Stryper - Fallen
2015, Frontiers
1. Yahweh
2. Fallen
3. Pride
4. Big Screen Lies
5. Heaven
6. Love You Like I Do
7. All Over Again
8. After Forever
9. Till I Get What I Need
10. Let There Be Light
11. The Calling
12. King of Kings
I've never been a huge Stryper fan. I like them alright. I really like the older stuff, but their newer stuff has never really done much for me. Even when they made a move back toward their classic sound, I remained uninterested. However, I did notice that Fallen had made a lot of "best of" lists for 2015 so I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did! Fallen is not merely "one of their better albums from the latter period" but one of their best albums period. I would go as far as to say this is probably the finest album of their career. This is also probably the heaviest I've ever heard them. Michael Sweet is at the top of his vocal game here - even hitting the high notes of days gone by. The songs are infectious, with great hooks and riffs. Twin leads abound! Even the ballad ("All Over Again") is probably the best ballad they've ever done. They've even thrown in a cover of "After Forever." Now, it won't ever replace the Deliverance version as my favorite, but it's still really good and fits well on the album. If you're trying to get someone into Stryper, this is definitely the album to show them.
Useless Fact: Didn't Stryper do a covers album? And an album of rerecordings? I think they did. I wonder if they're any good?
If you like "Fallen", then you really should go check out the previous studio effort, "No More Hell To Pay". I only just got "Fallen" and haven't listened to it more than 3 or 4 times so far, but I spun NMHTP for weeks after getting it, and absolutely loved it. Some of the best Stryper material in their entire career (like you stated about "Fallen", to which I would have to agree), and very memorable songs. A classic Stryper album in every sense.
ReplyDeleteThe Covering is a good covers album. They don't stray too far from the originals. Second Coming is the re-recording album. It's okay but is worth it for the two new songs.
ReplyDeleteYes, I quite like "The Covering", and would agree that "Second Coming" is going to be a bit more for the Stryper die-hards than casual fans. I bought a vinyl copy of that because I found it cheap at Half Price Books, and I enjoyed it, but as a long time fan, I do generally prefer the original versions/mixes over the re-records. Still, it's a great listen.
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