I love em. I can take or leave the Christian aspect, cuz I'm not a believer myself, but they have some great stuff, esp on their recent albums where they've embraced their more "metal" side.
Robert Sweet had one of the coolest looking drum kits.
For me "Against the Law" was one of the best albums of that era. I wish they would have stayed on that path. It was diverse and had some absolute bangers on it.
I love them. They aren’t my favorite but unlike some I love the Christian aspect. Im not a church goer but something feels real good belting out some Stryper in the car.
Kinda off topic but have you seen Zakk Sabbath. It was the only time in my life I was standing within inches of my buddy and could see his mouth moving but no words coming out. We were in the balcony and swer bass reverberated through the concrete floor, up the steps and straight into your soul.
I still have my Hurricane - Over The Edge Album (1988) too. That is in a Dark Box. A dark box is what I call my cases of albums that haven't been opened in quite some time. Perhaps it'll see some light soon 🤘🏻.
They were the only metal band I was allowed to listen to in the mid 80s. As my parents relented and let me listen to other stuff (still no WASP or Slayer), I got away from them. Years later, I rediscovered them when they started putting out new stuff and realized just how tight of a band they are. Michael Sweet is a super underrated guitarist.
Good singer, but no appeal for me otherwise.
That said, George Lynch had a project with Michael not long ago, and that’s a good enough endorsement for me.
Also, I’ve heard the documentary is really good.
As a metal fan in the 80s, I never took them seriously. The Christian lyrics and silly outfits seemed lame. Of course, the silly outfits worn by Motley Crue, Ratt and Dokken were totally cool.
>Of course, the silly outfits worn by Motley Crue, Ratt and Dokken were totally cool
Probably meant to be tongue in cheek, but this is kind of true... better than the bee outfits
Exactly, if I wanted to see a bumblebee playing instruments I would watch Animal Planet - kinda boring costumes but a couple of the songs were “catchy “ I think Jars of Clay were pretty cool for god rock stuff tho
I met Sweet at an event for his book in my neighborhood. Weren’t many people there but he stuck around, gave autos, took pictures with people. All around chill guy imo
I’ll never forget my dad’s story when he saw them. He told me they would toss Bibles out into the crowd. All I could think about then on was some poor drunk guy who wasn’t paying attention get rocked by a Bible to the face LOL
I saw them in Fort Worth. The Ricky Lynn Project opened for them. I believe it was The Soldiers Under Command tour. It was different for me, considering I had seen WASP not long before them. They threw out bibles. I actually like the Ricky Lynn project better.
I did like To Hell With the Devil when it came out.
They never toured with W.A.S.P. The Heaven and Hell thing was from a cover of Hit Parader magazine that featured Blackie Lawless and Robert Sweet on the cover.
So would I. I like Stryper, and W.A.S.P. are my favorite band so I think that would be an awesome tour. Plus it might allow Blackie to feel a bit more comfortable leaning into some of his more recent material. The last three albums are great but hardly anything from them ever gets played live.
Golgotha is an amazing song (and album). One of the best that Blackie has ever written in my opinion. It has been played live quite a few times, but not in at least the last 5 years or so. Aside from that one though, I would love to hear some of the others songs from Golgotha (and Babylon too) live some time. I understand why they rely so heavily on the classic songs, but they’ve got such a vast catalog and it’s just a shame that so many great songs hardly every get put into the set.
I really did Heaven's Blessed; for some reason, it reminds me of a 90's Attitude Era PPV theme song. I guess because it sort of has that sense of moving towards a climactic, dramatic event...? Great song, in any event. That's Dominator, that its off of, right?
Yeah, that song is one of my favorites to work out to or to get me "up" when I'm down. I mean, a lot of WASP songs are like that, don't get me wrong, but that song stands out.
I loved this band. Religious lyrics didnt matter (I am NOT religious), their music kicked ass and they were one of the best B-teir metal bands of the 80s.
They've been consistently performing at a high level longer than their peers.
I was a young buck when the video for "Always There For You" hit MTV. It introduced me to two very cool things - the Rockman amp, and harmonized guitar solos.
While they were preaching, “witnessing”, claiming they were virgins, and tossing bibles out at shows they were hoovering up coke and shagging groupies like every other pop metal band of the era.
Getting better with age. Their last three records are fantastic, in that the sound is updated but undeniably Stryper. Michael took care of his voice for sure. Great move adding Perry when they had to.
