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Stryper > In God We Trust > Reviews
Stryper - In God We Trust

Easily could've been Volume II - 100%

ThatToyBonnieGuy, April 5th, 2020
Written based on this version: 1988, 12" vinyl, Enigma

This album sounds like a near-complete clone of its predeceasor, it has the same elements of the songs its predecesor had: high-pitched vocals, guitar solos, and a more pop sound. What I love this album is that it sounds nearly identical to 1986's To Hell With The Devil but with a few differences: First and the most obvious is that in this album, Stryper tried to approach a more poppier sound, unlike their previous effort. Secondly, Michael sounds extremely high-pitched on this album, and that is fairly noticeable on songs like "I Believe In You" and "Lonely", compared to songs on the previous album like "Calling On You" and "The Way" which didn't fully make him sound too hich-pitched. Third, there's heavy synthesizer and synclavier programming which in my opinion makes this album shine on its own. Lastly, there's the ballads that make the album suffer for others but not for me.

I have only two negatives with this album: First there's the track "Come To The Everlife". The song itself is just forgettable filled with too much heavy synth programming and has nothing redemable. Another negative I have with this album is that it is way too overproduced and has lost the raw feel Stryper's previous albums had.

The songs on this album are extremely heavy featuring probably the heaviest songs Stryper ever released: The title track is full on heavy and has an incredible guitar solo which is just memorable, "Always There For You" sounds like part 3 to "Calling On You" from the previous album. "I Believe In You" is Stryper trying to write a follow-up to their biggest hit and it didn't really work sadly, though I think the song is just amazingly written and beautifully sung. And then there's "Lonely", which quite possibly could be my all-time favorite Stryper song featuring one of the greatest guitar solos I've ever heard.

In my opinion I say "In God We Trust" could've easily been a Volume II to its successful heavy predecesor, and it will forever be my favorite Stryper album. If this was Stryper's last album before their breakup in 1993, this would've been the perfect temporary goodbye to them. If you're looking for a Stryper album with heavy riffs and great songs, then this is the album for you. But if you're only a fan of Stryper's hard rock songs only and don't like power ballads in general, then I recommend you totally skip this album entirely.

Overproduced, but better than it sounds. - 69%

greenberger, November 2nd, 2013

The worldwide success of To Hell With the Devil brought Stryper unprecedented fame... and pressure. Double-pressure for these guys, who had to answer to the twin overlords of money-grubbing record labels and pushy religious groups. Add to that mix the fact that it's 1987 and every one of their peers is cranking the glam up to eleven and it should come as no surprise that In God We Trust shows Stryper playing it safe by following the formula that had gotten them to where they were. Artistically, it's a holding pattern, one that was obvious even to teenage metal fans like yours truly:

How to Bake a Stryper Pie
1. Start of with a driving tune that repeats the album title in the chorus, over and over.
2. Follow with two radio-friendly singles chock-full of catchy hooks and riffs.
3. Slow things down for a tear-jerking ballad the girls can swoon to while holding up lighters.
4. End the first half with some speed-metal, to remind their fans they haven't forgotten their roots.
5. Continue second half of pie with a crowd-pleasing anthemic singalong to be employed in concerts.
6. Throw in another couple of less-catchy tunes to be used as b-sides.
7. Repeat step #3.
8. Repeat step #4. End dramatically.

In God We Trust was such a play-by-play copy of their last album, it automatically sent up a red flag, compounded by a problem plaguing every other pop metal band at the time: over-production. Stryper had always taken their melodic and harmonic cues from bands like Queen and Styx (on a much lower level, of course,) but this time around, they were going for broke with the multitrack layering and overdubbed four-part harmonies. The result here, as with everyone else, was just pure gluttony: and overly-slick, soulless sound drunk on its own technological hubris. Yeah, everyone was doing it, and everyone was cranking out shitty albums because of it, a communal suicide so bloated and hollow that all it took was one album to single-handedly push heavy metal into the cultural abyss for good.

That album, of course, was Nirvana's Nevermind, though it could have been anyone, really. By the end of the 80's, commercial rock radio had lost sight of what made rock music (in all its incarnations, e.g. metal) relevant to people. Stryper's fate was no different, and, though the album went gold and gave them another arena-sized world tour, it was to be their last 15 minutes of fame.

