Customer Reviews

Reborn

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Fresh on the heals of their successful reunion tour, Stryper has returned in full force with "Reborn", their first album of all new material since 1990's "Against The Law".
For this album, the band has not only added a new bass player, Tracy Ferrie (who replaces original member Tim Gaines) but also adopts a heavier edgier sound than what was heard from them during their hair-band '80s heyday. Despite this, the album still comes off as a genuine Stryper effort and is arguably their best since "To Hell With The Devil".
Tracks such as "Make You Mine", "Wait For You", "If I Die" and "Rain" retain the classic Stryper sound 2005 style with Michael Sweet's signature vocals and melodic songwriting. Other tracks such as "Open Your Eyes", "Live Again" and the title track have a more raw in-your-face feel with their thick edgey guitars and gritty vocals. "Passion" finds the band moving slightly into a worshipful territory while "10,000 Years" adopts a new approach to the hymn "Amazing Grace".
Just the show that Stryper isn't ashamed of their past, the band closes the album with a new rendition of their 1988 classic "In God We Trust" which has a heavier darker feel to it but is still awesome nonetheless.
What else can be said about "Reborn" except for the fact that it is an amazing album. Stryper is definitely back for the long haul and are sounding better than ever. All of the band's musical trademarks are still in tact with some new elements thrown in. "Reborn" was definitely worth the wait and it's great to see Stryper back in business again.
Still Rocking for the One Who Is The Rock!!!

Small Footnote: The track listing on the back cover as well as inside the CD booklet is slightly incorrect. Here is the correct track listing as it appears on the CD: 1.Open Your Eyes/2.Reborn/3.When Did I see You Cry/4.Make You Mine/5.Passion/6.Live Again/7.Wait For You/8.Rain/9.If I Die/10.10,000 Years/11.In God We Trust.

Pioneers of Christian metal Stryper have had a rough history. The first real "metal evangelists" in the 80's, the church didn't know how to accept them even as the crowds at their concerts were given songs with more honest lyrics than many songs on adult contemporary radio at the time. Known for harmonic guitar solos between Michael Sweet and Oz Fox, Michael's stratospheric vocal range, and the most visually active drummer around, Stryper thrilled their fans with amazing concerts and consistently good records. Eventually, though successful, the 90's hit and metal died. Stryper disbanded after a powerful career, with each member going their separate ways. After reuniting for an anniversary tour, the band stayed together to bring a new batch of songs into the twenty-first century.

Over a decade since their last studio album, Stryper is back with Reborn. Just to prove they haven't softened much, the CD cover alone should cause enough controversy to shake a few Christian retailers (they actually had to hide the cover with a yellow wrapper to soften the "transformation" look). Original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, and Oz Fox are back, joined this time on bass by Tracy Ferrie (already well known to Christian music in bands like Seraiah and Whitecross). The yellow and black spandex is gone (to be fair, they actually dropped that with their final release Against The Law), but how's the new sound?

It's hard to know what to say here. Bands like Bon Jovi and Aerosmith keep their fan base and grow new ones because they gradually update their sound with each record (even though they went several years before putting out a new one themselves). Stryper, on the other hand, was known for the "hair metal" sound. Can a glam rock band put out another type of music and still be considered the same band? Yes and no. This is definitely not Soldiers Under Command or To Hell With the Devil. There are flashes of the old band here and there, but for the most part this is an updated sound that rocks. If this was a new band, the CD would probably do well. Being an established band known for a particular sound, it's hard to break the mold and still keep everyone happy. Sweet's banshee wailing is gone completely, and the harmonic solos are done in different ways, but for the most part the essence of the band remains.

"Open Your Eyes" starts the CD off with a weak opening. It really doesn't sound like a Stryper song at all, and doesn't actually fit with the rest of the CD. The title cut is great, with deep guitars and a hard-rocking chorus. "When Did I See You Cry" takes the sound a step further, and at last we hear the harmonies we're used to from Stryper. This finally gives you an idea that you're really hearing the band you knew.

"Make You Mine" easily falls into the vein of "Honestly" or "Always There For You". It's the rock-power-ballad-love-song they're known for. That's not a cut-down, but a compliment. These guys can put together some great stuff without falling into the syrupy trap of trying to sound too corny. The guitar solo here is great too. It's the harmonic solos of old Stryper, done in an updated way with each guitar using a different effect. It doesn't sound "80's" at all.

