Forty years after first forming, Stryper is back with yet another full album.
The Final Battle is the 14th studio album from the band, and they're back with the mostly original lineup (and the black and yellow striped clothing).
The band was formed in the early 1980s by brothers Michael and Robert Sweet, and shortly after they were joined by Oz Fox. They were the first Christian act to have crossover success in the world of heavy metal, opening for acts like Bon Jovi and Ratt. Associating with secular acts, along with their style of music and dress, often brought criticism from the wider Christian community.
The new album features 11 songs, including the lead single, "Transgressor," and the latest single, "Same Old Story."
The band was known for throwing Bibles into the crowd at their shows, and it's something that they still do. To date, they've given away around 250,000 Bibles in this way, but that was another thing that drew fire from Christians because they threw the Bibles. Jimmy Swaggart and his followers were even known to protest the band's concerts.
"We've always had this motto of we'll play anywhere, anytime, with anyone," Michael says about playing alongside acts such as Poison and Motley Crue, who had anything but Christian messages in their music.
"Maybe we could have got played on the air more, but we felt so strongly about this that we decided to take the chance," Robert says about the talented band deciding to take to their message of salvation through Jesus.
Fri, Apr 19, 5:00 PM
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