What's interesting about In God We Trust in retrospect is that it actually has some pretty decent tunes- better than their predecessor, in fact. Ignore the hollow production present throughout the album and you'll realize that Always There For You and Keep the Fire Burning are much stronger pieces of music than Calling On You and Free. Keep in mind, we're talking about Stryper here, not Stravinsky, but within the admittedly-limited space of pop metal, these tunes aren't bad. One wonders how they would have sounded on a much more stripped-down record, devoid of all the glitz and flash.

The entire Side 1, in fact, is stronger, track-by-track, than To Hell With the Devil's Side 1. Side 2, not so much- the songwriting falters on pieces like The Writing's on the Wall and Come to the Everlife, though I have to give the band props for sticking to their overtly-Christian message in the face of commercial stardom. Insane or not, these guys did not sell their souls to the devil for some fame and fortune, that's for sure. How many other bands can claim the same?

In the final Stryper analysis, In God We Trust is more a product of the machine than a work of artistic expression, but it shows that the band still had talent. They just didn't know what to do with it, but neither did any of their metal pals. It's a worthy example of what was happening to heavy metal- and America's pop culture- at the end of the 1980's, and a fun nostalgic trip back to the days of big hair. I just wouldn't call it art.

Christ-Up-Your-Ass! - 5%

AndyeHoff, August 29th, 2009

Christian metal has to be the biggest oxymoron in history. I'm really not even sure why it exists. Weren't Christians the ones trying to put a stop to metal in the first place? Well I guess as the saying goes; if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. This is where Stryper comes in. Clad in black and yellow spandex (they really looked like four bumble bees that got into a can of Aqua Net) Stryper were here to spread the message of Christ to metal listeners. After a couple of albums that did surprisingly well, the band was ready to put out a follow-up to "To Hell with the Devil", titled "In God We Trust" (gotta love those creative titles).

Just by looking at the album cover, there is no mistaking what Stryper are all about. With a logo that incorporates Isaiah 53:5, to which they took the reference to stripes quite literally, there is no doubt this is Christian propaganda bullshit. Not only that, but the album cover also indicates this is another bunch of Christians who realized there is quite a bit of money to be made in the name of Christ. If only the album cover also let you know this disc was pure shit, everything would've been ok.

There isn't much I can really say positive about this album. Stryper knew this would sell and wouldn't have to try very hard, because they were riding off the success of "To Hell with the Devil", and it really shows. The music is very lack-luster first and foremost. The vocals are very generic glam rock and almost sound like Michael Sweet was replaced with a woman. The guitar parts are totally forgettable, and I don't think there was a single time where I went, "That’s a pretty cool solo!” Robert Sweet's drums cut through everything but the vocals and being that Robert and Michael are brothers; I don't think this was by accident. I swear these guys took the glam approach so seriously, that they make Winger look like actual metal. The songs are so poppy and over produced I'm not sure why this band is even associated with metal anymore.

The other issue I have is the lyrics. I mean, the band has always had Christian lyrics but these are just so far over the top. It’s almost like Michael decided that if you were a Stryper fan but not Christian, he was going to cram Christ down your throat until you converted. Just take the lyrics from the title track for example:

In God we trust
In Him we must believe
(He is the only way)
In God we trust
His Son we must receive
(Tomorrow's too late, accept Him today)

I'm under the impression that Mike was driving by a church one day, saw this on the sign out front, and made a song out of it. Don't get me wrong, I do not have a problem with Christians making metal music. Even though I am not a Christian, and have a distaste for organized religion, I'm not going to bash the music just for that reason. If this album was musically good, and the lyrics were not as Christ-up-your-ass as they are, I would have given a good review. Dave Mustaine is a born again Christian, but he also makes good music and keeps his religious beliefs out of his lyrics for the most part. This is something Stryper does not do. They just have to shove it down your throat. If it's one thing I hate, is when bands make entire albums that only deal with their religious or political beliefs. It doesn't take any talent, in most cases, as it is just putting opinion to song. I also hate it when bands title songs like a text message (It's Up 2 U). It is not creative and they could have just as easily made it "It's Up to You". Everything about this album makes it seem as though Stryper put this out to make a quick buck. The only reason I score this album with a 5, is because it must have taken serious balls to be a metal band with Christian lyrics.

