Stryper - In God We Trust (1988)

Stryper caught my attention (and perhaps the attention of many other people) with their single I Believe in You. The single just came at the right time. In 1988, the interest to metal music, including or even driven by the so-called 'hairmetal' was increasing. There were hardcore listeners who sought for a wide range of music. Then there were the wider audience who were entertained by the lighter music, or by power ballads like this song.

I saw the videoclip when the first (and, at the time, only) private local channel screened it. Other things beyond the song caught my attention more. Michael Sweet's vocal power and pitch, Robert Sweet's visually attractive and unusual drum set (and his technique), and their overall physical appearance: the big hair, the yelow-and-black costume, that 1980s look!

That provided enough justification for me to look for their album "In God We Trust". And I enjoyed it. It wasn't an album that shed the light. When the likes of Poison, Warrant, Motley Crue or Bon Jovi was on their peak, Stryper gave us some added some colors to the era - the colors are yellow and black, to be precise. Later I got to hear their previous albums, "To Hell With the Devil" and "Soldiers Under Command." They were good albums too.
 
Stryper also had an interesting background. They came from what is often called as 'Christian rock/metal.' The Sweets started playing music inspired by Van Halen, but they disliked the the lifestyle and the lyrics. So they used heavymetal as a medium to express their faith. Later when I spent some time in the US, I learned that the Christian rock subculture is very deep-rooted. And Christian rock is just one face of American conservative culture (which many of Americans are, despite the secular image of the nation). I even had some friends who only listened to Christian rock bands - and the list are long.

Stryper was one of the very few Christian rock bands who could enjoy mainstream success. Although this somewhat alienated them from many of their fan base, who still considered that mainstream rock/metal as satan worshippers, and promoters of hedonistic lifestyle. (Their glam-type costume didn't help much, apparently).

Despite this, I enjoyed Stryper because of their music, and I still do. I happened to see a clip of their performance in Jakarta in 2010. Michael Sweet's voice was still powerful. And they still played their music like they did in the 1980s.

Favorite tracks: Always There For You, In God We Trust, I Believe in You