metalmaniac777

43 minutes ago, Geoff said:

You guys like that chorus, in 'Ashes to ashes?' As with many songs on the album, I dig the verses but the chorus disappoints.

Overall, not a bad album. 'Out, Up & In' and 'Near' are my two favourites on the album and there's a couple more decent tunes like 'Same Old Story,' 'Heart & Soul' and 'Till Death Do Us Part.' A few others miss the mark but there's some okay stuff on this one.

'Ashes to ashes,' in my humble opinion, not being one of them.

 

Short answer--yeah, I dig that chorus. That's the only track off this album that made it onto my "Favorite Christian Metal Songs" playlist. But the album as a whole is just generally solid/consistent, with only 2-3 tracks making me reach for the Skip button. I still prefer the old, classic Stryper stuff which seemed to more often feature a catchier, "poppier" sound, but there's no denying the heavier direction they've taken since resurrecting themselves has worked out all right.

7 hours ago, whiplash1972 said:

Ashes to Ashes

This is more like it…   

 

Yeah, they saved the best for last. My favorite song on the album by a wide margin.

10 hours ago, Jacob M. said:

Their last album was pretty crap. The original lead singer was still in the band...but not singing for some reason.

You talking about the "For the Wounded Heart" EP? That one actually grew on me pretty quickly and "Carry Me" is just a damn good ballad. But yeah, not sure why Larry Worley was available to do backing vocals but not lead (I've read reports it was a health issue). My understanding is he did the same thing on this new album.

5 hours ago, Captain Howdy said:

To be fair Whitecross stopped sounding like Whitecross when Wenzel was still a member, when they went all alternative. Stuff like Flytrap and Equilibrium were pretty shit.

I'll give you that. Though I have to admit that "Equilibrium" grew on me. I thought it was one of the better attempts for an '80s metal band to go alternative. But really, when it comes to Whitecross, the first 4 albums are all you really need.

Man, that's a long way off their glory days, that's for sure. And Whitecross without Scott Wenzel just doesn't sound like Whitecross. I'll give 'em this, though--Rex Carroll can still shred.

Even a longtime Stryper fan such as myself can admit that there's nothing special about that song; it's total filler material. That being said, credit where credit is due, this is one band that isn't getting lighter in their old age.

Jamie Rowe (Guardian; Adriangale) is back with the first single from his new band/project Kalamity Kills. Great voice, as always, and it's cool to hear him rocking again, but the chorus is pretty weak.

This is out today, for the handful who may care. I downloaded it but haven't given it a listen yet.

From the band's Facebook Page:

Dear Friends - It's with a heavy heart we share that we lost our beloved Michael Bloodgood at 8:15 am this morning. After a gallant fight that began with a severe hemorrhagic stroke in February 2022, he's gone home to be with our Heavenly Father.

We'll cherish Michael's generous spirit, off-beat sense of humor, and musical soul. His devotion to the Lord and sharing of the Gospel through his ministry as a pastor and musician touched countless lives. Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this unimaginable time. He is survived by his cherished wife of 46 years, Marilyn, three sons, and two grandchildren.

"For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:8

Not sure the song needed a full one-minute intro., but once it gets going, it's a pretty solid Stryper tune.

Not the original singer, but a solid slab of Christian hard rock with some gritty guitars and dirty riffs. This is my personal favorite track but there are other good tunes on there as well, as long as you don't expect this to sound exactly like the classic self-titled debut album (which benefited greatly from the John & Dino Elefante production magic).

3 hours ago, AlphaMale said:

Funny. I searched for it and it popped right up. 

I've been on this forum for 20 years. Not the first time I've had a search function glitch. No big deal. I still maintain having a Stryper video posted in the "Video" section and the "Christian Rock/Metal" section doesn't hurt anything.

20 minutes ago, auslander said:

Robert Sweet's drumming is still fantastic. If anything he is underrated. Love this track.

Just saw them back in May at House of Blues in Orlando on the "Calling on You" tour and he really is a beast live. I can't say I "love" this track, but it's a solid slab of metal and won't make me reach for the skip button.

8 minutes ago, AlphaMale said:

The search feature is your friend:

 

No, the search feature clearly is NOT my friend, because I checked before posting and Whiplash's post didn't show up. Oh well, doesn't hurt to have the video in the Christian section too.

For better or worse, it sounds like a Stryper tune. As a longtime fan, I think it's a solid track, but certainly not their best. And thank God it's a lyric video because without it, I'd probably have no idea what Sweet was saying/singing half the time. 

Yup, damn good song. I downloaded about half the album when it came out. I don't mind some country when it's laced with rock 'n' roll and a healthy dose of attitude.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Like Dan says, nothing groundbreaking, but it delivers the modern rock/metal goods.

New Chaotic Resemblance album dropped last week and this is one of my favorite songs from it. I doubt these guys are on too many peoples' radar, but what the heck. Sort of an oldschool, '80s metal throwback sound but with modern day beefiness. Unapologetically Christian, so consider yourselves warned...

On 5/6/2022 at 10:20 AM, KarpetRydOFunk said:

So there was a music video I saw recently with a dude I thought looked like Michael with an eye patch. Was that him? Can't remember what the band was.

Yeah, Michael recently had some kind of eye surgery--they put an oil bubble behind his eye or something--and he has to wear a patch for awhile. I think the video was "Nowhere to Run" from the new "supergroup" Iconic, which features Sweet on guitars.

On 5/4/2022 at 6:27 PM, auslander said:

I may be the only one happy about this. But then, I'm a massive Stryper fan and they can do no wrong in my eyes!

You're not the only Stryper fan around here, trust me. And I heard the snippet of that new power ballad and it wasn't bad. That said, I don't listen to the "holy bumblebees" for their balladry, because a lot of it is pretty lame. I do like "Honestly" and "Lady," and "This I Pray" off their last album was pretty cool, but most of the others make me reach for the skip button.

"Evie's Little Garden," while a long way off from the glory days of their classic debut album, was still a better than expected comeback and I'm very interested to see how they follow it up.

On 4/24/2022 at 9:07 AM, Jez said:

Been spinning this one all week. A varied album style wise with some truly outstanding songs and that brilliant voice being the icing on the cake. One of the best of the year so far

I'm sincerely glad somebody's enjoying this because John has a killer voice, but I could not get into this at all. I freely admit I'm more of a hard rock fan than the light AOR found on this album, but even putting that aside, I just found the songs lacking. Back to Mastedon I go for my rockin' Elefante fix.

On 3/21/2022 at 9:51 AM, Geoff said:

Very early days but initial thoughts that it was quite a bit off the debut. Great album, of course. It's Ronnie Atkins, so it goes without saying. But the debut seems quite a lot better according... 

'Hurt Myself' is a killer opener.

I'm kind of with Geoff here. I think "One Shot" is the superior album, but they're both excellent slabs of melodic rock. The difference between them is somewhat minimal; for example, if "One Shot" was a 9/10 album, "Make It Count" is 8.5/10. That being said, "Hurt Myself" is probably the best song on either album.

They've found the niche/sound that works for them and has launched them into massive mainstream success. Some may call it "repetitive." Fans just call it "consistent." I understand both points of view. In Skillet's defense, they have experimented with (slightly) different sounds on a few songs the last couple of albums. "White Horse" off this new album is a good example, with its industrial/spoken word approach, and "This is the Kingdom" off their last album had a definite Imagine Dragons flair. But yeah, for the most part they just stick to catchy (and overproduced, if we're being honest) modern hard rock for the masses. I dig 'em, but I understand why people have started to turn on them.