Produced by frontman/guitarist Michael Sweet, No More Hell To Pay features some of Stryper'’s strongest and heaviest material ever and marks the band's 11th studio release on their 30th anniversary.
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01.
Revelation
02.
No More Hell To Pay
03.
Saved By Love
04.
Jesus Is Alright
05.
The One
06.
Legacy
07.
Marching Into Battle
08.
Te Amo
09.
Sticks & Stones
10.
Water Into Wine
11.
Sympathy
12.
Renewed
13.
First Love (Orchestral Version)[Japanese Edition Bonus]
A Solid Release perhaps their best to date| Posted October 30, 2013
No More Hell to Pay is probably one their best work to date. The lyrics and music are more mature then their past work. I love the song God on the covering and this lives up to the style set forth in that song. Big guitar power chords and soaring vocals and guitar harmony solos. The rhythm guitars are nice and fat an fill of the tracks nicely. Michael does most of the soloing on the release. And boy does he scream throughout.
Their last effort of original music "Murder by Pride" was more like a Michael Sweet solo album. It was good but it did not sound like the Stryper of old mainly because Robert was not playing drums. It also helps to have Tim back in the band as well. Kenny is a much better drummer than Robert but he does not bring the Stryper vibe as well as Robert. Robert is a very simplistic drummer but it works brilliantly for Stryper.
I give the overall Album a 85% B+. However there are some real standouts that are some of their best work. No More Hell to Pay is my favorite song because of its lyric content and vibe.
Here is a review of each song.
Revelation is a solid song with a good melody and that big sound. 90% out of 100%
No More Hell is an inspiring song or persevering with God to the very end 95%
Saved by Love reminds me a little bit of Rock the Hell Out of You. Great guitar solo probably the most shred like they ever recorded with a bit of sweeping. I really like the bridge. Good luck doing this song live without blowing out your voice Michael. 95%
Jesus Is Just Alright is more than alright but really good. They insert a different tempo in the bridge which is like another song all together. Nice guitar solos between Mike and Ozzy. I give this song 90% out of 100%
The One: Sounds a bit like classic Heart in the beginning. Then the song sounds a a lot like Blue Bleeds Through from Michael's Truth release in 2000. The solo has a Slash type vibe in November Rain. I give this song 85%
Legacy sounds a bit like Judas Priest in the verses. The chorus is more a Stryper sound with a good melody. 85%
Marching into Battle: A classic metal sound with a bit of Black Sabbath in the guitar riffs. Its a kicking song but a bit too repetitive for my taste. I give it an 80%
Te Amo will please their Latin American fans. The chorus reminds me of a Holding On from THWTD. 80%
Stick and Stones: Dispels the myth that names don’t really hurt. Stryper says they “hurt like hell” but wish you well. The song is a bit different. 80%
Water into Wine: Nice beginning AC/DC like. I’m not a bit fan of the chorus. The weakest song on the new release. I don’t care for the lyrics 75%
Sympathy: Has a real Dokken type of guitar riff. 80%
No More Hell To Pay - Stryper| Posted October 30, 2013
listened to this album 4 times today. Gets better everytime I play it. Went to Amazon and pre-ordered it. The best album I have heard this year from any band. 5 stars is not a high enough rating. I agree with Eddy Trunk of "That Metal Show" on VH1, Stryper is back and better than ever. From the first track to the last, it rocks. Neighbors are going to hate me when album is delivered. Can't wait to crank it up with some power at home that this laptop just doesn't have. Break out the leather jacket, pull on those favorite jeans, put on your best concert shirt, put on your rock boots and try to show the attitude this album puts out. I feel the need to get inked now. Rock on.
Best Stryper Album Ever!!| Posted October 30, 2013
Started listening to"No More Hell To Pay" around 4:30pm, Just finished a few minutes ago! (10:45pm) I can't remember the last time I listened to an album that many times in a row! It's ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! #1 Stryper album HANDS DOWN! Everything: vocals, guitars, bass and drums are TOP-NOTCH!! People who've shunned Stryper in the past because of their Christian label need to give this album a listen. It'll make a fan out of them GUARANTEED! Great job Michael,Oz,Tim and Robert! You've created a MASTERPIECE! Can't wait to hear these songs LIVE!!
Um yes, been waiting for this| Posted October 30, 2013
Wow Stryper? Just listened to the whole album. Don't normally listen to albums anymore, but this one was great from front to back. Will be buying next week. Great to see these guys still around. Best track by far is Legacy.
