STRYPER – God Damn Evil

God Damn Evil, the new album from Christian Metal stalwarts Stryper, has some of their heaviest music to date—opener “Take It To The Cross” starts out with a Doom march (listen to it alongside “A Cry From The Crypt” by Candlemass) before heading into full-on Thrash territory with the chorus, which features Michael Sweet screaming in a shockingly demonic manner. It’s a bold move for a band who never pandered much to the prevailing styles of the day throughout their on and off existence over the last thirty-six years. Stryper has derived much of their musical tension over that period from Sweet’s high, clear vocals juxtaposed with brother Robert’s aggressive drumming and lead guitarist Oz Fox’s distinctive playing. The new album is the first with ex-FireHouse bassist Perry Richardson, now a full-time member of the band in the wake of Tim Gaines’ departure.

While none of the other ten songs are as heavy or thrashy as the opener (“The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” comes close), Stryper seems heaven-bent on delivering as hard an album as any they’ve previously released, while at the same time retaining the sonic elements that make the album recognizably a Stryper album. It has the strong sing-along choruses like that of the title cut, sharp guitar work like the intro of “You Don’t Even Know”, and the pointed lyrical messages. Remarkably, it seems Walmart missed the pointed messaging of God Damn Evil (perhaps reading the title incorrectly as “God damn, evil!”, as though some malefic imp was gleefully celebrating some horrific misdeed) and banned the album from their stores. Find some other way to support one of the best albums in Stryper’s decades-spanning catalogue.

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