In conclusion, this album was nothing but pure laziness. It is unimaginative, generic, and really just plain silly. I realize it is always hard to really know what to think when reading a review of anything religious/political/ect. People following the same belief tend to give it unlimited praise, and people not associated with said belief usually criticize to no end. All I can really suggest is that anyone interested should just find out for themselves, although you'll be making a mistake.

Not Their Best - 40%

Cheech, May 5th, 2009

Arguably, this is Stryper's worst release. This album was supposed to be the follow up to Stryper's best commercial success thus far, with the previous album, but it failed miserably.

Probably the biggest thing wrong with this album is Stryper got away from the heavier songs that brought them along from day one. It was severely toned down until it was barely a metal album at all, except for two songs. The riffs were simpler, the vocals were over the top and feminine, and the album itself was severely over-produced.

Two of the songs were hits, but one was a ballad and even the girls got tired of how soft Stryper was with the song, I Believe In You. Always There For You was fun, but not really metal.

It didn't take long for even the most die hard Stryper fan to scratch their heads and ask what was going on. It also appeared that after several years on the go, lots of touring, and then directly in the studio that Stryper was perhaps a little weary. It also appears that Michael Sweet wasn't into the songs he wrote, or maybe he bowed down to pressure from the label and wrote softer songs. After all, Honestly was their breakout hit and it was a ballad.

Oz Fox, lead guitarist, takes a back seat to Michael Sweet on most of the album as Michael sings lead and plays lead.

The two hardest songs are The Writing's on the Wall and The Reign. And on one of them, Michael Sweet does not sing with the same voice he used in the band's previous rockers. In some ways, he does remind you of Bruce Dickinson, but not on this album.

Despite all of their releases to date having Christian overtones, this one seemed a little over the top, even for Stryper. The previous albums described, lyrically, the benefits of accepting Christ. This album practically demanded it!

In hindsight, the only highlight of the album was the rythym section of Tim Gaines on bass and Robert Sweet on drums. It was on this album that you could hear the playing that was yet to come, and this album showed a rythym section that was much more than solid---it was just, plain good.

Anyone looking for a really, heavy 80's metal album will not like this one. Anyone looking for a really, glam, 80's metal album might enjoy it!

Keep the markets burning - 75%

Kalelfromkrypton, November 29th, 2007

Is this heavy metal or pop metal? There in lies the question. The most obvious thing about this recording is the over-produced arrangements and that has been stated many times by the band. In God We Trust was a commercial success thou it didn’t reach the same level as its predecessor.


Now when it comes to the music the title track is an excellent song: fast, powerful, amazing guitar solo, super high tones and screams. Always There For You was a hit in MTV and it’s a good commercial song with a cool high note at the end. We get two ballads with Lonely which is really good, cool ‘sad’ guitar solo and I believe in You is nothing but a normal power ballad. Writings on the Wall is the fast track. The Reign deals with greed and our lust for money and it is the heaviest track and it clocks about 2:30min. or so. The rest of the songs are not remarkable at all yet enjoyable.


I think they performed their best solos on this album and the lyrics and even simpler in order to appeal to bigger market fans. Unfortunately the album’s sin is that pop feeling due to the lacking of power from the rhythm guitar and the extreme saturating keyboards not to mention that the bass guitar is almost imperceptible. This time around Michael Sweet is singing very high notes all along and most likely that is why they do not perform these songs live. Do not get me wrong, the album is really good, although the extreme glam feeling is more than apparent it manages to please your ears with ultra catchy melodies, outstanding vocals and slashing guitar solos.


I believe the biggest problem for the band with this recording was the fact that the pictures are too glamorous, the record label was not Christian and the straight line to stardom because of the pop vibe did not help them to create a good impression in the Christian churches so probably they failed to impress as they were expecting. So if you like albums from Poison, Cinderella, RATT and countless others this one will please you but proceed with precaution, this one is not for those Iron Maiden, Judas Priest head bangers who like macho-man heavy metal records.