STRYPER Murder By Pride review
Posted by RNS Robot on December 9th, 2009
Stryper
Murder By Pride
Big 3
12 tracks / 45:40
www.stryper.com
Does anybody really expect much from ‘the brand new album’ from any band whose hits came twenty years ago? Sure, AC/DC’s Black Ice is a pretty solid chunk of blues rock, but it’s not replacing Back in Black or The Razor’s Edge as anybody’s new favorite. Nobody’s screaming for the Rolling Stones to play anything off of A Bigger Bang – they want to hear “Brown Sugar” and “Satisfaction.” Now I’m hardly comparing eighties Christian glam metal act Stryper to bands as iconic as AC/DC or The Rolling Stones; I’m merely stressing a point. Bands that were huge 20, 30 years ago don’t need to make good new records, people come for the hits. Stryper’s new album Murder By Pride is an exception to the rule: it’s good.
Stryper’s first ‘reunited’ album, 2005′s Reborn, was a pretty good modern hard rock record. For many fans and critics, however, it wasn’t “Stryper.” For Murder by Pride, frontman Michael Sweet responded to the group’s fanbase, stating that “it was important to me to try to get back to that early sound of STRYPER yet at the same time, to remain relevant today.” To his credit, Sweet largely succeeds: Murder has all the duelling guitar harmonic leads, wild Oz Fox solos, anthemic riffs and mind-blowing vocal range of vintage Stryper, reflected by a musical and spiritual maturity that removes much (if not all) of the ‘cheesiness’ that sometimes overshadows the group’s serious musical chops.
The title track is the strongest on the album, immediately grabbing the listener’s attention. The transition to the verse sets the tone to build up to the fist-raising, shout-along chorus. “Eclipse of the Son” opens the album with high-energy power metal hearkening back to the likes of “Makes Me Wanna Sing.” “4 Leaf Clover” and “My Love (I’ll Always Show)” are absolutely tracks where the infusion of trademark Stryper with modern sensibilities mesh perfectly, while “The Plan” goes for anthem status with a driving, urgent chorus. Referencing Michael Sweet’s status as lead singer of classic rock act BOSTON in recent years, the band whips out a killer cover of that band’s seminal “Peace of Mind” (featuring BOSTON founder Tom Scholz on guitar). Other tracks don’t quite reach the same level, although “Run in You” is a pretty admirable stab at heartland rock by way of mid-nineties-Bon-Jovi-trying-for-Springsteen.
It wouldn’t be a Stryper album without a power ballad, and “Alive” fills that niche reasonably well. It’s not as memorable as the band’s mega-hit “Honestly,” but it’s heartfelt and genuine. In the wake of his wife’s battle with ovarian cancer during the recording of the album (Kyle Sweet succumbed in March of 2009), Sweet’s lyrics seem to be coming from a place less idealistic than what fans may expect from Stryper, but also a place of depth and maturity. The band’s evangelistic stance is 100% clear but it comes across as intensely personal and real.
The production side of things isn’t quite up to par with the songwriting; the overall sound of Murder By Pride is a little ‘flat’ and the mix isn’t overly dynamic. It’s almost as if Stryper was going for a “retro” vibe, and it didn’t quite turn out exactly how they intended it. The performances from Oz Fox and Sweet on guitar, Tracey Ferrie on bass and veteran session musician Kenny Arnoff on percussion (Robert Sweet did not record drums for the disc) are all fantastic and it would have been nice to hear them recorded a little more high-quality. By no means is the production a deal-breaker, it just could be better.
Look, the fact is that Stryper could have phoned it in or simply rehashed their hits and called it a day; instead, Murder by Pride is a worthy addition to the group’s back catalogue that showcases musicians still striving for – and able to execute – excellence. The new album isn’t going to replace To Hell With The Devil or Soldiers Under Command as anybody’s top Stryper album, but that doesn’t stop Murder By Pride from being pretty damn good on its own merits. Recommended.
Tags: 2009 Releases, Stryper