Heavy metal has been associated with ol' Beelzebub ever since its inception, but there have been a few acts who took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in Orange County CA in 1983, the group was originally known as Roxx Regime, and consisted of singer/guitarist/main songwriter... [+] Read More

Heavy metal has been associated with ol' Beelzebub ever since its inception, but there have been a few acts who took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in Orange County CA in 1983, the group was originally known as Roxx Regime, and consisted of singer/guitarist/main songwriter Michael Sweet, drummer Robert Sweet, lead guitarist Oz Fox, and bassist Timothy Gaines. It wasn't until the group changed their name to Stryper (which stood for "Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace Encouragement and Righteousness") that things really began taking off for the quartet. Specializing in the melodic Van Halen/Def Leppard style (with heart-wrenching power ballads tossed in), dressed in all black-and-yellow outfits, and spreading their religious message even further by tossing bibles out into the crowd at their shows, Stryper was signed by the Enigma label in 1984. The same year, the group's debut recording, a six-track mini album titled The Yellow & Black Attack, was issued.

The album created a buzz for the group among metalheads, which was only heightened with the release of their first full-length album, 1985's Soldiers Under Command. The first Stryper release to crack the Billboard charts, its success resulted in the re-release of The Yellow & Black Attack (which included an extra two tracks and new artwork) in 1986. Later the same year, Stryper issued their sophomore full-length, To Hell with the Devil, which many consider to be the group's finest hour. Turning out to be the highest-charting album of their career (barely missing the Top 30), the platinum-certified album benefited by MTVs repeated airings of the videos for "Calling on You" and the syrupy ballad "Honestly" (the latter of which peaked at number 23 on the U.S. singles charts). Despite possessing a different message than their peers, Stryper's music by this point fit in perfectly with the other popular pop/hair metal bands of the day (Bon Jovi, White Lion, Dokken, etc.).

Yet just as it appeared that Stryper could possibly break through on a massive scale, such new metal styles as thrash (Metallica) and more stripped-down rock (Guns N' Roses) began to usurp Stryper's pop-metal audience. As a result, Stryper's next release, 1988's In God We Trust, failed to expand their following, nor did it live up to promise of its predecessor (although it did manage to earn gold certification). Sensing this, the group adopted a harder-edged sound and look for 1990's Against the Law, and even covered the Earth, Wind & Fire funk classic, "Shining Star." Neither managed to cross over to the top of the charts.

A greatest-hits set, Can't Stop the Rock, followed in 1991, but with Nirvana just about to ring the death knell for pop-metal bands, Michael Sweet decided to leave the group for a solo career. Surprisingly, the remaining members of Stryper opted to carry on as a three-piece (with Fox handling lead vocal duties), and continued to tour for a spell. The Michael Sweet-less version didn't last long however, as Stryper officially called it quits in 1992.

In the wake of their split, its members remained busy. Michael Sweet's solo career never scaled the same heights as Stryper's, although solo releases have appeared on a somewhat regular basis, with 1994's Michael Sweet, 1995's Real, and 2001's Truth. Robert Sweet issued a solo recording, Love Trash, in addition to studio work, while Fox and Gaines formed a new group, Sin Dizzy, who issued a rock opera (concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ), titled He's Not Dead.

During the intervening years, a large core of devoted fans remained intact, resulting in all of Stryper's albums being reissued by Hollywood Records. In 1999, Sin Dizzy played a show with Michael Sweet, which ended in an off-the-cuff jam session of old Stryper tunes -- resulting in reunion rumors. And with a heightened nostalgic interest regarding '80s era metal bands come the early 21st century, Stryper agreed to sporadically reunite for a "Stryper Expo," which has since turned into an annual event. Stryper's second greatest-hits' collection, 7: The Best of Stryper, followed in 2003, and included a pair of new tunes recorded especially for the collection, "Something" and "For You." ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Bloodgood was an '80s Christian (or "white") metal band hailing from Washington, D.C. Formed in 1985 by vocalist Les Carlsen (formerly a cast member of a Broadway production of Hair), guitarist David Zaffiro, bassist Mike Bloodgood, and drummer J.T. Taylor, they followed in the footsteps of better-known acts like Stryper and Barren Cross in... [+] Read More