Unfortunately, the middle of the CD seems to lack any shining songs in it. Most seem like filler. "Passion" is about the passion of the Christ, rather than another love song. "Live Again", "Rain", and "Waiting For You" are decent songs, with the last one having some memorable guitar work. "If I Die" is a good rocker and picks things up again.

They save the fun stuff for the last two songs. "10,000 Years" is an updated version of the old hymn "Amazing Grace", and I'd love to hear it done in church this way! A lot of singers have tried lately to modernize the hymns, and most sound like the exact same song in a different key. Major points to the band for totally re-imagining the song from the ground up. The drums here are reminiscent of Robert's greatest moments in the 80's.

To close it all up, the band updates another song with "I.G.W.T.". This time it's one of their own songs they're bring back ("In God We Trust"). The song starts off strong and heavy, drifts into the old feel of the original, and then blows you away with the guitar solos. Oz and Michael do things this time around that really give a shot in the arm to the old favorite. The last two cuts on the disc alone are worth the price.

If the band had stayed together and the change had been a little more gradual over several discs, I don't think anyone would have a problem identifying this as a Stryper release. While I welcome the band back with open arms and look forward to years of new releases, I hope their next ones sound a little more polished. There's nothing wrong with being known for a certain vibe or sound; but in an effort to avoid the dated sound of their old songs, I think they swayed into the "plain vanilla" feel a little too often. You probably could listen to this in ten years and not immediately plant it in a certain time frame like you do with Soldiers Under Command or In God We Trust-but would you really want to? Still, it's good to see the guys together again and I hope they stick around for years to come. Reborn is for the fans who've asked for their return, and just like the past, they're not afraid to try new things with their music.

I did not even know Stryper was coming back until I head a new concert on XM radio live from the BB KING club in NYC, it was a hot show and the new songs were great so I had to get the CD, and I LOVE IT. Stryper has come back right on time, we are right on the beginning point of a resurgence of hard rock; And this album (CD) reborn ROCKS. many many bands come back after the years have passed with weak versions of there old materiel, but not Stryper, this album reborn does have the old Stryper sound, but its updated and very edgy. I would say its heavier (and harder) then the old Stryper. The Bass Player, Tracy Ferrie has a lead bass style that is driving the music in a more edgy way then pervious Stryper albums. Also instead of just clean fast lead Guitar licks (of which there are some), we have some more retro rifts and licks hear from OZ and Michael. Also the lead vocals of Michael are as good as ever and the Harmonies are outstanding. Robert Sweet's Drumming is excellent as always. Some stand out songs on the CD are Open Your Eyes, Reborn, Where did I see you Cry, Live again and Passion. LIVE AGAIN absolutely ROCKS. l'd say Stryper fans will not be disappointed and there will be plenty of new fans. This is a must have CD.

I loved Stryper's previous work, even when I didn't relate to their strength of faith, so I was really excited to learn they had reunited. I also loved Michael Sweet's "Truth," rating it highly for its superior songwriting and performance, so I didn't mind the expectation that he would bring his more matured, diverse approach to this album. Just to let everyone know, I guess - I really wanted to like this album, and I expected to like it...so what happened? Well, three things went wrong, at least from my perspective:

#1, songwriting - nowhere near as strong as "Truth," and not even close to previous Stryper work. No song stands out, except for "I.G.W.T." because this was the *only* song where Robert and Oz actually became noticeable. And this wasn't even a new song, it's a remake from their own collection! What a letdown, at least for me. Everything is mid-tempo, even the ballads, so there's no up-tempo pieces to get us pumped up - even "Against The Law" had some good rockers on it; this has nothing with a driving pulse (except "IGWT"). It's hard to get excited when the songs just don't change their tempos or styles much.

#2, performances - Michael is still a great singer, just with a more limited range, but he has more experience now so what he may lack in high notes he replaces with more emotion and sincerity. I don't mind that a bit. What I do mind is that Robert does *not* play anything near to the level he did 10 years ago. Everything except IGWT is only cliched rock drumming, with the kick on 1 and 3 and snare on 2 and 4. Nothing adding rhythmic interest, not like he did on albums like "To Hell..." and "In God..." What happened? And Oz Fox - taking your cues from Kirk Hammett now? Where did you go? Sure, the songs don't easily lend themselves to solos, not like in the earlier albums, but when you do solo it's really low-intensity stuff. None of the technique from years ago, and I know a Gibson can wail (witness John Sykes). So what happened here?

