While I have always been a big fan of Stryper and their albums, after Reborn (their reunion album) was released I resigned myself to the fact that the band was simply going to be vocalist Michael Sweet’s backing band and he would continue his solo career under the Stryper moniker. Although I didn’t see that as a bad thing necessarily, I didn’t hold out much hope that we would ever hear a Stryper album as moment capturingly fantastic as To Hell With the Devil or Against the Law. I am pleased to eat my words.
Murder by Pride is a true Stryper album and you can hear the collective coming together again and sounding like a real band. The opening track, “Eclipse of the Son,” is a driving mid-tempo rocker that sounds fresh and new but is also distinctly Stryper. Their cover of Boston’s “Peace of Mind” is spectacular as well, as if Sweet (now a member of Boston) was born to sing that song alongside the guest guitarist, Boston’s Tom Scholz. The combination of “The Plan,” “Murder by Pride,” and “Mercy Over Blame” is one of the more epic things Stryper has done in their career as well and the result is wonderful. The crowning jewel here though is “4 Leaf Clover.” This is the song that definitely embraces Stryper’s past and is more than enough to satisfy longtime fans- this one song is what the fans have been waiting to hear since the band first announced their reunion.
For as amazingly strong as Murder by Pride is, there are a couple of sticking points here. The main one lies with the ballads. The ballads here really disrupt the album. This is a rock album through and through- you can feel it when you listen. When the ballads hit they fall fairly flat because you are so pumped up from the other material. The ballads again hearken back to Sweet’s solo efforts and (aside from his solo debut) those records don’t have much in common with Stryper. It comes off as a clash more so on this record than it did on Reborn. Also, I’m not sure why a rock version of the band’s classic ballad “My Love (I’ll Always Show)” (from their debut album) was included when it was just on the Roxx Regime demos a couple of years back. I suppose it was to expose it to the fans that aren’t as die hard but as good as this album is, another new track would have been much better in my opinion.
If you have forgotten Stryper or ignored their reunion then now is the time to get back on board. If you are a die hard fan, you’ll be well pleased with Murder by Pride. It’s a Stryper record through and through. The first one in a very long time. Here’s hoping for more.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
