Styrper’s Yellow & Black attack invades the city of Black & Gold.

Live review by Josh Drespling:

The infamous yellow and black attack of Christian metal pioneers Stryper ascended on the Steel City (Pittsburgh, PA). The fans at the former church, now known as The Altar Bar represented their Black & Gold loyalty by being clad in their favorite Steeler’s, Penguin’s, Pirate’s, and Stryper gear.

Stryper took the stage and did not hesitate to show they still had the chops to compete with any band half their age. They dove right in with “Yahweh” the lead track from their newest release Fallen, which elevated the energy and excitement level in the club to near boiling. Michael’s vocal acrobatics, including the into scream dismissed any and all disbelieve in his vocal prowess. From there the band jumped right into the title track from Fallen and were as tight as I have ever seen them in their 30 plus years.

Next up was the crowd-singalong “You Know What To Do”, followed by the monster hit “Always There For You” from Stryper’s 1988 gold certified In God We Trust album. They followed with “God” the only original track from the bands 2011 collection of cover songs entitled The Covering. Then they began to dive into the archive with “Rock the People” from the controversial Against the Law album and the dug even farther back with “C’mon Rock” from their 1984 debut The Yellow and Black Attack.

Next up were the minor letdowns of the night, a pair of lackluster covers that really added nothing positive to the otherwise stellar show. They stomped through covers of Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” and “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss. These songs sounded forced and out of place and as though the band had to dumb-down there playing to wedge them in to their set.

Next up was the surprise of the night as they performed the ballad “Lady”. The song started off with Oz nailing that amazing blues riff and Michael’s vocals coming in on the first verse. The band nailed the chorus too, but as the song drug on it just seemed to get sloppy and drawn out. The saving grace was Oz nailing the solo that led back into the soulful chorus. They followed up with yet another track for Against The Law, “All For One”.

The band quickly switched gears and slammed the crowd in the face with classic Stryper. They pulled out the hard driving “Surrender” with the vocals to match, followed by the ever inspiring rock anthem “In God We Trust”.

The title track of No More Hell To Pay fell into place ahead of “King Of Kings” that showcased the double guitar attack of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox. They followed with the high energy classic “Soldiers Under Command” from the mid 80’s that severed well to illustrate the foundation of amazing song writing and guitar work that this band was built upon. The duo of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox is perhaps the most underrated and underappreciated guitar team of their generation. There is no questioning their ingenuity, originality and form. Those characteristics coupled with the extraordinary vocals and rhythm section exemplify why Stryper is still relevant in an age where glam metal and all things 80’s have become running jokes.

Following a brief break, they band returned to the stage and made the people sing with “Makes Me Wanna Sing” and then tore through a medley of To Hell With Devil era standards featuring “Calling On You” and “Free”. They closed out the night with spot on version of “To Hell With the Devil” which had the crowd singing along with every word.

As the last few drum beats and distorted guitar tones resonated off the walls of the club the house lights came up and Michael stepped back up to the mic. Standing there n the crowd, I fully expected to hear the usual, “We love you. Thank you! Good night!” babble. As he began to speak he said “I have something to tell you guys”. The crowd waited; a bit confused and curious as to what he was about to say. He continued by announcing they would be back in the fall; September, October, or maybe November. Then he paused, whether dramatically or nervously we will never know. He went on to explain that the band will be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the To Hell With The Devil album and for that tour they will be performing the entire To Hell With The Devil album from front to back and will be donning the old yellow and black uniforms (if they could fit into them).

Yes, you heard it her first. Stryper will be touring in the fall playing the classic To Hell With The Devil album in its entirety while wearing the yellow and black that turned so many head decades ago. I know I will be there, you should be too!

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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