#3, mixing - the drums sound dreadful, especially the snare. The other reviewers can blast the guy who compared the drums to Metallica in "St. Anger," but he's right - Robert sounds like he recorded in a bathroom and severely overcompressed his snare. Also, on many tracks you can't hear the new bassist consistently, which is a shame because the guy can clearly play very well and does add some much-needed counterlines to the tepid guitar parts. But this is just a badly mixed CD all around, which makes it even harder to listen to on top of the weak songwriting and weak performances.

Other people obviously don't agree with me. And it's not that I have anything against this band - no, I still love their earlier works, even "Against The Law," so don't label me a hater. I never minded their image or mission. But on "Reborn," they haven't quite returned to form. Nothing stands out as exciting or gripping or inspirational, and the production is really substandard for a band that has sounded great for almost its entire career. This is not what I expected from Stryper, not after all these years of waiting patiently. I'm disappointed, and if you come to this CD looking for the Stryper of 10 years ago, you won't find it here. It's not terrible work compared to some current bands, it's just not the strength and range of previous albums. Not heavy, not fast, not dazzling, just a collection of songs without a lot of variety among them.

This is not heavy metal the way Stryper used to do it, and it's not even pop metal now. It's just a tepid rock CD, a shadow of the great stuff these guys used to create. What a bitter disappointment for me. I guess Jacob's Dream now fills the role of top Christian metal band...

I've been a long time Stryper fan, so the new album has given me mixed feelings as it has alot of old fans.

Pros - The lyrics are well written; the band still plays great; album cover artwork rules; the music still has that signature Stryper melody; the band has updated into a raw, punchy sound; and the guys just look plain great!

Cons - I'm not too crazy about Robert's drum sounds; guitar solos are few and far in between; I very much dislike the "doowop" choruses they use in a couple of the songs; and the production needs to have a fuller sound the next time around.

Overall, the album is pleasing to us long time fans that have longed for the yellow and black attack to give us something new. That they have done, but hopefully they'll take the above criticism as being constructive.

I just purchased this album a couple of days ago, and then saw the band live doing these songs plus their older stuff. They are playing better and more polished than ever. Gone is the pressure to produce the "next big album", replaced by maturity, experience and deeper, richer and more varied music and lyrics. Stryper has always been evangelical, and again they are direct and open about what they believe. Listen to the song Passion a few times, and you will here how Mike, Oz, Robert and Terrie feel and what is important to them. This band plays like there's no tomorrow. There are no weak tracks on this collection and I only wish it had been longer. Stryper is back and they deserve airplay with this strong and appealing CD. This is still metal, but with an up to date sound that sounds timeless compared to some of the 80s recordings. Amazing what new technology and maturity will do. Call your local radio station and make a request for Reborn.

This is a truly painful review for me. I was a huge, huge Stryper fan. They were a quality Christian metal band that could get even the most jaded person air guitaring to a band with a great message. When I heard they were reuniting I was completely stoked. Then I saw the Expo videos and saw that they had kept their chops up to play songs like The Way flawlessly. Needless to say my anticipation for this cd was off the charts.

Now I put it in and the first word that comes to mind is disappointment. I don't know what took so long for this cd to come out. There are really 4 songs on this cd. All of the mid-tempo, standard nu-metal songs with different lyrics then there is IGWT and 10,000 years. Even the ballads sound just like the standard nu-metal songs. A few of the standard songs are a little chunkier (ie. Reborn) thus I gave two types. The quality is good, and Michael provides some good mid-range vocals although I sorely miss the screams.

So what is really missing? Well I have covered diversity. The real losses here is in the drumming and guitar work. Robert's drumming is just not exciting. We get a few fills, but most of it is run of the mill. So disappointing after hearing the A game he brought on Against the Law (the anti-Christian album? give me a break).

The big loss is Oz's guitar work. I don't think I hear a single whammy bar trick on this cd. This is really disappointing because the guitar solo is actually coming back into popularity with bands like Altar Bridge bringing some unabashed shred back into the mainstream. The real painful thing is that the remake of IGWT showed Oz's still-present abilities and the potential for band (great screams from Michael to boot!). One song out of 11? So sad. I will go put Surrender and The Way on and remember the good times. Why did being Reborn mean To Hell with the Guitar Solos?