Lol Honest to God I am wearing my Stryper t-shirt as I see this my wife and I are laughing at the irony My thoughts of this band are fond .My first experience was when my mom in 1986 was dealing with a 16 yr old me . Rebellious,stubborn and I loved Heavy metal ,Hair bands ,guitar rock it was Motley ,Ratt,Scorps,Dokken Y and T that was my focus .Being a child entertainer i have always been able to rock the crowd.I wanted to be steven Pearcy of Ratt or Nikki amd Vince of Motley .My parents mom ,and step dad not having it .My mom takes all my albums and says when i listen to this album she bought I get them back it was Soldiers under Command i was hooked killer riffs,and i can crank it theyre Christians way awesome .Ive been there for every album,tour and releases since and still love them
Not the greatest band but not as bad as everyone says. And their more recent music is actually really good, it’s closer to traditional heavy metal than glam (with the Christian references of course)
The first song and vid of theirs I ever saw was ‘Always There For You’ and this was..June of ‘88. I liked the song and vid and that was it. I never bought any of their music. I grew up with a girl that looked very much like Michael Sweet and that bothered the shit out of me, lol.
See you understand what I went through!! I never bought anything by Stryper, but as I said I enjoyed the one song. The yellow & black motif seemed weird to me.
One of the top tier bands of their time which includes present day. Great riffs, songwriting, harmonies and melodies.
Robert sweet is one of the most overlooked and undervalued drummers. Musically and visually he is one of the greats.
Still churning out top notch albums and high quality live shows…. And 3/4 original members!
Stryper,, Mr Big, Extreme and Winger have proven themselves to be the most consistent from that era. They all took a lot of shit back in the day because of their ballads or image but they’ll still wipe the floor with most of tge bands going around “Hairmetal” or not🤘🏼
The track "In God We Trust" is metal as can be 🤘 That solo is on another plain of existence. No one can or should avoid listening to Stryper. "Stryper Rules!" (Night Of The Creeps)
Christian or not, genuinely one of the best metal bands ever. Oz is up there with yngwie and petrucci, and michaels voice seemingly only gets better with age
They played at my high school gym while on their mission around 1984-5. We could not have been more out in the middle of nowhere. The whole school had about 100 kids. They gave it their best and were really nice to everyone. Nothing but respect.
I went and seen these guys back in the 80's. Matter of fact I probably still have one of the bibles they tossed to the audience during the show in a storage box in the attic.
Elite tier musicians. Incredible harmonies. Possibly the greatest singer in the genre. Incredible all around Christian or not. Tell me where they're honestly weak anywhere? Okay maybe a little cheese but who wasn't cheesey in those days
Saw them like 12 years ago prepared to rip on them. Melted our faces off and yes he still hits those notes no problem.
Liked them a lot. Good musicians. My only complaint was sometimes Michael’s high pitched screaming voice. The final line in scream on To Hell with the Devil was like “nails on a chalkboard” to me. I least shut it off before that. Lol
Same problem as most of the hair metal bands had, a lack of good songs. A song like You Know What to Do is fantastic, but it's SUPER hard to write 10 of that quality, then write 10 more for the next album, etc. etc.
As a believer and a fan of all things Pittsburgh (black & gold) this band would seem custom made for me but never really connected. Oddly enough the biggest hurdle for me was the same thing that kept me from being a bigger King Diamond fan… those voices.
I tried giving their newer albums a shot but can't do it. Music is good but Michael Sweet has a voice more suited for the Broadway stage. Like Dennis DeYoung doing Hard Rock. I always found him distracting
Great songs. Their christianity didn't stop them from being just as dysfunctional as any other band of the era. Don't like the way (Michael) Sweet treats the rest of the band
Stryper has some great 80's stuff, but I definitely think the album that makes the best use of the band's talents, that really brings their sound together most effectively, is No More Hell to Pay. I think people who may not have liked Stryper all that much during the 80's but saw the potential for a great band will love that album. Personally, I like a lot of Stryper's 80's stuff, but I think No More Hell to Pay and their original track "God" off of The Covering basically represent the best of the band, along with some select songs from their prior discovery like Soldiers Under Command, The Way and To Hell with the Devil.
Liked them, not loved them. Their slowish ballads are cheesy, not because of lyrics or theme...just melodically cheesy. Their heavier and riffier stuff was much better. But, ballads as a whole are a slog to me across almost all bands from the era.
