Customer Reviews

7 Weeks Live in America

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Originally posted on www.MaximumMetal.com

Late last year Christian Rockers Stryper reunited for a small tour of the States. It was the first time in twelve years as a band that they had done this. I was able to catch one of these shows when they hit New York City. As a matter of fact, there is a review of this show elsewhere on the Metal Circus site (check Conciertos). This CD entitled "7 Weeks: Live in America 2003" is a souvenir to the fans of Stryper music to mark this tour happening. I enjoyed seeing the band reunite because of their positive message in a time where the world is full of so much less than that. So as a result, I also enjoyed the aspect of having the performances represented on a CD to keep in my music collection.

The CD begins with the "Sing A Long Song" and everyones voice comes through nice and clear. The production is fine on this disk. I found the drums a little overpowering sometimes on the CD, but as a drummer this did not bother me all that much. The guitar work of Oz Fox is not lost amidst any of the songs, and pretty much every level is on an equal. No overproduction on the vocals as was sometimes seen on the studio releases, and not as much effects on them either which I enjoyed. Better t hear the band sing normally and in great harmony without the aid of too much processing. Some of my favorites on the CD are "More Than A Man", "Soldiers Under Command" and "Calling On You". OK, I also enjoyed "Honestly". The CD runs about 63 minutes which is not bad, but could have thrown a bonus track in there. At least a different tune that might have been done on another set of nights.

I did have a gripe about the book being so minimal. I would have liked it to include a lot of the pictures taken across the duration of the tour. Inside it opens to a two-page foldout which is in black and white. I felt it would have been nice to have a lot more of these pictures in color, with more than the two sentence liner notes about the tour. They do include the complete venue list so fans can see where they played. I attended the 3rd performance on the tour. I found the sound on the CD to be a little tighter bandwise since it was recorded a lot later on. At the third show there were of course light tweaks being worked out after so long an absence from live performance. I think it would have been smart to include a DVD of the live stuff from various locations if it was available, because these days so many bands are trying to include stuff like this to add to the value of the customer dollar.

Casual fans of the band can enjoy this release since there is no live Stryper album before this one. However, this is more for the fans who must have everything that is released. If this is a first time to try them, great go for it. Yet you might wanna grab the recently released "7: The Best Of Stryper" before you get anything else. The metal music arena and the world itself is a far different place since Stryper first came around. Perhaps it is good for their message of hope and love to have returned at this time. Check it out, and read more about updates and their activities by looking at the site link provided below.

Track Listing:
1.Sing Along Song
2.Makes Me Wanna Sing
3.Calling On You
4.Free
5.More Than A Man
6.Caught In The Middle
7.Reach Out
8.Loud N Clear
9.The Way
10.Soldiers Under Command
11.To Hell With The Devil
12.Honestly
13.Winter Wonderland
14.Closing Prayer

www.stryper.com

When I was a teenager, Stryper had just started to make their name in music. They were misunderstood and feared by most church folks I knew, but their music was incredible. At the time, they were one of the few Christian bands who had successfully "crossed over". Now they are back for their 20 years anniversary with a live CD from their reunion tour last year, and you'd never know they left.

The music kicks, and is as sharp now as it was then. The only thing that betrays their age is Michael Sweet's voice. He doesn't hit every high note he used to, but he can take most of them on with no problem. Favorites like "Soldiers Under Command", "Sing Along Song", and even the quirky "Winter Wonderland" are here (though "Reason for the Season" would have been a better Christmas song--and an original of theirs). I don't really know why they'd go with "Caught in the Middle" and "More Than a Man" rather than the two new rockers they did on their last "Best Of" cd though (those two songs would have cooked, where the others sort of drag things down just a little). The only major deviation from the album versions comes with "Honestly". This one make take a couple of times to appreciate, but it's good. Give it a chance. They close out the CD with an awesome prayer for the audience, and you really get a feel for what a night at the concert would be like.

