When church leaders were accusing
heavy metal
of encouraging Satanism,
Stryper
set out to prove that
metal
and
hard rock
could be used to promote Christianity. The southern California band was viewed with suspicion by both ministers (who refused to believe that Christianity and
were compatible) and fellow headbangers -- and yet,
managed to sell millions of albums to both Christian and secular audiences.
's first release,
The Yellow and Black Attack!
, showed the rockers to be along the lines of
Def Leppard
Quiet Riot
musically, but not lyrically. On such likable cuts as
"You Know What to Do,"
"Co'Mon Rock,"
"Loud 'n' Clear,"
managed to promote a religious message without being preachy. While the uptempo songs are decent, the
ballads
are hard to take. In fact,
"You Won't Be Lonely"
"My Love I'll Always Show"
are about as unbearably syrupy as it gets. ~ Alex Henderson