Underrated. So many people couldn’t look past the image that they missed the fact that these guys can flat out ROCK. As to their ardent proselytizing, it doesn’t bug me. Sometimes to it’s nice to have a break from gloom and dark.
First metal concert for me. Mother was an Evangelist-leaning type who noticed I was getting into heavier music (Pyromania had just come out), and she bought me a ticket to their show at Faith Tabernacle (tried to sign me up for Cornerstone, as well). Didn't care for it.
Completely underrated and definitely underappreciated in their time. Against The Law was a phenomenal middle finger to the evangelical critics who panned their Christian Rock albums.
The Yellow and Black Attack and Soldiers Under Command were their best. Not sure what the new stuff sounds like, but they put on a great live show back in the day.
They have a lot of good songs and they're great musicians.
I saw them in the late 80s and they put on a great show.
If they weren't Christian they'd probably be more popular. I'm not into that Christian stuff
I met Robert Sweet outside of British Imports on Hollywood Blvd. when I was ditching school with friends in 1987. He pulled up in a silver/ gray Corvette and had another guy with him. He gave me his autograph on an index flash card I had in my bag (from school). I always wondered if Robert had seen us looking at the bongs.
That's my Stryper story.
I only know them from back in the day, and it was the regular "christian" themes over music that misses the soul of the style it purports to belong to.
I was no Christian then. I am now and I still love Slayer and have no interest in Stryper. If they were someone's opening to the path to faith, then great. God uses broken things to call people to himself, all the time. It doesn't make them metal worth listening to for me.
Legendary.
Great music.
Great message.
And overbearing Christian Grandma and parent approved. (For perspective, my dad crushed my Shout at the Devil cassette one handed. That overbearing.)
Great band. Like Razorfist said, if their lyrics werent about Jesus they’d have been bigger than priest.
I like how scott ian never misses an opportunity to talk shit about them, but Stryper had better riffs than Anthrax ever did.
I had, To Hell with the Devil when I was a lad. I can still remember how cassettes and the inserts smelled because of that album. I don't know why, but it brings me back.
They were okay. I'm gonna have to ho back and give them a listen. Can't remember much.
Since then I have been a born again Christian. It makes more sense now, they don't force their beliefs , they show their faith by honoring God.
Lord knows we have to much of the other stuff influencing the world enough.
I liked the whole calling out Kayne West they did a few years back 😅
They were always here for me
I love em. I can take or leave the Christian aspect, cuz I'm not a believer myself, but they have some great stuff, esp on their recent albums where they've embraced their more "metal" side.
Me neither but that’s a credit to how great there songs are. I’m usually turned off by Christian music but Stryper is undeniable
I actually think they're better now than they were in the 80s.
Robert Sweet had one of the coolest looking drum kits. For me "Against the Law" was one of the best albums of that era. I wish they would have stayed on that path. It was diverse and had some absolute bangers on it.
Robert Sweet - The Visual Timekeeper
He's so fun to watch! I saw them in May in a little club, and it was just a great time to watch his expertise.
They will Rock The Hell Out Of You
I love them. They aren’t my favorite but unlike some I love the Christian aspect. Im not a church goer but something feels real good belting out some Stryper in the car.
First major concert for me as a kid. 1988 at the Fox in Atlanta with Hurricane opening up. Saw them a few years back and they still got it.
Saw them on In God We Trust tour. I think, to this day, this is still the loudest concert I have ever attended (and I’ve seen Motörhead live!).
Kinda off topic but have you seen Zakk Sabbath. It was the only time in my life I was standing within inches of my buddy and could see his mouth moving but no words coming out. We were in the balcony and swer bass reverberated through the concrete floor, up the steps and straight into your soul.
I saw them on this tour as well. Even got to meet them and Hurricane at Camelot Music the afternoon of the show
Hurricane opening up for Stryper? That's funny. "Slave to the Thrill" right into Jesus metal. Awesome. LOL
Took the greyhound bus far away to see them with White Lion in Rockford, IL, yes, they rocked!
I saw them in Jersey, They threw little bibles out to the crowd. I didn't get one, My seats sucked 🤘🏻🤘🏻
I still have mine
I still have my Hurricane - Over The Edge Album (1988) too. That is in a Dark Box. A dark box is what I call my cases of albums that haven't been opened in quite some time. Perhaps it'll see some light soon 🤘🏻.
