Boy are this band busy these days. In the last couple of years they have released a covers album, a selection of re-records from their earlier catalogue, a back to basics belter of old school new stuff in No More Hell To Pay at the tail end of last year and now this, a live recording from their show at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles supporting that album. Oh and let’s not forget Michael also released his excellent autobiography Honestly and solo album I’m Not Your Suicide.
In my opinion this release has three strikes against it before I even pop it in the cd player. Strike one is live albums are pretty much redundant today what with You Tube and the like. Seriously when is the last time you salivated over the release of a live album from your favorite band. Now there’s tons of live footage out there and often some professionally shot. For free too. Strike two is the importance of music these days, if U2 can slog for years in the studio and give away their album to sell a bloody new phone what does that say about people’s investment in music. What is it now, an app? Finally strike three is the fact that some people can’t get past Stryper’s lyrics. They just won’t go there.
So I’m just going to bash this thing, right? WRONG. I’ve seen this band live in the last couple of years and they still sound fantastic and you can’t emphasize enough the importance of having the four original members on stage. To me it’s always been music first, if that doesn’t grab me them I’m out of there. I love Stryper, I love Slayer and that’s because of the tunes.
This band has an abundance of good songs. Their last album is well represented with a very healthy four cuts and second song Marching Into Battle is probably the heaviest they have ever done. Michael still sounds great and the backing vocals are top notch. There’s no ballads either, not even Honestly from To Hell With The Devil which is their biggest hit from the past. I would like to think this was left off on purpose to highlight that this was and is a hard rocking band. It’s a seriously heavy live sounding record. Not everything works though, Always There For You highlights how weak a record In God We Trust was and there’s nothing from the more recent Reborn or Murder By Pride. The inclusion of All For One from Against The Law is a nice surprise but the set ends predictably with Soldiers Under Command that is their Paranoid or Take Hold of The Flame.
So a worthy inclusion to the Stryper catalogue. If you are a fan you will love this, for someone sitting on the fence this might surprise you with its heaviness. The band still sounds great, now how many 80’s bands can you say that about?
Richie.
