Stryper – “Fallen” [Album Review]

As a long time Stryper fan I was eagerly awaiting the band’s new record, Fallen, to come across my desk. Being something of a fan of their last release, No More Hell To Pay, I was hoping this one would be as good, if not better. Man was I surprised, and more than stoked, by what I heard when I sat down to listen.

“Yahweh” gets things warmed up but it is not until “Fallen” that things really get cranking in a big way with guitars that are heavier and crunchier, vocals that are edgier, solos that shred more than usual and an overall intensity that I have not heard since Soldiers Under Command, back in the mid-80s. The remainder of the disc follows suit with track after track of superb, melodic, riff-driven tunes that are catchy, fun to listen to, and sure to please fans of the band.

Now, while I totally dig the record as a whole there are two tracks that completely blew me away – “Pride” and the Black Sabbath cover, “After Forever”. If you know anything about the band you will know that they almost always include a cover song on their records, but the inclusion of “After Forever” takes things to a whole new level and perfectly compliments the heavy vibe they have cultivated. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I think this is by far the best cover song they have ever done; it is absolutely perfect and pays tribute to the original while at the same time giving it a fresh Stryper twist.

Having been waiting on this one for a long time, it’s somewhat satisfying to report back that this is the Stryper record I have been waiting on for years.

Fallen Track Listing:

01. Yahweh
02. Fallen
03. Pride
04. Big Screen Lies
05. Heaven
06. Love You Like I Do
07. All Over Again
08. After Forever
09. Till I Get What I Need
10. Let There Be Light
11. The Calling
12. Kings Of Kings

Run Time: 54:33
Release Date: October 16, 2015