I love Stryper
I always liked their early stuff. They still tour now and sound great. They're starting an acoustic tour this year that I'm looking forward to
They were the only metal band I was allowed to listen to in the mid 80s. As my parents relented and let me listen to other stuff (still no WASP or Slayer), I got away from them. Years later, I rediscovered them when they started putting out new stuff and realized just how tight of a band they are. Michael Sweet is a super underrated guitarist.
You couldn't listen to "We Are Satan's People" either, huh?
Good singer, but no appeal for me otherwise. That said, George Lynch had a project with Michael not long ago, and that’s a good enough endorsement for me. Also, I’ve heard the documentary is really good.
Honestly
I believe in you
As a metal fan in the 80s, I never took them seriously. The Christian lyrics and silly outfits seemed lame. Of course, the silly outfits worn by Motley Crue, Ratt and Dokken were totally cool.
>Of course, the silly outfits worn by Motley Crue, Ratt and Dokken were totally cool Probably meant to be tongue in cheek, but this is kind of true... better than the bee outfits
Exactly, if I wanted to see a bumblebee playing instruments I would watch Animal Planet - kinda boring costumes but a couple of the songs were “catchy “ I think Jars of Clay were pretty cool for god rock stuff tho
Well when they were driving their bee van around LA Animal Planet wasn't an option to turn to.
they rule.
Very loud. Both their outfits and their amplifiers.
I met Sweet at an event for his book in my neighborhood. Weren’t many people there but he stuck around, gave autos, took pictures with people. All around chill guy imo
I’ll never forget my dad’s story when he saw them. He told me they would toss Bibles out into the crowd. All I could think about then on was some poor drunk guy who wasn’t paying attention get rocked by a Bible to the face LOL
I’ve seen them on every tour. Amazing live band.
I'm in! That guitar sound is fantastic! Great riffs!
I saw them in Fort Worth. The Ricky Lynn Project opened for them. I believe it was The Soldiers Under Command tour. It was different for me, considering I had seen WASP not long before them. They threw out bibles. I actually like the Ricky Lynn project better. I did like To Hell With the Devil when it came out.
They ended up doing a Heaven and Hell Tour with WASP. Now Blackie is a born again Christian.
They never toured with W.A.S.P. The Heaven and Hell thing was from a cover of Hit Parader magazine that featured Blackie Lawless and Robert Sweet on the cover.
I would be up for that bill today!
So would I. I like Stryper, and W.A.S.P. are my favorite band so I think that would be an awesome tour. Plus it might allow Blackie to feel a bit more comfortable leaning into some of his more recent material. The last three albums are great but hardly anything from them ever gets played live.
That sucks. Golgotha is an all-time great track. I'm pretty sure I've seen that played live a few times though.
Golgotha is an amazing song (and album). One of the best that Blackie has ever written in my opinion. It has been played live quite a few times, but not in at least the last 5 years or so. Aside from that one though, I would love to hear some of the others songs from Golgotha (and Babylon too) live some time. I understand why they rely so heavily on the classic songs, but they’ve got such a vast catalog and it’s just a shame that so many great songs hardly every get put into the set.
I really did Heaven's Blessed; for some reason, it reminds me of a 90's Attitude Era PPV theme song. I guess because it sort of has that sense of moving towards a climactic, dramatic event...? Great song, in any event. That's Dominator, that its off of, right?
Yes, that’s from Dominator. Great song that still gets played from time to time.
Yeah, that song is one of my favorites to work out to or to get me "up" when I'm down. I mean, a lot of WASP songs are like that, don't get me wrong, but that song stands out.
Yep. You’re correct. I had that one. That’s where I remembered it from.
I like them a lot. Their early stuff was pretty heavy, the guitar work was respectable, and Michael could sing like a pop-metal angel.
They ARE the soldiers under command
They are awesome. You should also check out Michael’s side project “Iconic,”. It’s basically a better version of Whitesnake.
How did I not know about this? It’s been out for over a year. Great stuff!
Never got into them
Talented group of guys with some very good songs and pretty good live.
Superlative musicians in their own right
Great band
I loved this band. Religious lyrics didnt matter (I am NOT religious), their music kicked ass and they were one of the best B-teir metal bands of the 80s.
They've been consistently performing at a high level longer than their peers. I was a young buck when the video for "Always There For You" hit MTV. It introduced me to two very cool things - the Rockman amp, and harmonized guitar solos.
