Song:In God We Trust
Album:7: The Best Of Stryper
I guess the best way to describe Stryper is they were the CCM Van Halen. They are still around but most of their success was in the late 80s as an album and touring band. Stryper are from Orange County, CA. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Michael Sweet and his drummer brother Robert Sweet formed the band as Roxx Regime in 1983. They weren't a Christian band at first. Oz Fox was the second guitarist. When bassist Tim Gaines joined, the band name was changed to Stryper to reflect their Christian beliefs. They signed with EMI's Enigma label. There were struggles at first because CCM heavy metal was new. But eventually they were accepted and with the 1987 album To Hell with the Devil, they crossed over to mainstream rock mostly through MTV playing their videos. The album was certified Platinum and the single Honestly was a top 30 pop hit. The 1988 album In God We Trust was certified Gold. But Stryper had adopted a glam look which was popular at the time. and they were still criticized for not being Christian enough. So they became a more typical hard rock band with the 1990 album Against the Law. When that didn't go over well, they signed with Hollywood Records and a greatest hits album Can't Stop The Rock was released. Stryper went on tour but they weren't getting along. Michael Sweet left to go solo in 1992. After an unsuccessful attempt to recruit a new lead singer, Stryper split up in 1993. This budget comp is a good intro to their music. Sweet's solo albums were successful in the CCM market. Fox and Gaines formed SinDizzy and an album was released in 1998. After Sweet appeared on a 1999 SinDizzy show, Stryper eventually reformed and they are still around. Their latest album was released in 2018 and they still tour. Like many 80s bands, Stryper are now a nostalgia act. Here's the video for In God We Trust by Stryper.
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