Stryper
| Stryper | |
|---|---|
 Stryper (1986) |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Orange County , United States |
| Genre (s) | Christian metal , glam metal |
| founding | 1981 as Roxx Regime, 1999, 2003 |
| resolution | 1993, 2001 |
| Website | www.stryper.com |
| Current occupation | |
| Michael Sweet (until 1992, since 2003) | |
Guitar, backing vocals
|
Oz Fox (Richard Martinez) (since 1983) |
Bass , backing vocals |
Perry Richardson (since 2017) |
Drums , backing vocals |
Robert Sweet |
| former members | |
Bass, backing vocals |
Eric Johnson (1982) |
Guitar, backing vocals |
Scott Lane (1983) |
Bass, backing vocals |
John Voorhees (1983) |
Bass, backing vocals |
Matt Hurich (1986) |
Bass, backing vocals |
Tracy Ferrie (2004-2010) |
Bass, backing vocals, keyboard |
Tim Gaines (Timothy James Hagelganz) (1983–1986, 1986–2004, 2010–2017) |
Stryper is a Christian Metal - band from Orange County , California ( USA ). As one of the first white metal bands, they were able to achieve commercial success at times. Stylistically, Stryper played the glam metal of the time in the 1980s .
history
In 1981 Michael and his brother Robert Sweet formed the band Roxx Regime together with Oz Fox , from which Stryper emerged in 1984. Under the band's logo there is a passage from the Bible as the origin of the band's name ( Isaiah 53,5 LUT ). It is Stryper the modification of stripes (dt. Sores ) of the King James Version ( KJV ). Michael Sweet interprets the name Stryper as Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace, Encouragement and Righteousness .
During the concerts, the band members initially wore a yellow and black striped "uniform", which was one of the band's trademarks. This outfit was no longer worn at the concerts after the “reunification” of the band after the turn of the millennium. The band also became known as "Bible Throwers" because they threw Bibles into the audience at many concerts.
Her studio albums, released during the 1980s, all went gold in the United States , and To Hell with the Devil even went platinum . The single highest in the charts was the ballad Honestly from that album.
Their music style became more and more poppy from album to album. Only the 1990 album Against the Law was harder again.
In 1992 founding member Michael Sweet got out to start a solo career. The rest of the band tried to continue as a trio, but broke up in 1993. In 2000 and 2001 they got back together for some live concerts. In 2003 two new songs were released on a best-of album and the band went on tour again. A year later, this tour was recorded live on CD, and finally on DVD in 2006.
In 2005 the final comeback was finally announced and the reunion album Reborn was released, but no longer with the original bassist Tim Gaines in the line-up. This was followed by a worldwide tour.
On June 5, 2009, Oz Fox married the former call girl Annie Lobért , founder of the Hookers for Jesus ministry in Las Vegas .
For the 25th Anniversary Tour, which started in September 2009, Tim Gaines played bass again and the typical black and yellow striped costumes were redesigned by the original designer Ray Brown for this concert series.
criticism
The practice of throwing Bibles into the audience at concerts caused criticism of the band. Parts of the metal scene rejected this practice, and Christian supporters also criticized this type of mission . Sometimes objects were thrown at Stryper at festivals, e.g. B. at Dynamo Open Air 1987.
Controversial is u. a. the cover of the album Soldiers Under Command (1985), which misleadingly shows the band as a proponent of gun ownership and the criticism that the band glorifies violence. Their negative statements about drugs and homosexuality also brought them criticism, as well as high fee demands from management for appearances at some rock festivals.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 CH
|
 US
|
Christian
|
|||
| 1985 | Soldiers Under Command | - |
US84  (64 weeks)US |
Christian5 (81 weeks) Christian |
First published: May 16, 1985
Sales: + 500,000 |
| 1986 | The Yellow and Black Attack | - |
US103 (30 weeks) US |
Christian10 (73 weeks) Christian |
First release: August 10, 1986
Re-release of the EP The Yellow and Black Attack |
| To Hell with the Devil | - |
US32  (74 weeks)US |
Christian3 (73 weeks) Christian |
First published: October 24, 1986
Sales: + 1,050,000 |
|
| 1988 | In God We Trust |
CH25 (1 week) CH |
US32 (25 weeks)US |
Christian5 (41 weeks) Christian |
First published: June 28, 1988
Sales: + 500,000 |
| 1990 | Against the Law | - |
US39 (12 weeks) US |
Christian25 (5 weeks) Christian |
First published: August 21, 1990
|
| 2005 | Reborn | - |
US111 (1 week) US |
Christian4 (6 weeks) Christian |
First published: August 16, 2005
|
| 2009 | Murder by Pride | - |
US73 (2 weeks) US |
Christian2 (7 weeks) Christian |
First published: July 21, 2009
|
| 2011 | The covering | - |
US175 (1 week) US |
Christian9 (5 weeks) Christian |
First published: February 15, 2011
|
| 2013 | Second coming | - |
US117 (1 week) US |
Christian11 (3 weeks) Christian |
First published: March 26, 2013
|
| No More Hell to Pay | - |
US35 (2 weeks) US |
Christian2 (11 weeks) Christian |
First published: November 5, 2013
|
|
| 2015 | Falling |
CH87 (1 week) CH |
US44 (1 week) US |
Christian2 (7 weeks) Christian |
First published: October 16, 2015
|
| 2018 | God Damn Evil |
CH30 (1 week) CH |
US77 (1 week) US |
Christian2 (3 weeks) Christian |
First published: April 20, 2018
|
Live albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Christian
|
|||
| 2004 | 7 Weeks: Live in America, 2003 |
Christian31 (1 week) Christian |
First published: May 18, 2004
|
| 2014 | Live at the whiskey |
Christian15 (2 weeks) Christian |
First published: September 23, 2014
|
More live albums
- 2006: Extended Versions
- 2007: Greatest Hits: Live in Puerto Rico
Compilations
- 1991: Can't Stop the Rock
- 2003: 7: The Best of Stryper
- 2007: The Roxx Regime Demos
- 2014: Icon
Extended plays
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1987 | Honestly To Hell with the Devil |
US23 (19 weeks) US |
|
| 1988 | Always There for You In God We Trust |
US71 (8 weeks) US |
|
| I Believe in You In God We Trust |
US88 (5 weeks) US |
More singles
- 1985: Reason for the Season
- 1985: Together as One
- 1985: Reach Out
- 1987: Free / Calling on You
- 1989: Keep the Fire Burning
- 1990: Shining Star
Video albums
- 1985: Live in Japan (US:platinum)
- 1987: In the Beginning (US:gold)
- 2000: Stryper Expo
- 2001: Stryper Expo
- 2006: Stryper, Live in Puerto Rico
Awards for music sales
|
Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
| Country / Region |
gold |
platinum
|
Sales | swell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
||||
 Canada (MC)
|
gold1
|
- | 50,000 | musiccanada.com |
|
United States (RIAA)
|
3 × gold3
|
2 × platinum2
|
2,150,000 | riaa.com |
| All in all |
4 × gold4th
|
2 × platinum2
|
||
Further projects of the band members
- Robert Sweet - Drums & Production - Band name: DBeality - Album: Dbeality (2006/2007)
- Oz Fox - guitar - band name: Bloodgood (since 2007)
Web links
- Official website (English)