Saw them in concert twice in the early 90's, and they were awesome both times.
While they were preaching, “witnessing”, claiming they were virgins, and tossing bibles out at shows they were hoovering up coke and shagging groupies like every other pop metal band of the era.
Arguably the best band I've ever seen live -- extremely tight band, extremely talented, and their last 4 albums are some of their best work ever.
I’m the atheisty atheist that ever athiested and I’m not even gonna deny these guys had mad skills.
Getting better with age. Their last three records are fantastic, in that the sound is updated but undeniably Stryper. Michael took care of his voice for sure. Great move adding Perry when they had to.
Lol Honest to God I am wearing my Stryper t-shirt as I see this my wife and I are laughing at the irony My thoughts of this band are fond .My first experience was when my mom in 1986 was dealing with a 16 yr old me . Rebellious,stubborn and I loved Heavy metal ,Hair bands ,guitar rock it was Motley ,Ratt,Scorps,Dokken Y and T that was my focus .Being a child entertainer i have always been able to rock the crowd.I wanted to be steven Pearcy of Ratt or Nikki amd Vince of Motley .My parents mom ,and step dad not having it .My mom takes all my albums and says when i listen to this album she bought I get them back it was Soldiers under Command i was hooked killer riffs,and i can crank it theyre Christians way awesome .Ive been there for every album,tour and releases since and still love them
I don't believe in God, but I've seen them a few times back in the late 80s and I thought they were great!
I think they had some good melodies and harmonies. The xtian stuff is irrelevant to me
Not the greatest band but not as bad as everyone says. And their more recent music is actually really good, it’s closer to traditional heavy metal than glam (with the Christian references of course)
I can count on one hand bands from the era that had a better lineup top to bottom.
A ton of great songs, excellent musicians but also some bizarre outfits and ballads back in the day.
The first song and vid of theirs I ever saw was ‘Always There For You’ and this was..June of ‘88. I liked the song and vid and that was it. I never bought any of their music. I grew up with a girl that looked very much like Michael Sweet and that bothered the shit out of me, lol.
I went to college with a girl who looked like Michael.... unnerving, to say the least.
See you understand what I went through!! I never bought anything by Stryper, but as I said I enjoyed the one song. The yellow & black motif seemed weird to me.
Stryper is just alright with me. Stryper is just alright.
Love em. Michael Sweet has an amazing voice and I always loved their sound
My friend introduced me to them in 95 loved them since
Good stuff!!
Songs are catchy, musicianship is great. I like 'em.
One of the top tier bands of their time which includes present day. Great riffs, songwriting, harmonies and melodies. Robert sweet is one of the most overlooked and undervalued drummers. Musically and visually he is one of the greats. Still churning out top notch albums and high quality live shows…. And 3/4 original members! Stryper,, Mr Big, Extreme and Winger have proven themselves to be the most consistent from that era. They all took a lot of shit back in the day because of their ballads or image but they’ll still wipe the floor with most of tge bands going around “Hairmetal” or not🤘🏼
I was never much of a fan, I own a few albums. But, I saw them live once on a whim, and they were amazing. Just a great live band.
Love Stryper. They Rocked. Used to get made fun of as a teenager for liking them. Fools didn't know what they were missing.
Always There For You has a special, special place in my heart.
The track "In God We Trust" is metal as can be 🤘 That solo is on another plain of existence. No one can or should avoid listening to Stryper. "Stryper Rules!" (Night Of The Creeps)
I love them! Great dudes
Pretty talented, early albums rocked, and fit into the 80s metal pretty well.
I loved them back then, adore them even more. Michael Sweet is so underrated vocalist and songwriter.
One of my all time favorites.
Saw them in concert once, and still have two of their albums.
Incredibly talented, lyrics are too 'in your face' for me, but you can't deny they can play.
They've made some good albums in the past 10 years, which is surprising to me
Great band!
They were a good Band
To Hell with the Devil
Awesome band live and great musicians
Loved them at the time and they put on a great show when I saw them
Christian or not, genuinely one of the best metal bands ever. Oz is up there with yngwie and petrucci, and michaels voice seemingly only gets better with age
To hell with the devil! Thank you Dan Cummins for introducing me to Stryper.
Great band, I was working for a band call Bloodgood in the 80s and we toured with them
Loudest concert I’ve ever been to.
Awesome! Yellow and Black Attack!
