Reborn

In 2005, against pretty much all logic and statistical probability, Stryper returned. In retrospect, it's probably not such a shocker, given our culture's nostalgic hunger for celebrating its past, but still... Stryper?

It's tough to evaluate anything Stryper produces in the 21st Century. Their music was so steeped in a specific place and time- America, late 1980's- that it is forever fused with the culture of that time period. Hair metal is, by and large, a product of that era, and hearing "new" music featuring all the elements and details of that sub-genre is a tough thing. The band is older, the audience is older, and our jean jackets are long gone. The truth is, this stuff was always fun party music and nothing more. When you're 16, the emotional weight this kind of material carries seems epic, and the band's energy is enough to turn you into a fan. When you're middle-aged, energy alone doesn't exactly do the trick anymore- you want some meat underneath that flesh- so it's a tough call when you realize that Michael Sweet & company are picking up exactly where they left off, with hooks, riffs, choruses, and not much else.

Given that, I have to admit that Reborn isn't terrible. It takes a few listens to get used to, not because it sounds so different but because it's so typical- it's like hearing a lost metal album you never knew existed. It's a little more on the pop side of Stryper's material than on their metal side, but not quite as over-produced as In God We Trust; basically, pop/glam metal without the millions of bucks behind it. The four-part harmony is almost totally absent, and the songs are a bit more generic metal than distinctively Stryper, making it feel more like a Michael Sweet solo album than something produced by the band- but most of the tracks here are, well, legitimate glam metal. You've got the anthems, the power ballads, the hit singles. Live Again is one of the few actual heavy-metal tracks on the album, as is their new version of In God We Trust, which is a little darker and more straight-ahead than the original, perhaps hinting at the dissatisfaction the band had with the original over-production.

On the other hand, Reborn is not exactly memorable, either. Stryper has always been top-notch in terms of metal musicianship, and the most impressive aspect of the album is that the band sounds as fresh and energetic as ever. But the songwriting, while legitimate, isn't quite as inspired as their best stuff. It's well-crafted, but bland; there's some real uninspired material on here, such as If I Die- a plodding clunker that sounds perfect for a shitty band like Creed instead. With a few duds creeping into the second half of the album, Reborn doesn't quite hold up to the Stryper legacy. Or maybe their best stuff wasn't ever that great, and it's just me who's changed. When it comes to the wacky, and admittedly limited, sub-genre of 80's glam metal, who can really tell?

Stryper definitely deserves to be included in the Metal world, especially since they blew away every glam band in the eighties. Once you look past their image, their musical proficiency was unmatchable on albums like The Yellow and Black Attack and To Hell With The Devil.

Fast forward 15 years and what you have is the album Reborn. Fresh with a new bassist, a new sound and a new attitude, Stryper decided to make their comeback. The only thing is though, Reborn should not have been the album to bank that comeback on.

First of all, the thing that really bugs me is the really weak production. The guitars lack any kind of substance they were going for and the drums are ridiculously loud in the mix; not that I've ever cared for Robert's drumming in the first place because I find him to be a very Lars Ulrich-esque type drummer. Michael's voice is the only strong point on this entire album because he proves that he's still one of the best singers of a long ago era. Another big error for me was the fact that the songwriting reminded me of a band playing in the garage taking influence from big name bands and failing to play like that comparison.

There were a couple stand out tracks such as "I.G.W.T." and "Rain". I'm a huge fan of Stryper, being a Christian myself. But I don't take Christian bands for granted. I will say however that if you're known for your beliefs and everything, like Stryper is, you better come back with an album that proves that Christians making hard music have enough stones to play with the big boys.

The good old days of heavy metal are long gone and we know this for sure. Only a few bands keep doing what they know best and doing it the best way possible, saying Judas Priest, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, etc.


Now here is the problem: How do you take a good slashing old heavy/glam metal band which used to sell out arena rock shows and live like rock stars to our days were good rock is non existent for radio air play or mainstream MTV exposure? This is by far quite a predicament huh?


Stryper tried to do so and I will not say if this whether worked or not. So let me explain my points here. First and foremost gone are the high pitched vocals and the killer guitar solos from old school. Second the distortion of the rhythm guitar is down-tuned to show a more modern hard rock vibe. The songs are even catchier and simpler to appeal to commercial masses (very much like alternative rock bands from the 90s). Third: The artwork is improved now and it does not show glam outfits or typical heavy metal portrayals but more conceptual surreal pictures. Fourth: the drums are equally as bad as they have always been but this time burnout drummer Robert Sweet calibrates the drums to sound even heavier not fitting the music AT ALL! Therefore they sound over the music which is terrible and of course there are no textures, not technique but just fitting the rhythm parts and repeating himself over and over throughout. I am sorry Robert, but heavy metal is gone for you!


There are no fast songs ala Against the Law but more modern rock mid tempo songs and the ballads are mid tempo parts so it is hard to pull up a ballad among the regular songs. This is very much like Bon Jovi nowadays. Open Your Eyes opens and it is a really good track, fast and ultra catchy with melodic guitars all over to emphasize the soft tone. Reborn is the title track and it is a slow track with modern rock guitars. The choruses are good and Michael’s perfect range and mastering of the vocals show off. Make You Mine is the typical sappy romantic sing where Michael can proclaim on the top of the hill how good he is making these kings of songs. Passion is another slow tempo song with the same guitar pattern and please keep in mind that there are no interesting riffs in the entire album. If I Die is the perfect radio TV commercial song with some rock and roll influences. 10.000 years is really boring and it repeats itself with the ideas from the previous songs. I can continue describing the songs but they are pretty much the same. There is a new version of In God we Trust from the 1988 album. This new version (entitled I.G.W.T.) is nothing but a reminiscent of the good old days to try to appeal to old and new fans as well. Of course the distortion is down tuned so it can sound heavier (as the original idea for the album was). The guitar solo does not kill but fits the music for modern days.


If you have listened to Michael Sweet’s solo releases you have noticed he abandoned heavy metal and went into more alternative/modern hard rock/commercial music. Well, this album is nothing but another Michael Sweet release with the Stryper guys helping him since he is and will be the mastermind of the band as long as it exists. Tim Gaines is no longer with the band since he decided to decline the offer to focus on his family. In his place is Tracy Ferrie who used to play with Whitecross so now you know he is a regular bass player. Not remarkable at all.


So my friends I must confess I love this band, I have all the releases and Michael’s as well, I love the songs and I enjoy it very much and I play it a lot but being objective I must let you know that instead of reviving and reborn the days of good heavy metal they could not live without the masses approval and commercial stardom approach. That is why this album does not top or improve their releases before they split up in the 90’s. If you like modern Bon Jovi or even U2 the heavier songs, Helloween’s Pink Bubbles era, Scorpions or Def Leppard the 90’s era then give this one a chance… you might like it as well as I do but don’t expect kick ass heavy metal because those days are not reborn.