Review Summary: Definitive Classic Christian Metal in 2018
I must admit, I have never been a fan of this genre. Glam rock has just never caught my attention, nor have I seen it as something I’d particularly enjoy. This album proved me wrong. For over 3 decades, Stryper has been at the top of the Christian metal scene, garnering both secular and Christian acclaim alike throughout mainstream.
God Damn Evil continues in the same style Stryper has followed throughout their career, improving upon the glam rock sound.
Much like Stryper’s previous work,
God Damn Evil is full to the brim with impressive musicianship. Songs like
Sorry and
Sea of Thieves rely on driving riffs and pummeling drums, giving way for some undoubtedly head bang worthy music. Although “fast” and “driving” are prominent adjectives throughout the album, there are some moments that just focus on fluid melodies. The pre-chorus in
Beautiful is just that, utilizing subtle note picking and a smooth drum beat. However, one thing that every song has in common are the powerful choruses. The choruses scattered throughout
God Damn Evil act more like stage lights rather than spotlights, empowering the group as a whole showcasing their chemistry together rather than focusing on just one member pulling the weight of the band. However, that’s not to say that each member doesn’t bring their own personal talents to the table.
The guitars generally remain at the forefront throughout the entire album. Whether playing ferocious, fast paced riffs as in
The Devil Doesn’t Live Here or performing one of the many guitar solos found throughout
God Damn Evil, the guitars manage to remain strong and persistent through the entirety of the album. Although the guitars manage to catch your attention the most, the bass cannot be forgotten. Despite being subtle, the bass provides an underlaying sound that would leave the song feeling empty if removed. In fact, there are many moments where the bass plays a major role in enhancing the sound of a song, such as the bass solo in
Own Up. To accompany all of this, the drums manage to drive each song along with enough creativity and originality to make the album interesting. At times, the drums are even leading the songs along such as in the intro to
The Devil Doesn’t Live Here and the pleasantly surprising cowbell chorus of
Own Up.
Although instrumentation is at the top of its game, one cannot neglect the amazing vocal abilities of Michael Sweet. His unique voice as well as his insane vocal range leave listeners both in awe and admiration as his singing soars along throughout the choruses of
God Damn Evil complimented by the almost choir-like voices supporting his vocals. The emotional vocals and range are what define the powerful choruses as they support the instrumentation described above, which as well in turn support Sweet’s sweet singing.
Being overtly Christian with their lyrics, all of Stryper’s lyrics focus on God and his ability to protect believers from evil and to as well condemn and damn evil. As such lyrics are usually rejected by people, this may be a huge turn off for certain listeners (however, I believe those lyrics so this doesn’t apply much to me). Although the lyrics may not be appreciated by some, the musicianship makes up for it.
All in all, I was fairly surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. Although this is my first album from Stryper I have listened to, it leaves me with great first impressions. Despite how much I enjoyed it though, repetition seemed to be a major problem for me, as every song generally followed the same sound and style, which became slightly annoying after a while. Nonetheless, this album holds pretty strong on its own and it was personally a great introduction into the genre.
