Stryper

Stryper is an American heavy metal band, recognized as the first with overtly Christian lyrics to gain mainstream acceptance. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar, backing vocals), Perry Richardson (bass, backing vocals), and Robert Sweet (drums). Formed in 1981¹ as Roxx Regime, the band changed their musical message to reflect their Christian beliefs and became Stryper in 1983. Signing with independent label Enigma Records, they released their debut extended play, The Yellow and Black Attack, in 1984¹. In the mid-1980s, Stryper enjoyed their most successful period beginning with the release of To Hell with the Devil, which was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Stryper went on to release two more Gold-certified albums before disbanding in 1993. In 2003, Stryper came out of retirement for a reunion tour and subsequently signed a multi-album contract with Big3 Records in 2005.…

Stryper is an American heavy metal band, recognized as the first with overtly Christian lyrics to gain mainstream acceptance. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar, backing vocals), Perry Richardson (bass, backing vocals), and Robert Sweet (drums). Formed in 1981 as Roxx Regime, the band changed their musical message to reflect their Christian beliefs and became Stryper in 1983. Signing with independent label Enigma Records, they released their debut extended play, The Yellow and Black Attack, in 1984. In the mid-1980s, Stryper enjoyed their most successful period beginning with the release of To Hell with the Devil, which was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Stryper went on to release two more Gold-certified albums before disbanding in 1993. In 2003, Stryper came out of retirement for a reunion tour and subsequently signed a multi-album contract with Big3 Records in 2005. In 2013¹, they signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers Records and have since released Second Coming in 2013, which includes 14 re-recorded songs from their first three albums, No More Hell to Pay in 2013, Fallen in 2015, God Damn Evil in 2018, Even the Devil Believes in 2020, The Final Battle in 2022, When We Were Kings and To Hell with the Amps, their first acoustic album, in 2024, The Greatest Gift of All, their first christmas album, in 2025, and Throne of Thorns in 2026. Over the course of their career, Stryper has placed thirteen albums in the Top 10 of Billboard s Top Christian Albums chart, with five releases peaking at number 2 and one release—Even the Devil Believes—reaching number 1. The band was described by the Los Angeles Times as the best-selling rock band in Orange County from 1984 to 1990, with five albums during that period selling near or above 500,000 copies.

History

To Hell with the Devil and In God We Trust (1986–1989)

Stryper performed at the 17th Annual Dove Awards on April 10, 1986, which was televised live by the Christian Broadcasting Network and hosted by Pat Boone, Larry Gatlin, Charlene Tilton, and Tammy Wynette. Billboard described the band as "the musical hit of the evening." Stryper's third album, To Hell with the Devil, was released on October 23, 1986. In its second week on the Billboard 200 chart the album leaped to number 39, becoming the first album by Enigma Records to enter the top 40. It achieved gold status in mid-February 1987, with "Calling On You" consistently ranking among MTV's most-requested videos and added to at least 35 radio-station playlists nationwide. The album was eventually certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA and gold in Canada by Music Canada, with combined certified sales exceeding one million copies. "Honestly" became Stryper's highest-charting song, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Billboard noted that the band's success has delivered a message, especially to the record industry, that "Christian metal sells". Robert Sweet distinguished Stryper's approach from other Christian rock acts, explaining that many Christian bands followed a practice of "edification of the body"—playing exclusively for Christian audiences. "Our whole idea from the start was to play for everyone," Sweet stated. "We offer an alternative side with our music, but by no means do we want to force it down anyone's throats." In addition to being Stryper's most successful record, it was both the first contemporary Christian music and the first Christian metal album to achieve this feat. The songs "Calling on You", "Free" and "Honestly" were popular MTV hits in 1987, and "Free" and "Honestly" both became the most-requested songs on Dial MTV during their chart run. Fan-voting campaigns are credited with pressuring the network to put Stryper's songs into wider rotation. In a 2024 interview with Spin, Michael Sweet said that the band had displaced Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe and Poison from the number-one position on Dial MTV and had remained there for weeks. DeGarmo and Key were the first American Christian band to receive airplay on MTV with their song "Six, Six, Six." Jerusalem, the Swedish Christian hard rock band, had already gained exposure on MTV in 1982, broadcasting their video "It's Mad" from the album Warrior; Billboard described it as a breakthrough for "gospel rock" on the channel. At the 30th Annual NARM Best Seller Awards in 1988, To Hell with the Devil won in the category of best-selling gospel/spiritual album, "beating traditional favorites Amy Grant (who had won the past four years), Sandi Patti, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green". The album received a Grammy Award nomination at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards (1988) for Best Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus. Gaines did not participate in the recording of To Hell with the Devil, and for a short period of time prior to the release of the record he was replaced by Matt Hurich, formerly bassist of Leatherwolf. Hurich was not with the band for more than a month, although he was outfitted with a yellow and black striped bass and a racing costume. According to Michael Sweet, the band felt Gaines' jazz-influenced playing style did not suit the tighter rhythmic feel they wanted for the album. A widely circulated promotional photograph from this period, often assumed to depict the band's full lineup, in fact features Hurich rather than Gaines. However, when the promotional photos for the album were being shot, Gaines returned to the band and subsequently participated in its world tour. Michael Sweet has stated the band reinstated Gaines ahead of the tour after concluding that "Stryper is Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox and Tim Gaines." Brad Cobb played bass on the album. Reviewing Stryper's performance at Washington, D.C.'s Warner Theatre, The Washington Post critic Todd Allan Yasui described the show as "a relentless attack of heavy metal thunder" and wrote that, despite the band's religious subject matter, it should become known simply as "a powerful hard rock band". The European tour had opened with a sold-out show at Hammersmith Odeon in London, several European dates were pre-sold, and Stryper's preceding four-month US tour had been entirely sold out. The band made their Swedish debut at Göta Lejon in Stockholm on June 2, 1987, before a sold-out crowd of approximately 1,700, with tickets having sold out within a single day. In 1987, they headlined the Dynamo Open Air Festival in the Netherlands. Stryper's fourth album, In God We Trust, released on June 28, 1988, also went gold, and the song "Always There for You" briefly entered the lower levels of the pop charts, peaking at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as becoming another hit on MTV. The sound of the album was more pop-oriented than previous releases and a number of critics, as well as Stryper fans, criticized the record for being overproduced. Rolling Stone s Kim Neely gave the album two out of five stars, writing that "born-again Styx just doesn't wash with your average slam fan". In addition, the image of the band was moving even closer to the glam metal look of the era. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 on July 16, 1988, peaking at number 32 the following week, and remained on the chart for twenty-five weeks. The music video for "Always There for You" cost the band $260,000 of their own money, approximately $685,000 in 2023 terms, and contributed to the group eventually entering bankruptcy. The second single and video, "I Believe in You", peaked at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the third single, "Keep the Fire Burning", failed to enter the Hot 100. As with the previous album, Gaines did not participate in the recording (Cobb once again played bass) but later rejoined the group for another world tour. Michael Sweet later acknowledged that Gaines had not been invited to the recording sessions for To Hell with the Devil or In God We Trust, stating: "I took the heat for that. In reality though, the whole band made that decision, including the producer." In God We Trust garnered a Dove Award for Hard Music Album, while the title track received the award for Hard Music Song. On March 25, 1989, Stryper became the first heavy metal band to perform in South Korea, playing to 10,000 people at Seoul's Olympic Stadium with national television coverage. The band's commercial success extended to home video with live album In the Beginning, marketed by Enigma in retail advertising alongside mainstream releases by Def Leppard, The Who, and Bon Jovi, and describing it as videos from the platinum-certified To Hell with the Devil plus interview and behind-the-scenes footage from the band's 1987 World Tour. The videocassette Live in Japan was placed at number 10 on Circus magazine's national Top 10 Music Videocassettes chart in January 1987, appearing alongside videos by Whitney Houston, Ozzy Osbourne, and Judas Priest. Live in Japan, along with In the Beginning, were certified platinum on October 5, 1989.

