Stryper: Murder By Pride: Review

Finally procured my copy of Stryper’s “Murder By Pride”, and what a disc this is! Since I had first read about this disc (and the contest for the cover that I entered ) I’ve been pumped and eagerly waiting.

I wasn’t a big fan of “Reborn”, in fact I felt that I.G.W.T was almost blasphemous. It seemed to me to be metal by the numbers. I didn’t feel a lot of life behind the music. When I read the release statement about “Murder By Pride” being a return to their roots, my first thought was, “Isn’t that what all bands say?”, and eventually fail at (except for maybe one song).

In a nut shell this IS a perfect blend of old Stryper and new music (which has been stated on forums ad nauseum), but it is really the best way to describe this music. I know that there are some metal nerds out there that are not going to like this, and to them I say, “move out of your mother’s basement, stop playing Halo and wake up from the 80’s!” I mean, first of all, Stryper has always been a blend of cheese and meat in their metal sandwich (hello, does anyone ever remember “Sing Along Song”?) With most of their old discs I pressed FFWD on quite a few songs because of the cheese. So if you think they have jumped ship and are selling out, they’re not. They are just the same except this cheese is not as old as it used to be. It’s fresher. And I’d actually say better than it was. Now on to the play by play.

Eclipse For the Son – This one starts off with a quick pace rocker with a similar feel as “Make’s Me Wanna Sing” or “Rockin’ The World” (actually the harmony break at 1:19 reminds of a similar one in “Rockin’ The World” at almost the same spot).  Mike sounds like he is really pushing himself on this one (not in a bad way), a lot of really high notes. The “Stryper” harmonies are finally back! A quick little solo. I nice drum break down with the bass. Tracy Ferrie also sounds like he is playing a lot more expressively. NOTE: I finally found it, it is similar to the end of the chorus harmonies of  ”(Waiting For) A Love That’s Real”.

4 Leaf Clover – This has a nice little minor guitar intro. Some trading solos here reminiscent of “In God We Trust”, “Free” or “Soldiers Under Command”. I like the funky break down, some fresh work from Tracy. Diggin the screams! The lyrics make me think about his wife’s battle with cancer, and if he’s talking about the fact that in life (even with God) there is no luck, there isn’t any talisman, special prayer, or a love offering that will help us.

Peace Of Mind – Okay, when I first heard this on their MySpace page, I didn’t like it. I felt that it sounded too processed and too poppy compared to the original. I also didn’t think it fit with the rest of the album. I’m not big on bands doing covers, unless they can do something to make it their own. (I actually liked their version of “Shinning Star” back on “Against the Law”). But when I listened to this in the car on the way back from the store, I have to admit that I actually liked it. Also Brad Delp has some mighty big (or high?) shoes to fill on this one. Not bad.

Alive – Ballad time. I’ve never been a big fan of Stryper’s ballads. Partly I think because of the over processing of them and the syrupy sound. Not this one, very well done. It also started making me tear up, and it has been a long time since the eye juice has leaked onto the skincrete. Very beautifully done song as well as great lyrics. I definitely do not fast forward over this one.

The Plan – A catchy quick little tune about getting back on the path (plan) that God has for us. It starts off a little simple, but builds until it ends with a great scream.

Murder By Pride – Here it is the title track, and with some crunch to it. The twin intro guitar harmonies have a little flavor of I.G.W.T, definitely reminds me of classic Stryper. Some nice little harmonies in the verses. A tasty little dual guitar solo. I can see this one going over well in concert, especially with the “OH!” chanting part. What’s this? A good ol scream thrown in! This is a good one as a title track.

Mercy Over Blame – This is got a quick kick off and a good beat. Nice little harmonizing rhythm guitars. Some sweet little bass fills. Michael is screaming like he believes it over a double time beat. Awesome ending belting out a note for a while. Overall a really great song about what a believers great reward is.

I Believe – This one has a tad flavor of Creed/Alter Bridge in the guitar work into. A tad. I can see this song doing well on CCM radio. The chorus has some nice vocal work by Michael.

Run In You – An easy paced song that starts off a little slow for me. I love the chorus and the lyrics though. I could see this doing well on the radio as well.

Love Is Why – Once again, some nice harmonizing guitars on the intro. Another easy paced song. I love the breakdown and subsequent build up towards the end. When Michael hits that note – chills. Michael still got the chops.

Everything – The “chugga chugga” guitar in the beginning of this reminds me of Metallica’s “King Nothing” for some strange reason (a teeny tiny weeny bit). Some nice harmonies on this one, and a lot of high vocal delivery from Michael. Very emotive in the delivery of this song. Nice to hear some dual guitar solos, who does that anymore? Severely missing. This solo sounds a little more worked out, where some of the others seem a little more “go for it”. Nice little breakdown on the end.

My Love - Okay this one has a lot heavier feel to it than the original cheese piece. A good slow “chugga chugga” minor key guitar intro. A huge improvement over the original. There’s even a little bluesy guitar work in the verse. Love the thick chorus sound to this one. Nice. Very nice. Great way to end the disc.

The Rest: The artwork came out better than I thought, I think it does this release very well. I was a little disappointed that they chose to go with a digipak (it’s not one of those “nub” ones at least). I’m not to keen on the inside artwork with the layering of the faces with other art. Especially Tracy Ferrie’s, I don’t think it is very flattering. And the lyrics get a little hard to read in spots.

Conclusion: Overall this is a very solid release from Stryper.  It’s like slipping on an old pair of jeans. Comfy and familiar. There are little parts here and there, which are recognizable as “Stryper”, but not like they were put there overtly to satisfy the old crowd. Tracy Ferrie is a lot more active on this one, which as a bass player myself, is nice to hear. He gets his little fills and chops in here and there. In some way it sounds to me like Micheal’s singing on this is more passionate than ever before. Not like he was fake before, but just more into it, maybe not so processed. Obviously there is more guitar on this piece, and if you listen closely, some nice work going on with it. I don’t know if it was the fact that I heard the clips to this release a while back, but I found myself singing along to this disc in the car, to the point of losing my voice. Well done Stryper. I look forward to seeing what they do in concert.