Stryper – The Final Battle
Frontiers Music srl
Release Date: 12/10/22
Running Time: 46:23
Review by: Chris Galea
8.5/10
Dubious record label policies affected the tardiness of this review’s publication but nevertheless I felt the album merited a few words on these virtual pages. I remember, back in the late 1980s, being engrossed by this band’s music… A music that’s come to be inseparable from the religiously-themed lyrics of the songs. Almost 40 years later, not only hasn’t “The Final Battle” lost any of that early exuberance but this is quite possibly one of Stryper’s strongest albums.
It kicks off with all guns blazing – ‘Transgressor’ is heavy as hell without forgoing Stryper’s characteristic choir vocals and strong melodies. This song is also an accurate representation of the whole album, which is heavy, melodic and has Michael Sweet’s lead vocals in tip-top shape. This is not to say that each song is indistinguishable from the next. To give a few examples: ‘The Way, The Truth, The Life’ has a slower but pulsating tempo while ‘Heart & Soul’ is characterised by crunching riffs, tempo changes and inspired guitar solos from Oz Fox.
The album is also very well produced and the sound picks up on all the subtle nuances of the songs’ melodies. I get the impression that this time Stryper has devoted significant attention not only to the quality of the individual songs but also to the album as a holistic product.
In a recent interview Michael Sweet lamented how the band still remains underacknowledged after all these years and after 13 studio albums. But the band’s confidence certainly doesn’t seem dented. One hopes that this album title is not a dig at a finality of Stryper’s recording output and that we’ll hear from this band for more years to come.
‘Same Old Story’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Transgressor
02. See No Evil, Hear No Evil
03. Same Old Story
04. Heart & Soul
05. Near
06. Out, Up & In
07. Rise To The Call
08. The Way, The Truth, The Life
09. No Rest For Wicked
10. Till Death Do Us Part
11. Ashes To Ashes
LINE-UP:
Michael Sweet – Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Oz Fox – Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Perry Richardson – Bass, Vocals
Robert Sweet – Drums & Percussion
LINKS:
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