It was good to see the band steer clear of their "Against the Law" cd for the most part, though "Shining Star" would have been a better choice for the concert than "Caught in the Middle". Unfortunately, their most radio-friendly cd "In God We Trust" doesn't get a single song in here.

All in all, the boys proved they can recreate the sound from their albums live and just as strong. I can't wait to see the DVD when it comes out! Highly recommended.

I like to think I am fairly picky about what music I listen to. I am a christian, but usually don't listen to christian music because of its general lack of quality. Stryper however is the exception, and I think this live collection from their recent tour proves it. I saw them in Asbury Park, NJ in Nov. last year and it was one of the best concerts I've been to in my life. This CD shows not only how great they still sound, but how they sound even better now than 12 years ago. Not only can Michael Sweet still hit those high notes(including the jaw-dropping, 14 second note at the end of "The Way"), but he and Oz Fox also still have the ability to shred lightning fast guitar solos and the dual-guitar harmony between them is very tight and is added in places that actually improves the quality of the song, in this listener's opinion. The only time the pace really slows down during the concert is on their token ballad, "Honestly." While not a bad song, I don't really listen to this one cause after listening to so many heavy songs, I'm not really ready to listen to a song that's sounds like it's out of a school dance, but this is a guy's opinion. Then they cover "Winter Wonderland", which, though they do heavy it up, doesn't really seem to fit unless you were there or are in a Christmasy mood. These aside, the majority of the CD, for lack of a better term, rocks, and if you are a Stryper fan in any sense of the word(and maybe if you aren't)it will have you singing along on nearly every track. Very few CD's do that for me, and that's why I give it five stars. I can't stop listening to it.

What an extraordinary event it was. After 12 years, the legendary band Stryper was back on the road once again delivering their positive Gospel message to its audience. The Stryper reunion tour was a raging success with many of its venues sold out and packed to the rafters with die-hard fans. Honestly, it was as if the band never went away.
"7 Weeks, Live In America" captures just some of the many highlights from Stryper's 2003 reunion tour. All feature the band's original line-up of vocalist Michael Sweet, his brother Robert Sweet on drums, guitarist Oz Fox and bassist Tim Gaines. The band sounds as exciting and vibrant as they did back in their '80s heyday.
The live album includes all the classics including "Makes Me Wanna Sing", "Calling On You", "Free", "Soldiers Under Command", "Reach Out", "Honestly" and "To Hell With The Devil". Also included is their rarely performed version of the holiday standard "Winter Wonderland" (it was the holiday season when this CD was recorded) and a heartfelt closing prayer from Michael Sweet.
The musical performances are top-notch and positively shows that even after 12 years, Stryper can still rock with the best of them. Michael Sweet's voice sounds as fresh and seasoned as it was back in the day. He can still belt out the high notes effortlessly. Robert Sweet's drumming is arguably better than on the initial Stryper recordings and is full of driving enthusiasm. The guitar work from both Oz Fox and Michael Sweet is simply the best they've done as is Tim Gaines bass playing which has a bit more of a funk edge to it.
If you were one of the many die-hard Stryper fans who had the honors of seeing them on their reunion tour, this CD is an excellent souvenir and is a must. If you missed them, "7 Weeks" serves as an excellent sampling of what the band performed. Either way, "7 Weeks" is an essential title is an awesome gift from the band to their fans.
May the legacy, message and ministry of Stryper live on!!

This CD now ranks up among the best live efforts ever released from a hard rock band. If you have read any of my other reviews you will know that I review and appreciate bands like Ozzy, Judas Priest and Def Leppard. These artists are filled with talented musicians and I enjoy some of the lyrics, as well. Having said that, I am a Christian believer. Stryper and bands like them should not, however, be forced upon old fogies at churches, which is the trend with some. Anyways, I digress.

