Michael Sweet--Lead Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Oz Fox--Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals
Perry Richardson--Bass, Backing Vocals
Robert Sweet--Drums, "Visual Time Keeper"
Next year will be 40 years since Stryper became a "thing", forming from the LA club scene band, Roxx Regime, after giving their lives to Christ. Over the course of these nearly 40 years, Stryper has hit a lot of highs and a handful of lows, releasing 14 studio albums (counting this one), a couple of live releases, a couple of compilations, and spinning off various side projects. There have also been member changes, issues with record labels, a breakup, and protests by extreme fundamentalists who believe Stryper to be the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. But through it all, brothers Michael and Robert Sweet, along with Oz Fox, have continued to provide the metal masses with quality material and powerful messages.
I'll be honest, when I heard that Stryper had a new album coming out so soon after their previous effort, Even The Devil Believes, I wondered if it was the acoustic record that Michael has hinted about in various interviews and podcasts. While I would be more than excited to snap that album up, I was far more excited to learn that The Final Battle was a full-length studio effort instead.
The album kicks off with one of the heaviest, fastest tracks on what I believe to be Stryper's heaviest record, to date. "Transgressor" is chock full of raging rhythm guitars, screaming solos...and a screaming singer! Michael Sweet, who appears to only get stronger with age and experience, unleashes a couple of borderline-unholy screams on this song, especially near the end, that leave one fearing for the ears of the sound engineer while this was being recorded. Released as a single and video prior to the album's drop, "Transgressor" really sets the stage for the rest of this record.
Follow-up track, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil", continues the metalfest, albeit in a slower, more plodding way, with some gritty bass work from Richardson that matches the snarl that Michael adds to his voice on this track. I'm not sure who plays the Hammond on this track, but it is used to excellent effect in a couple of places, adding its haunting voice to this grinding, stomping track. The trademark layered backing vocals are present throughout the song, and Robert's work is absolutely rock-solid behind the kit. For my money, he's one of the most underrated drummers from the 80s scene, and is certainly one of the most capable that is still performing. People simply don't seem to appreciate that the "Visual Timekeeper" is so much more than a whirling dirvish of blonde hair behind the sideways kit on stage. His sound is front and center through out this track, and elsewhere on the record, and the recording of his work is among the best the band has ever captured. There's also a nice trade-off guitar solo section, with both Michael and Oz going at it, head-to-head.
The unmistakable tone of Stryper's rhythm guitars kicks off another previously released track, "Same Old Story". That guitar sound is found all over the place on the To Hell With The Devil album, as well as on several songs from other albums, and it is a tone that, for me at least, leaves no doubt that a Stryper rocker is on its way. "Same Old Story" is more mid-paced in tempo, but it is insanely catchy with a big, sing-along chorus and some nimble fretwork from Sweet on the solo. Check it out below.
"Heart Soul" maintains that mid-temp metallic beat, with Robert's big drums absolutely being crushed from the start and persevering through the various tempo changes the track offers up, slowing slightly at the chorus sections, then speeding up to their highest tempo exiting the choruses, then backing down to that mid-tempo stomp I mentioned before. The solo section here absolutely RIPS, with a different, melodic bent being applied to the run. Sweet lays into a couple of big screams here, as well, but does the song service by staying more in his lower tenor range for much of the verse work.
"Near" is a quirky track from the beginning, a unique, melodic guitar intro leading the way and some subtle keyboard tones adding to the musical bed upon which Sweet's powerful vocals soar. If a big power ballad is what you think the band needs to make the album complete, then "Near" is exactly what you've been searching for, as this track could likely have slotted in on any one of the band's late-80s album and sounded right at home. The dexterous guitar run in the solo section threatens to push the song out of power ballad territory, but backs off at precisely the right time to bring things all together again. Don't think "Honestly" or "First Love" type ballad when you approach "Near", as neither of those classic Stryper ballads pack the musical punch that "Near" does.
The catchy punch of "Out, Up, In" brings the thunder back to the band's sound, with Robert Sweet's drum work again front and center. I simply love what he is bringing here! The track is relatively simple and stark, with the raw power of the song doing all the heavy lifting here. Richardson's bass is rumbling along nicely throughout, and the layered harmony vocals are spot on. Michael sounds like he may really be stretching himself our here, and not in a bad way, holding screams for insanely long periods of time. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on an album packed with excellence, and it's the simplicity that makes it work so well.
If something more classically Stryper, more frantic in its rhythm guitar grind, more violent in its drumming is what you are seeking, "Rise To The Call" is everything you have been looking for. Throw in a killer march-styled breakdown, a huge scream, and a fret-burning solo run that features both Sweet and Fox threatening to melt their strings, and you have an instant Stryper classic track. Bordering on speed metal in its styling, this was another track the band teased everyone with as a pre-release single and video. Destined to find its way into setlists for whatever remains of the band's career, this song is exactly what I think of when I think of Stryper, regardless of the era. Whether you think of speedy old school tracks like "Writings On The Wall" or "Rock The Hell Out Of You", or your mind is set more firmly in the present, "Rise To The Call" has to be a song that draws your attention from this point on. It's really that good!
The album closes with "Ashes To Ashes", and as I feel I have said repeatedly in a variety of ways, this is exactly the kind of song you...or at least I...think of when Stryper is mentioned. The album opens with Robert all by himself, thundering away, before Oz's rhythm guitar launches itself into the gritty fray. Richardson's bass is once again all over this track and is a welcome presence as it adds a serious thump to the goings on here. I absolutely love the phrasing of the chorus; it just adds something in the way that Michael stretches the first "ashes" and then snaps off the second "ashes". LOVE IT! Again, this is a song that I really feel has to be added to their live sets, potentially being the closing song, or at least the closing song before a big First Era encore. This is absolutely Stryper proving they are very much at the top of their game and still solidly ahead of the pack of 80s bands that continue to ply their trade.
Overall, after numerous listens, The Final Battle is, to my ears, the best of the batch of Stryper's Second Era, which is saying a lot considering the strength of Fallen, No More Hell To Pay, and others. While I enjoyed the band's last effort, The Final Battle is definitely a step up from Even The Devil Believes, adding more fire and more metal than on that effort. Does it topple To Hell With The Devil or Soldiers Under Command as the best in their catalog? I'll leave that up to the individual listener. However, every bit as heavy as God Damn Evil, and perhaps even heavier, yet still retaining the melodic sensibilities Stryper has always displayed, The Final Battle may finally put to rest the argument of some that Stryper isn't metal and should have hung up their yellow and black attack years ago. If anything, this band is going stronger than at any point in their career, and they sound like they are having a blast doing it! Hopefully the name of the record has no hidden meaning and we see Stryper continue on for at least another decade!
Rating: Absolutely crank-worthy! Spin this up to 9.5!
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