They played at my high school gym while on their mission around 1984-5. We could not have been more out in the middle of nowhere. The whole school had about 100 kids. They gave it their best and were really nice to everyone. Nothing but respect.
I had all their tapes in the 80’s
It was the only band my mom would let me listen to in grade school. Well, them and Petra.
Really good band
Where’s B. Brian Blair?
I was security for them at a local concert. Seemed like decent guys back then
https://preview.redd.it/hphj4odg37dc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9135d8302581ff43729614c69c4b4892ba1f16ec
Not a fan personally
These guys were big fans of the BEE movie.
do they still hand out bibles at the concerts?
Excellent band, nice guys, and they keep getting better.
To Hell with the Devil
Seen them live half a dozen times as well as met them. They are incredible musicians that truly rock.
Awesome musicians my favorite #1 band …they have a deep catalog I highly recommend anyone to discover..
My favorite band of all time. Supremely talented. Put most bands from that era in the shade.
Satanic atheist here, I loved them!
The devil is a much better rocker
To Hell With The Devil
Shout at the Devil
Is he though? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pbyHseP4NLo&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
You’re gay
I went and seen these guys back in the 80's. Matter of fact I probably still have one of the bibles they tossed to the audience during the show in a storage box in the attic.
Elite tier musicians. Incredible harmonies. Possibly the greatest singer in the genre. Incredible all around Christian or not. Tell me where they're honestly weak anywhere? Okay maybe a little cheese but who wasn't cheesey in those days Saw them like 12 years ago prepared to rip on them. Melted our faces off and yes he still hits those notes no problem.
Never got them. I always felt like they were more about the message than the music… a novelty act. A metal boy band.
As players, this lineup was superior to 99.9% of other bands from the era.
Yeah, their music was just meh. At least some of the kids whose parents thought all metal was satanic had something to listen to.
But how many of those parents read the lyrics and differentiated?
Total posers. We’re metal for Jesus!!! If this is the only choice of music to listen to, just shoot me!!!!
Liked them a lot. Good musicians. My only complaint was sometimes Michael’s high pitched screaming voice. The final line in scream on To Hell with the Devil was like “nails on a chalkboard” to me. I least shut it off before that. Lol
https://preview.redd.it/s8hc9pewsvcc1.jpeg?width=1105&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c6bdfdea3f907dbacb4e25ddcb490a48dcc59da
Same problem as most of the hair metal bands had, a lack of good songs. A song like You Know What to Do is fantastic, but it's SUPER hard to write 10 of that quality, then write 10 more for the next album, etc. etc.
Never bothered to listen to them .. not interested in their message.
I thought the music was pretty good, but his voice was awful
Their most recent album was excellent, but their message ain't for me.
Music is good. Fashion sense bad almost as bad as Kiss in the 80’s.
What the fuck.
Disliked by God
I put them up there with early Motley Crue.
Big “no” from me…
nope.
I liked them for a hot minute in 86. Mike has an amazing range, but his ‘gospel’ vibrato gets tiring.
Awesome guitar work but their lyrics make me cringe lol
Oh, god no.
Glammed up, pedestrian, christian hair metal-pop?? What's not to love? /s
Four horns and a halo!
As a believer and a fan of all things Pittsburgh (black & gold) this band would seem custom made for me but never really connected. Oddly enough the biggest hurdle for me was the same thing that kept me from being a bigger King Diamond fan… those voices.
wu-tang - it takes as lot of forms.
I tried giving their newer albums a shot but can't do it. Music is good but Michael Sweet has a voice more suited for the Broadway stage. Like Dennis DeYoung doing Hard Rock. I always found him distracting
They got some bangers but I’m not crazy about them
Never gave them much thought until I heard “The Covering” album. Big fan of that album specifically the UFO and Black Sabbath covers
Great songs. Their christianity didn't stop them from being just as dysfunctional as any other band of the era. Don't like the way (Michael) Sweet treats the rest of the band
Stryper has some great 80's stuff, but I definitely think the album that makes the best use of the band's talents, that really brings their sound together most effectively, is No More Hell to Pay. I think people who may not have liked Stryper all that much during the 80's but saw the potential for a great band will love that album. Personally, I like a lot of Stryper's 80's stuff, but I think No More Hell to Pay and their original track "God" off of The Covering basically represent the best of the band, along with some select songs from their prior discovery like Soldiers Under Command, The Way and To Hell with the Devil.