A Triumph for Veteran Rockers Stryper| Posted October 30, 2013
The name Stryper is thrown around the rock world today with both reverence and derision. Cheesy and campy when they hit the Southern California scene in the 1980s, their musicianship was nevertheless undeniable. These guys knew how to use heavy metal to their advantage. Today, the cheese and camp have been abandoned, and while they still don their signature yellow and black look when performing, gone are the days of the battle armored van and miltary-styled uniforms.
And with "No More Hell to Pay", Stryper's first release of all-new material featuring the original lineup since 1991, the band finds themselves firmly back into the groove in which they thrived back in their heyday. With 2006's "Reborn", the band resurrected their legacy with a renewed energy, but still seemed like they were finding their way back to what worked best for them. "Murder By Pride", while a worthy effort, didn't hit the high marks of freshness set by the previous release. But since then, the band has released "The Covering", an album of cover songs, and "Second Coming", an inspired re-recording of 12 of the band's most well-known classics. Those two releases have given Stryper the chance to sink into the confidence worthy of their legacy.
"No More Hell To Pay" is Stryper in classic form, aged very well and more mature for the new era (think Metallica's triumphant "Death Magnetic" after the fetid mess of "St. Anger"). Everything you love about the band is here -- the classic harmonies, the relentless backbone from drummer Robert Sweet and bassist Tim Gaines, and the soaring, inventive solos from guitarist Oz Fox and frontman/guitarist Michael Sweet. Speaking of the darker-haired Sweet, his vocals on this record are by far some of the best he's ever recorded, with Stryper or anyone else. Yes, his voice is one that you either love or hate, and while there's still some sugary sweetness there, he sings with the grit and growl that this music really calls for. The habanero of Sweet's range and power help cut the syrupy timbre and make him sound like the frontman we all wanted him to be.
The production values are also improved from the band's last two albums of original material, and while some effects are a little dated and somewhat annoying (the phase shifting on "Te Amo" doesn't add to the song at all), this is a very well-balanced record. The drums have a sharpness to them that's been missing from their last efforts, and the mix draws you in from the very first track. From brutal soundscapes to majestic melodies and anthemic riffs, they boys from SoCal don't give the listener much room to breathe, but it's a welcome claustrophobia. There are some cliche lyrics (just look at the track listing to see what I mean), but when they abondon cliche for creativity, the content is as strong as it's ever been. A somewhat misguided cover of the Doobie Brothers' "Jesus is Just Alright" plops its middle-aged butt in the #4 track spot, which is unfortunate -- not ony was the remake unnecessary, but with the exception of the slow bridge, sounds plodding and uninspired.
On the bright side, "The One" could be the standout cut from this album -- a powerful ballad in the band's signature style with a soaring guitar solo throughout, and in this reviewer's opinion, worth the price of the album on its own. Seriously, it's that good. Thankfully, Stryper's tricks are plenty, as cuts like "The Legacy", "Saved By Love", "Water Into Wine", and the opener "Revelation" stick in the listener's mind like a virus. Of course, the album isn't perfect -- they could have left 3 tracks off the album and ended up with a more cohesive and higher quality product.
It's unfortunate that the faults on this record are as glaring as they are, because there are so few of them. But in my opnion, this is one of the strongest album's of the band's career, and while it doesn't have the platinum potential of "To Hell With the Devil", the new record is definitely a slice of fried gold.
Fantastic comeback album!| Posted October 29, 2013
These guys have always been extremely talented and I was able to appreciate that in the 80's and get past the cheesiness of Christian music at that time but this is totally different! I was worried that I would be disappointed and this would be a weak comeback but no way!! There seems to be this mature, solid drive to the music now.
The lead vocalist's voice seems better to me now. Edgier and not constantly doing those high-pitched wails of yesterday. He still does some but they don't seem overly done now.
The lead guitarist...are you kidding me?!? This guy is AMAZING!! Always has been, always will be! Great tone and tasty solos. I'm sure Michael is doing great solos as well but Oz must be the one killing it while Michael sings.
And the rhythm section, as tight as ever. Drummer and bass player are locked in and driving the band to new heights! I would LOVE to fill in for the bass player and play with these guys!
My only criticism is there is this deep, Satanic-sounding voice overdub that is thrown in the songs way too much for my taste. Maybe it was just the preview stream?
The bottom line...a great album! I will definitely be picking up the album and taking my family to see them live!
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