I will make some general comments and rate this CD in three categories. First, Stryper sounds like a combination of Megadeath and Styx. A good combination, indeed. They have an excellent lead vocalist in Michael Sweet (who sounds remarkably like Dennis DeYoung) and a guitarist in Oz Fox who is virtually on the same level as the late Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker or even Eddie Van Halen. Many Christians don't recognize them because they're heavy metal and the secular world shrugs them off as a bunch of zealots. But the music speaks for itself.
Oz uses an Alder Charvel/Jackson guitar, which is now custom made by Wayne Charvel (only 100 were recently made). He uses the old Seymour Duncan Distortion humbucker (which is what Randy Rhoads also used to use on his Jackson guitars). Very nice sound. Nice warm buzz with excellent sustain, clarity and harmonics. I own a Jackson with a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck and it is perfect for this type of 80's shred metal. Stryper also have great vocal harmonies and manage to convey them well in the live context, which is no easy feat.

Sound quality: 9/10

Performance of songs: 9.5/10

Vibe/energy 9/10

I have wanted a Stryper Live CD for as long as I can remember. As soon as I saw this CD was coming out I just had to pre order a copy. My copy arrived yesterday and I have not stopped listening to it since. There is just so much energy coming from the music it's hard to describe. Michael, Oz, Tim and Robert are incredible. Buy this CD now, you won't be disappointed.

First off I want to say I really like live recordings. Mistakes and all,raw is the only way a live album should sound. Examples are Poison's Swallow The Live or Power To The People cd. It is so raw that it almost sounds like a bootleg. Dokken's Beast From The East is another great one...as well as Tesla's Replugged double cd. The last two being a bit more polished so even the raw sound comes though on your stereo really good. This Stryper cd is the same. Sounds a bit muddy, you can hear guitar reverb and to me that is a good thing. Roberts drums sound great! I personally don't like a band to make a live album and then produce it, editing mistakes and adding overdubs,etc. The quality of a good live recording is here.

The song selection could have been better I think. I think this should have been a double cd much like Tesla's Replugged. They have enough albums to do it and I wanted to hear so much more. I wish they opened with "In God We Trust" as they did when I saw them on tour as Robert climbed a pole to get to his drum kit on a riser. That or maybe "Soldiers Under Command"/"Makes Me Want to Sing" to get it started. Most of the hits are hear including a different version of "Honestly" as well as the rare song "Winter Wonderland". My list of must haves would have included "Shining Star"(would love to hear that one live!), "Keep The Fire Buring", "Always There For You", "Lady", "C'mon Rock", "You know What To Do",and "Together Forever" just to name a few.

Bottom line for someone thinking about buying this cd...This is a good live recording that features the major hits of the band. If you are a fan of To Hell With The Devil you will really like it as they play most of the concert from that album. I really wish they played four or five songs from each album and made a double live cd but I am still happy they have an official live recording out.

Stand out songs are: "Calling On You" "Free" "Loud'N'Clear" and "Caught In The Middle"

Never made a review before, so will make this short and SWEET (Pun intended :) I grew up listening to these guys since day one. Although my timing is a bit off, I just picked this CD up today. This is by far one of the best live recordings I've ever heard! It's hard, heavy, and I don't think any of the band members made any goofs while performing. If you love the heavier Stryper tunes, you HAVE to get this. You will not be sorry! The bass, heavy guitars, the perfect playing......get it before it's almost impossible or highly priced, you won't be sorry!

Yes thats right stryper is back in action w/there latest work a live cd! This cd speaks volumes on the bands sucess all throughout the 80's and early 90's. It has all the classics To Hell w/the Devil, Makes Me Wanna Sing, In God We Trust, Soilders Under Command just to name a few on the 14 track live cd! Its an hours worth of classic 80's christian thrash metal. So whether your a newcomer like me or you've been there the first time around its a classic showcase of all there work.

its great to hear they have reformed and recorded this killer live cd.ive been wanting this for a while now.