When church leaders were accusing
heavy metal of encouraging Satanism,
Stryper set out to prove that
metal and
hard rock could be used to promote Christianity. The southern California band was viewed with suspicion by both ministers (who refused to believe that Christianity and
metal were compatible) and fellow headbangers -- and yet,
Stryper managed to sell millions of albums to both Christian and secular audiences.
Stryper's first release,
The Yellow and Black Attack!, showed the rockers to be along the lines of
Def Leppard and
Quiet Riot musically, but not lyrically. On such likable cuts as
"You Know What to Do," "Co'Mon Rock," and
"Loud 'n' Clear," Stryper managed to promote a religious message without being preachy. While the uptempo songs are decent, the
ballads are hard to take. In fact,
"You Won't Be Lonely" and
"My Love I'll Always Show" are about as unbearably syrupy as it gets. ~ Alex Henderson