Bloodgood was an '80s Christian (or "white") metal band hailing from Washington, D.C. Formed in 1985 by vocalist Les Carlsen (formerly a cast member of a Broadway production of Hair), guitarist David Zaffiro, bassist Mike Bloodgood, and drummer J.T. Taylor, they followed in the footsteps of better-known acts like Stryper and Barren Cross in attempting to save souls through metal. Bloodgood toured steadily throughout the decade, and their yearly album releases included 1986's eponymous debut, 1987's Detonation (introducing new drummer Mark Welling), 1988's Rock in a Hard Place, 1989's Out of the Darkness (featuring new members, guitar player Paul Jackson and drummer Kevin Whistler), and, in 1990, not one but two live albums in Live, Vol. 1: Alive in America and Live, Vol. 2: Shakin' the World. Looking to broaden their sound with additional hard rock influences, Bloodgood brought in keyboard player David McKay to soften up 1991's All Stand Together, and the album also benefited from the percussion prowess of former Giant drummer David Huff. But none of this could mask the fact that the group's appeal had become extremely selective -- even for a Christian metal band. After issuing their greatest-hits album, The Collection, later that year, and yet another live album in 1993 entitled To Germany With Love!, Bloodgood decided it was time to go their separate ways. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Mortification is considered by many to be the most extreme Christian band in existence. Formed in 1990 from the remains of a band called Lightforce, Mortification sought to provide a positive alternative to traditional death metal acts such as Carcass, Death and Obituary. On the strength of their self-titled 1990 debut, Mortification quickly... [+] Read More

Mortification is considered by many to be the most extreme Christian band in existence. Formed in 1990 from the remains of a band called Lightforce, Mortification sought to provide a positive alternative to traditional death metal acts such as Carcass, Death and Obituary. On the strength of their self-titled 1990 debut, Mortification quickly gained a reputation in their native Australia for being one of the loudest and fastest bands around. Their 1992 follow-up, Scrolls of the Megilloth, garnered the band some attention from the heavy metal underground and contains some of the most frightening vocals ever recorded. Their later albums were more experimental, combining elements of punk, death and thrash metal; they include 1998's Triumph of Mercy and 2000's 10 Years Live, Not Dead. Bassist/vocalist Steve Rowe has handled most of the songwriting chores for group, and is the only remaining original member. ~ Kirk Dombek, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Christian rockers Whitecross formed in Chicago in 1986, releasing their self-titled debut LP a year later. Regular lineup changes plagued the group virtually from its inception, but the duo of vocalist Scott Wenzel and guitarist Rex Carroll remained constants throughout. A 1988 tour in support of CCM fan favorite Steve Taylor greatly expanded... [+] Read More

Christian rockers Whitecross formed in Chicago in 1986, releasing their self-titled debut LP a year later. Regular lineup changes plagued the group virtually from its inception, but the duo of vocalist Scott Wenzel and guitarist Rex Carroll remained constants throughout. A 1988 tour in support of CCM fan favorite Steve Taylor greatly expanded Whitecross' fanbase, and they soon issued their second album, Hammer and Nail. Tours of Europe and South America followed behind the band's third record, the Dove Award-winning Triumphant Return; 1991's In the Kingdom copped Dove honors as well. In the wake of 1992's High Gear, Whitecross finally took a break from their relentless touring schedule, not resurfacing with Unveiled until two years later; Equilibrium appeared in 1995, but after 1996's Flytrap the band went on hiatus. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Though Can't Stop the Rock isn't the last word on Stryper, it does a decent job of summarizing the Christian rockers' contributions. Drawing on five Stryper albums and providing two new songs ("Believe" and "Can't Stop the Rock"), the CD contains some essential tracks (including "To Hell With the Devil," "Free" and "Soldiers Under Command"), as... [+] Read More

Though Can't Stop the Rock isn't the last word on Stryper, it does a decent job of summarizing the Christian rockers' contributions. Drawing on five Stryper albums and providing two new songs ("Believe" and "Can't Stop the Rock"), the CD contains some essential tracks (including "To Hell With the Devil," "Free" and "Soldiers Under Command"), as well as some that listeners can do without. The saccharine, fluffy ballads "Together As One" and "Honestly" may be among Stryper's best-known songs, but neither are even a fraction as exciting as its cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 funk smash "Shining Star." Nonetheless, if one is checking out Stryper for the first time, Can't Stop the Rock is the best place to start. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

When the majority of Christian artists were going unheard in the secular market, Stryper became even more visible among non-Christian audiences with its third album, To Hell With the Devil. This was the first time a Stryper album went platinum -- something the headbangers' presence on MTV no doubt played a role in. And the fact that this album... [+] Read More

When the majority of Christian artists were going unheard in the secular market, Stryper became even more visible among non-Christian audiences with its third album, To Hell With the Devil. This was the first time a Stryper album went platinum -- something the headbangers' presence on MTV no doubt played a role in. And the fact that this album boasted Stryper's strongest writing up to that point didn't hurt. The southern Californians sound especially confident and inspired on "The Way," "Sing-Along Song," "More Than a Man" and the infectious title song. But as invigorating as the uptempo numbers are, Stryper's ballads didn't improve a bit; "All of Me" and the hit "Honestly" are as annoying as ever. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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