their Christian faith through heavy metal, however, beyond belief, it has become a cult band earning the respect of the scene and creating a style that has been influenced of the new generations. In the words of Michael Sweet, this album is a recording of hope and inspiration and a light in the darkest times of the pandemic. Even The Devil Believes also features Perry Richardson on bass and backing vocals.

“Blood From Above” is a song that has that old-school heavy metal influence in addition to the characteristic screams of Michael Sweet, whose vocal range has remained impeccable throughout the years. The incessant beat of the drums determines the rhythm of the song, accompanied by the other musical instruments.

Perry Richardson makes his debut with the band on “Make Love Great Again”, playing the bass flawlessly alongside Michael Sweet’s voice, adding the sound of the guitars and drums to create a catchy and quite rhythmic song. The chorus is characterized by powerful choruses that will make you sing along to the recording. The lyrics of the song assertively portray what we are experiencing because of the pandemic.

“Let Him In” shows that classic sound of the band that will make us travel back in time to the glorious decade of the 80’s where the band enjoyed international success. A quite rhythmic song guided by the execution of the drums that add the heavy riffs of the guitars and the notes of the bass. Michael Sweet’s vocal performance is at his best. It is a song that I would like to hear at a concert.

“Do Unto Others” is a song that has a very clear message: treat others the way you want to be treated. In musical terms, it has the essence of their latest works in which it combines heavy metal with choral arrangements to a certain extent that allows creating a more emotional song, especially in the chorus part. The guitar solo is fantastic.

Robert Sweet does a great job on the drums on “Even The Devil Believes” being the dominant instrument of the song and rescuing the classic sound of the band. The intervention of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox on the guitars is impeccable making this song quite rhythmic from beginning to end. The chorus is powerful in which it shows the vocal qualities of the leader of the band. A case similar to “How To Fly” that rescues the essence of the band’s latest albums with a more melodic touch, the chorus being the part that concentrates that accumulation of emotions.

“Divider” is a song that I really liked because of the speed that this Californian quartet pervades both in the musical and vocal part. The bass performance courtesy of Perry Richardson shows his technique and virtuosity that contrasts with the powerful voice of Michael Sweet. This song is completely out of what the band has us used to in terms of sound. The guitar solo by Michael Sweet and Oz Fox is impeccable. Another of the songs that I would like to hear in concert due to the interaction that is generated between the band and the audience.

We go back to the eighties because the sound we find in “This I Pray” reminds us of the time of the powerful ballads of that time. A powerful song in musical terms due to the combination of acoustic and electronic instruments that contrasts with the gospel-type choral arrangements that allows reaffirming the band’s Christian faith and its importance to go the right way.

“Invitation Only” begins with guitar chords courtesy of the Sweet brothers and keyboard notes played by Paul McNamara. This is another of the songs that comes out of the band’s comfort zone showing a fresher and more current sound that takes up their Christian faith as the main theme. A song that entertains from beginning to end and prepares us for the closing of this album.

“For God & Rock ‘N’ Roll” combines the musical style of the band and the theme that is addressed in most of their songs, which is religion. The perfect song to jump in and sing along with the band longing for the pre-pandemic times when face-to-face concerts were still in place, it’s a song that will hook you and make you headbanging non-stop. It’s one of my favourite songs on this album.

This album culminates with “Middle Finger Messiah” characterized by the power that Robert Sweet overflows on drums and is complemented by Michael Sweet and Oz Fox on guitars. I insist that Sweet’s vocal performance is at his best and this song is an example of that. The guitar solo that contrasts with the bass notes is spectacular and the closing of the song is similar to the closing of a concert, how those times are missed!

Stryper is in the prime of their career. Even the Devil Believes is a fun, modern and fresh album that entertains the listener from start to finish, combining elements of the Californian band’s past and present, and also taking the risk of trying different sounds out of their comfort zone without leaving aside that musical identity that they have forged since the eighties. It is perhaps one of the best jobs of their career.

TRACKLIST

Blood From Above
Make Love Great Again
Let Him In
Do Unto Others
Even The Devil Believes
How To Fly
Divider
This I Pray
Invitation Only
For God & Rock ‘N’ Roll
Middle Finger Messiah

http://www.stryper.com
http://www.facebook.com/stryper

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