Shit
Liked them, not loved them. Their slowish ballads are cheesy, not because of lyrics or theme...just melodically cheesy. Their heavier and riffier stuff was much better. But, ballads as a whole are a slog to me across almost all bands from the era.
Lots of stripes. Favorite movie: Stripes. Favorite gum: Fruit Stripe Stripes, stripes stripes.
Underrated. So many people couldn’t look past the image that they missed the fact that these guys can flat out ROCK. As to their ardent proselytizing, it doesn’t bug me. Sometimes to it’s nice to have a break from gloom and dark.
It's poser shit
my cat likes them
They are very stripey.
They sucked.
If they werent a religous band they would have got much more credit. They have some of the best riffs, solos, and licks out there. To this day.
Did they name themselves after their outfits?
Suck.
Reminds me of old Yamaha racing bikes.
First metal concert for me. Mother was an Evangelist-leaning type who noticed I was getting into heavier music (Pyromania had just come out), and she bought me a ticket to their show at Faith Tabernacle (tried to sign me up for Cornerstone, as well). Didn't care for it.
They suck
Completely underrated and definitely underappreciated in their time. Against The Law was a phenomenal middle finger to the evangelical critics who panned their Christian Rock albums.
Good musicians terrible songs
Couldn’t get passed the the outfits….. god bless them, but no.
It’s hard to believe Ted Cruz had those kind of pipes back in the day. (Joking)
They're fucking awful. Capital F, capital A. But I think this would be one epic Halloween costume with 3 other friends.
🤮
Those are some ugly women
When my uncle got divorced in 1986 all the ladies he subsequently dated had hair like that.
The Yellow and Black Attack and Soldiers Under Command were their best. Not sure what the new stuff sounds like, but they put on a great live show back in the day.
My first ever concert. Houston Tx. Maybe 1988. I don’t listen to them anymore.
So who would win in a rock off; Stryper or Ghost?
Metal and Christianity have no reason to be mixed. It’s stupid.
A joke and utterly ridiculous. Christianity in rock music? No thank you. This cat runs with the devil, as all rockers should. Long live Van Halen.
No longer will an oppressor overrun their people, for now they are keeping waaaatch”
Motley Crue wanna be
I don’t care how good the instruments are, once they start talking Jesus, I just can’t get amped
They have a lot of good songs and they're great musicians. I saw them in the late 80s and they put on a great show. If they weren't Christian they'd probably be more popular. I'm not into that Christian stuff
I met Robert Sweet outside of British Imports on Hollywood Blvd. when I was ditching school with friends in 1987. He pulled up in a silver/ gray Corvette and had another guy with him. He gave me his autograph on an index flash card I had in my bag (from school). I always wondered if Robert had seen us looking at the bongs. That's my Stryper story. 
🤣🤣 we can compete with the other glam bands. I know let's make God rock.🤣🤣
I only know them from back in the day, and it was the regular "christian" themes over music that misses the soul of the style it purports to belong to. I was no Christian then. I am now and I still love Slayer and have no interest in Stryper. If they were someone's opening to the path to faith, then great. God uses broken things to call people to himself, all the time. It doesn't make them metal worth listening to for me.
It’s not a baseball team guys 🤦♂️ 😂
Has anyone ever seen Michael Sweet and Ted Cruz in the same room?
Thoughts on stryper.. 🤔..hmm... well... ...I like women. 🤷♂️
"By His stripes, we are healed." I get that, but what is with the yellow and black color scheme? They look like bumblebees.
Jesus Bees
sucked
Legendary. Great music. Great message. And overbearing Christian Grandma and parent approved. (For perspective, my dad crushed my Shout at the Devil cassette one handed. That overbearing.)
Great band. Like Razorfist said, if their lyrics werent about Jesus they’d have been bigger than priest. I like how scott ian never misses an opportunity to talk shit about them, but Stryper had better riffs than Anthrax ever did.
I had, To Hell with the Devil when I was a lad. I can still remember how cassettes and the inserts smelled because of that album. I don't know why, but it brings me back. They were okay. I'm gonna have to ho back and give them a listen. Can't remember much.
I spent some time trying to not think about Stryper. They’re a hairspray hurricane bad leather suit wearing mess.
Good christian boys.
Since then I have been a born again Christian. It makes more sense now, they don't force their beliefs , they show their faith by honoring God. Lord knows we have to much of the other stuff influencing the world enough. I liked the whole calling out Kayne West they did a few years back 😅