The Covering, No More Hell to Pay, The Fallen and split with Tim Gaines (2010–2017)

The Covering, a collection of 12 cover songs from bands that inspired Stryper and helped to shape the band's sound and musical identity, was released on Big3 Records/Sony and was produced by Michael Sweet. Along with the covers, it includes a new, original recording "God". On September 14, 2010, it was announced that the album's first single, a cover of Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell", was available for download on iTunes. The album was released on February 15, 2011. The band signed a deal with Frontiers Records and released Second Coming on March 25, 2013. No More Hell to Pay, was completed on May 29, 2013, and released on November 5 through Frontiers Records. Live at the Whisky, a CD/DVD combination recorded at the Whisky a Go Go, was released in September 2014¹. Fallen was released on October 16, 2015. Reviewing a concert at the City National Grove of Anaheim, California, during the 2016 To Hell with the Devil 30th Anniversary Tour, Tammy Greene described the attendance before doors opened as "the line of fans" that stretched "halfway around the building". In September 2016, Michael Sweet announced the band would be going on hiatus due to personal issues affecting Gaines and that the hiatus would begin once they has completed the To Hell With the Devil 30th Anniversary Tour. Michael Sweet stated they would not continue without Gaines as the band made a pact to only stay together as they are. During the hiatus, the band members would pray about the direction of the band going forward. Michael Sweet also revealed that the next Stryper album, which was planned for a February 2017 release, would be put on hold during the hiatus. He himself would be recording a Sweet & Lynch album with his collaborator George Lynch. It was later confirmed that Gaines was no longer a member of the band, with Gaines claiming to have been kicked out of the band after being issued an ultimatum. Former FireHouse bassist Perry Richardson was announced as the new bassist on October 30, 2017.

Members

Current Michael Sweet – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, piano (1982–1992, 1999–2001, 2003–present) Robert Sweet – drums, percussion (1982–1993, 2000–2001, 2003–present) Oz Fox – lead guitar (1983–1993, 1999–2001, 2003–present), backing vocals (1983–1992, 1999–2001, 2003–present), lead vocals (1992–1993) Perry Richardson – bass, backing vocals (2017–present) Former Eric Johnson – bass, backing vocals (1982) Scott Lane – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983) John Voorhees – bass, backing vocals (1983) Tim Gaines – bass, backing vocals, keyboards, piano (1983–1986, 1986–1993, 1999–2001, 2003–2004, 2010–2017) Matt Hurich – bass, backing vocals (1986) Tracy Ferrie – bass, backing vocals (2004–2010) Session John Van Tongeren – keyboards (The Roxx Regime Demos, Soldiers Under Command, To Hell with the Devil, In God We Trust), bass (Soldiers Under Command) Christopher Currell – synclavier, guitar (Soldiers Under Command) Billy Meyers – keyboards (In God We Trust) Steve Croes – synclavier (In God We Trust) Brad Cobb – bass (To Hell with the Devil, In God We Trust) John Purcell – keyboards (Against the Law) Jeff Scott Soto – background vocals (Against the Law) Randy Jackson – bass (Against the Law) Brent Jeffers – drums, keyboards (Against the Law), (1986–1990 touring) Tom Werman – percussion (Against the Law) Kenny Aronoff – drums (Murder by Pride) Touring Charles Foley – keyboards (touring) Kenny Metcalf – keyboards (1985, 1986 touring) Will Doughty – keyboards (2024) Howie Simon – lead guitar, backing vocals (2025)

Timeline

References

Notes

External links

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378851689 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.