Reviewed by Ian Webber

After a career spanning four decades, Christian metal's best known ambassadors return with yet another full length recording. Following a couple of collections that featured mostly reworked material and covers, the 12 new tracks here certainly reflect all that made Stryper popular in the late '80s. From the outset, twin guitars battle along with layered harmonies which were such a feature of the band's classic sound. Add to this a vocalist in Michael Sweet who seems to have lost none of his power when screaming in overdrive and you have the main ingredients of a real crowd pleaser. Although their visual timekeeper may be a little less flamboyant, Robert Sweet still maintains a solid beat throughout the album setting up what could be described as the long awaited followup album to the seminal 'To Hell With The Devil'. Full of the same trademark riffs and themes but with an assurance and effortless class that comes with experience this set shows that there's still plenty of rock fire in the veteran band. The title track is a pounding classic that feeds into the lightning pace of "Saved By Love" with its strongly harmonised sections. The cover of the Doobie Bros hit "Jesus Is Just Alright" is a real success with its throbbing swagger and solid rock beat. This is classic Stryper and is sure to delight their many fans. It also has the potential to draw a raft of new followers too, despite the minor quibble that at times it can sound a little dated.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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