Posts Tagged ‘Stryper’

*Footage shot by Kenny Howell

Christian rockers Stryper are offering fans a head banging view of who their influences were early on, with the arrival of an almost entire album’s worth of covers, ‘The Covering.’ Set for release on February 15th via Big3 Records, the album includes twelve  rocking covers, as well as an all-new original tune, “God.” And most significantly, the album marks the return of original bassist Tim Gaines back into the Stryper fold, setting up the first Stryper release in years to feature the definitive line-up of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Tim Gaines (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums).

According to Michael Sweet, the impetus for putting out a mostly covers set was a simple one. “Every Stryper album is pretty serious and pretty bold in the lyrical faith sense of the word. We just wanted to roll our sleeves up, cut loose, and have some fun.” And when it came time to pick out a listing of tunes to cover, all the band had to do was look back upon their club days. “Growing up, before Stryper was even Stryper, we were a cover band. We played Gazzarri’s on the Strip for years - we would do originals but also do covers, as well. We always did Priest covers and Maiden covers, all those bands that we grew up on and influenced us.”

‘THE COVERING’ TRACKLIST:

1. Set Me Free (Sweet)  2. Blackout (Scorpions)  3. Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath)  4. Lights Out (UFO)  5. Carry On My Wayward Son (Kansas)  6. Highway Star (Deep Purple)  7. Shout It Out Loud (Kiss)  8. Over The Mountain (Ozzy Osbourne)  9. The Trooper (Iron Maiden)  10. Breaking The Law (Judas Priest)  11. On Fire (Van Halen)  12. Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin)  13. God (Stryper)

For more information and complete tour dates visit STRYPER

To purchase tickets for the Showcase Live show visit SHOWCASE LIVE

*Footage & photos by Kenny Howell

STRYPER kicked off their 45-city 25^th ANNIVERSARY TOUR in Boston to a packed House of Blues on Friday, September 11^th in support of their latest release and best effort to date, MURDER BY PRIDE.

I guess you could get away with calling it a hometown show for the native Orange County, California band since they rehearse and record on Cape Cod which is also the home of lead singer MICHAEL SWEET.

Audience banter was kept to a minimum aside from SWEET talking about the bands roots in Boston and playing for the first time in 1985 at the now defunct Channel — “We have so many ties here. We are pretty much based here. We are not from Boston but I live on Cape Cod  were we rehearse. Should I give you guys the address? You can come down for coffee.”

The show offered the first glance at the new stage clothes by designer Ray Brown who created the classic outfits for TO HELL WITH THE DEVIL and IN GOD WE TRUST.  I was a little apprehensive about seeing color coordinated stage outfits but they were toned down from previous designs with a modern flair and edge.

When you are considered a 80’s band there is a thin line between being timeless and being dated but STRYPER proved throughout their 90-minute set that they stand on the timeless side of the line.

The show launched to a pitch-perfect intro of “Soldiers Under Command” by SWEET who then handed the vocal duties off to the crowd and they did not miss a syllable. Working out the rust was still evident as the band missed the cue to launch into “Soldiers Under Command.”

After blasting through tunes from SOLDIERS UNDER COMMAND and THE YELLOW AND BLACK ATTACK — “The Rock That Makes Me Roll,” “Loud N’ Clear,” “Reach out” — they chipped away at the  critically acclaimed and   impressive newbie’s, “Murder By Pride,” and “4 Leaf Clover” frequently looking at one another  to anticipate the myriad mid-song changes.

The usual suspects filled in the remaining holes including the delicate and melancholy classic “Honestly,” “The Way,” and “To Hell With The Devil.” One of the night’s most exhilarating moments was the guest appearance by TOM SCHOLZ and GARY PIHL of BOSTON for a cover of, “Piece of Mind.”

Rarely has a band been unfairly pilloried as STRYPER and while truths in music may depend on who’s listening, STRYPER proved that even after 25 years in the music industry, as long as you can still bring it live you really don’t have  to worry about what others are saying.

For more information visit STRYPER

For more footage visit us on YOUTUBE

For more photos visit us on FLICKER

*Footage by The Noise Pollution

Christian hard rockers STRYPER kicked off their 25th-anniversary tour last night (Friday, September 11) at the House Of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts.

As previously reported, STRYPER bassist Timothy Gaines will be posting regular updates from the band’s 25th-anniversary tour exclusively at StryperForum.com.

Bassist Tracy Ferrie is not be performing on the U.S. leg of the STRYPER tour. Instead, original bassist Gaines is the sole bass player. What was originally planned to be a two-set performance has now turned into one full 90-minute concert consisting of all the greatest hits and new STRYPER material.

To read the complete article visit BLABBERMOUT.NET

To view more footage visit THE NOISE POLLUTION on YOUTUBE

Stryper first broke on to the music scene with their debut EP, Yellow and Black Attack in 1984, since that time they’ve sold more than 8 million records. I can remember the buzz that it generated when the band’s music videos first started getting aired on MTV.

The band’s latest release, Murder By Pride, is a collection of songs that go back to the band’s original sound. Michael Sweet has been quoted as saying that, “after years of speaking to fans and hearing comments like ‘more guitars,’ ‘more solos’ and ‘more screams,’ I decided to keep those suggestions in mind as I wrote each song.

To read the complete review visit CHRISTIAN MUSIC SOURCE