STRYPER
“GOD DAMN EVIL”
Album Review by Stacey Fawcett

7/10

Stryper are a Christian metal band hailing from Orange County, California. They have a career which spans 30+ years which are filled with many fantastic albums and tours that have enlightened the world with their music

“Take It to The Cross”, creeps in eerily with tones pulsing and voices lurking in the background. Then follows the seeping guitar, which is slowly coming in. Boom, then you are slapped in the chops by the drums, chunky guitars accompanied with monk like synths and backing vocals. The chorus is very catchy and it is completely different from the verses, it’s edgy and had a chance of not working with it being so different, but it’s execution here is key, phenomenal. Really impressive opening track so far.

“Sorry” another good solid track with interesting use of panning for the bass element of the track, this is a crowd pleaser. The chorus is anthemic, with huge sounding harmonies. I’m blown away by how powerful the vocals are on this track. “Lost”, just wow. This is just brilliant, from the impressive drum fills to the vocal range. There’s nothing much you can write about this apart from sit down, put on your headphones and appreciate this track in all of its glory. The title track “God Damn Evil” has attitude. Its brash but carries itself well with its simplicity. This is one of those track that live will be played for a lot longer and the crowd will be encouraged to sing along, but it deserves it.

The evil sounding song “You Don’t Even Know” is quite dark in comparison the rest of the album, it feels very personal. Then follows the heavy “The Valley” although very repetitive, is not a bad track but it doesn’t really go anywhere. “Sea of Thieves” picks up from the last track, the guitar runs are exquisite, it’s the perfect music jigsaw and it’s not the most straightforward of tracks with its stops and starts. I’m more than happy to write the previous track off as a little rest in the middle of the album. “Beautiful” is exactly what it says ‘beautiful’ the intro of the sludgy doomy sounding drums are sublime but the narrative of the song is definitely relatable to a lot of people myself included. It also has a fantastic guitar solo.

“Can’t Live Without Your Love” is a laid back track, which sounds very Gary Moore-esque. Definitely a power ballad. “Own Up” isn’t the most interesting of track however the guitar solos are insane which make up for the rest of the song. “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” is the best track of the album – it’s a fast welcomed tempo change for the album. I’m not a fan of emoji’s but the guitar work :o. That’s all I can say.

The album is pretty good; it falls slightly flat in places but overall is a solid well delivered album.

TRACKLIST

1. Take It To The Cross
2. Sorry
3. Lost
4. God Damn Evil
5. You Don’t Even Know
6. The Valley
7. Sea Of Thieves
8. Beautiful
9. Can’t Live Without Your Love
10. Own Up
11. The Devil Doesn’t Live Here

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

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