I`ve been a fan of Stryper since 1986 and when i heard "To Hell With The Devil" for the first time,i found something different that made me buy their first two albums and continue with the other releases.To this day i had listened to all Stryper music thousands of times and "Reborn" is, without of a doubt,not only one of Stryper best albums, but one of the best of hard rock in recent years.It has all the ingredients in the mix to be a production of 2005 with the old recipe that will make you say "Yeah,that`s Stryper!"."Reborn","Open Your Eyes"and "When Did I See You Cry" are good examples of that and if you want something harder and heavier listen to "Live Again".Stryper came back to stay for a while and they should.777 again!!!

Yes thats right folks Stryper is back! For this being there 1st album w/all new material totally all the way its impressive to hear them come back. Considering that the genre they are in isn't as popular today as it was back in the eighties and early nighties. This speaks wonders for the bands consistency sticking to there genre. Now considering that Stryper hasn't been around for a while and things have changed but they have to change the way they sound alittle bit today. I'm pretty sure there hair and spandex wouldn't be very acceptable in music anywere today. Plus by changing there sound doesn't mean that they are sellouts that just means that they've matured over the years and have proven that maturity in this business is way better then just taking everything straight head on w/o thinking things through. Thats not a smart way to do music or anything for that matter. Stryper returns w/everybody except there original bassit but the new guy Tracy is really good and knows what he's doing. If you look at it from my standpoint Mike Sweet almost has to be the anchor of this band now adays b/c he knows how to handle the music business. Don't forget though HE LISTENS TO THE FANS ALSO, I PROMISE!!!!!! To the average fan that liked Stryper and heard that they were back together proly went nuts thinking about all the hits they produced and the sweet live show they've always had throughout there entire career. People need to stop complaining about how a band is gonna sound after almost 15 years of being out of it. To me alot of the music out there in both secular and christian is experimenting/concept w/there music to see what people react to or like. Just an example or 3 for all of you guys and gals out there. Green Day releases American Idiot a concept album and look at all the fame it has gained them but on the same level Metallica released St.Anger and was widely ranged as being horrible and awful or a christian band could be As I Lay Dyings new cd Shadows are Security thats a concept album on its own level and people are mixed about it. So can you really blame Stryper for experimenting w/some new places in music. Stryper is not a stypid band they know what they've done in the past has alot of people raving. But they know that isn't going to appeal to someone of my age type that was just a baby when there music was coming out. They've earned there props w/all the older adults out there that know they can rock. But they know they haven't proved to the younger kids they are still a force to be rekined with on stage and should not be taken lightly. About the album its pretty good everything sounds pretty fairly mixed. To me the band hasn't changed musically except there bassit. HE'S AWESOME AND CAN BE HEARD QUITE ABIT!! Maybe thats what people are complaning about. That its not the original band. Get over it! Actually believe it or not that the music hasn't changed to much but they do try rocking up Amazing Grace or 10,000 years as its called (a little strange but I'll go w/it) and In God We Trust making it all over again which I think sounds really good. Some of the other songs that are really good are Reborn, Make You Mine, Passion, and Open Your Eyes. All in my good standing opinion are pretty good. Not quite top notch but its definately there best stuff since To Hell w/The Devil. They still can rock! Let the cd grow on you and keep in mind that it is a new completely reborn version so to speak of the band in its entierity. Hail to Stryper for the mighty return of this wonderful God Driven Band. Welcome Back!!

I can't believe these wannabe musicians/producers in some of these reviews! This album ROCKS Stryper!! Michael,Robert,Oz and Tracy....Great job....You guys are AWSOME as you always have been! Please do not listen to these weirdos who obviouly have serious hearing and mental problems! Make You Mine, Passion, I.G.W.T, 10,000 Years, Reborn...All Awsome along with Rain, Wait For You, If I Die....Making my heart race, can't wait to see you guys live again..as well as Open Your Eyes, When Did I See You Cry, and Live Again...WOW...In no order because they ALL ROCK!!! And Robert..."Our Visual TimeKeeper"...The Best Drummer Of All Time...Your DRUMS ROCK AS ALWAYS!!! Some People I swear....Can't Please them with anything!!! Thank you Stryper...Keep On Rocking For The ROCK as Well As Us...Your Loyal Fans!!! 777