Welcome to my tribute to my favorite rock band of all time, Stryper! Stryper is a band that has always stood out in many ways…..from their very visual yellow and black “bumblebee” stripes……..and that catchy yet hard-edged sound, to their blatant christian overtones. One of the things that I love most about this band, is the fact that they came onto the rock scene back when you never saw a “religeous” group in the mainstream, yet there was Stryper busting the scene wide open and sticking out like a sore thumb……..and very “in your face”.
What seemed like an unlikely thing to work, not only worked as they were very successful, but they absolutely inspired a whole new scene called Christian metal that has produced hundreds of bands. After a few platinum albums and a couple of world tours, things slowed down for Stryper as they did with most bands of the 80’s era. Singer Michael Sweet left the band to pursue a solo career. Drummer Robert Sweet, guitarist Oz Fox, and bassist Timothy Gaines continued on touring for another year or so before calling it a day. After splitting up in the early nineties, Stryper returned in 2003 with a “best of” cd that offered two new songs……….and they toured the U.S. I saw them live on that tour and was completely blown away at what a great show it was. Since then, original bassist, Timothy Gaines has stepped out of the picture. New bassist, Tracie Ferry, is filling the spot nicely. In 2005, Stryper put out a new cd called Reborn, and toured again. The cd was an excellent disc that featured a more modern rock sound as opposed to 80’s metal. The cd garnered great reviews. Presently, they are gearing up for a new cd. I have to admit that I’m hoping for a little more of the blistering guitar solos like they did in the 80’s, but either way, I’m looking forward to a new cd from the “Yellow and Black Attack!!!
