Album review : STRYPER – When We Were Kings

Frontiers [Release date : 13.09.24]

When We Were Kings is Stryper’s 12th studio album. The line up remains Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox and Perry Richardson, solid for nearly seven years now.

When we reviewed their last two albums, Even The Devil Believes (2020) and The Final Battle (2022), we noted that these might just be Stryper’s most significant recordings, where they’ve felt free to speak openly, without restraint. The Heavy Metal genre has always seemed the most suitable place to do that, and the band’s direction of travel is maintained here.

‘Raptured’ and ‘End Of Days’ are cases in point.
Sweet’s declamatory vocals predict “angels will weep at the end of this broken world”. And again, a dignified admission, “I’m raptured…I’m captured by your love”.
The songs might be dressed in melodic metal finery and bruising riffery but there is a focus to each, and both are connected by a single golden thread. How many metal genres/subgenres can say that?

The album’s trailer track, ‘Love’s Symphony’ will take you back to Stryper of old, fast forwarded to the present day. An ‘Honestly’ for today’s generation, who expect their music to be wrapped up in hard edged metal even when there’s a pop song shining through.

Sweet’s vocals are once again in great form. ‘Grateful’ and ‘When We Were Kings’ don’t need his trademark howl. He wrings maximum emotion from these two chest beating affirmations of faith and gratitude, both with memorable melodies and an imagined gospel choir, and both as good as anything Sweet has written.

Wherever we look here, the more things change and the more they stay resolutely the same. We find those always welcome constants – great songwriting, great melodies, intensity, passion and a fabulously tight production job by Sweet and stalwart, Danny Bernini.

This is “Christian Rock” for the masses, and it’s great.

The band are embarking on 40 stop tour of the USA next month, finishing just before Christmas. Good timing. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)