Stryper: Live at The Whisky

The Yellow & Black Attack that is the legendary band Stryper! I can still remember hearing that 1st EP and being floored. THAT guitar tone!! The constant amazing riffing that both Oz Fox and Michael Sweet brought to the table and then to understand that Michael Sweet also possessed those vocal chords!! Jeesh!!!! Then their 1st full length record was dropped on our heads in 1985, and to quote Queensryche, "like a 10 ton heavy thing", which was Soldiers Under Command. Soldier's is still such an amazing piece of Metal and also a landmark for thousands and thousands of guitar players around the world that would try to duplicate that "Stryper tone". Fox and Sweet would once again grab the listener by the throat with that opening title track riff and continue to pummel our senses with guitar driven perfection and then add in the super tight rhythm section of Timothy Gaines on bass and Robert Sweet on drums and also let us not forget the once again awe inspiring vocals from Michael Sweet. I have always thought of Sweet's vocals being the Metal equivalent of Styx's Dennis DeYoung. And to be honest, I always wondered why Styx didn't tap Michael Sweet's vocals when DeYoung departed Styx?! I've always thought that would have been the perfect fit, but what do I know?!

Let's move forward 30 years and Stryper has just released a great new live record called, Live at The Whisky and is available in both CD and on DVD. The 16 tracks on the CD (the DVD includes all 16 tracks on the CD, as well as 2 video's and an All Access interview) on run through Stryper's entire catalog and includes at least a song from every Stryper record. Recorded and filmed at a sold out show at the legendary Whisky on L.A.'s Sunset Strip, Live at the Whisky is an excellent snap shot of the 30 year history of this great California band. And Stryper sounds as fresh and hungry as the band did "back in the day".

There isn't a lot of fluff on this record and in fact, there isn't a lot of crowd banter between Michael Sweet and the audience, instead opting to let their music do the talking. This CD/DVD set opens up with the song, "Legacy" from their most recent studio record, No More Hell to Pay and rolls right into another new but VERY vintage Stryper sounding tune, "Marching Into Battle". Next up is a song back to their beginnings, "You Know What To Do" from the Yellow & Black Attack EP from 1984 and then followed up with another classic from the EP, "Loud & Clear". Sweet's vocals are sounding very much like it is still the 80's and the 30 years since 1984 have been very kind to him. He is easily in a class of maybe 3 singers from the 80's that sounds pretty much exactly as he did back then. He is truly amazing and I can attest to this, as I have witnessed Stryper live recently.

Live at The Whisky contains all of the Stryper classic's; "Soldiers Under Command", "The Way", "To Hell With The Devil", "Free", "The Rock That Makes Me Roll", "Always There For You" and many more and they all sound like they were just written. Guitar solos are note for note as on the studio recordings and again there are Michael Sweet's pristine vocals. This recording is crystal clear and the production sounds awesome with just maybe a "studio magic" tweak or 2, but nevertheless this record is a great celebration of the history of Stryper. I have been a fan for a long time and it is a great release for any Stryper fan be them a newer fan or an old school fan. Live at The Whisky is also a great representation of what this band possesses live and just how furious of a twin guitar duo that Oz Fox and Michael Sweet are and have been for 30 years. They have done an excellent job of carrying the torch of the twin lead guitar tandem that a band like Thin Lizzy helped to first blaze.

Live at The Whisky is an excellent live record and the Stryper covers all of the song bases that would keep any fan happy that they included. Robert Sweet and Timothy Gaines are as solid as they were in the 80's and do not miss a beat. The CD and DVD will not disappoint any fan and will help to convert anyone that might still be on the fence after all these years. Stryper were caught at the top of their game on this live disc and the results will speak for themselves. Stryper are still on fire and now you can actually watch it for yourselves.

Track Listing
1. Legacy
2. Marching Into Battle
3. You Know What To Do
4. Loud And Clear
5. Reach Out
6. Calling on You
7. Free
8. More Than A Man
9. The Rock That Makes Me Roll
10. No More Hell To Pay
11. Jesus Is Just Alright
12. Always There For You
13. All For One
14. The Way
15. To Hell With The Devil
16. Soldiers Under Command

Added: October 15th 2014
Reviewer: Butch Jones
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2213
Language: english

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