So Stryper is back with the Covering, an album of cover songs that influenced the band in their early days. An album full of 70’s and 80’s hard rock/metal songs is right up Stryper’s ally and it’s a return to form for the band and I say good job.
The hard rock/nu metal influenced Stryper wasn’t really a band I was digging. So a return to the 80’s glam metal sound is a great move in my mind.
While not every song is a favorite of mine (Carry on Wayward Son) the album is full of great covers and no track strays far from the original. The best track on the album is the cover of the Black Sabbath classic Heaven and Hell. Oz Fox really makes the guitar solos on the track his own and he shreds. I’ve always loved Breaking the Law and hearing Stryper do it is awesome. There’s nothing new to the song but the cover is solid.
The lone original song on the album, God, is actually a good song and the best song Stryper has written in 11 years. It’s a return to 80’s metal and not the band trying to produce hard rock songs for the radio like they did on Murder by Pride.
If you are looking for a new spin on classic songs, this isn’t the record for you. Stryper stays very true to the original on all the songs. Yes, you can just download God on iTunes (and you should if you don’t want the covers). But it’s a solid album and Stryper fans will love this album. If nothing else, the Covering shows just how awesome a guitarist Oz Fox is.
2 comments:
For the record, Michael played half of guitars on The Covering - and all the records for that matter. Seems to be something that's overlooked consistently. Just thought I'd point that out.
Really? Did he play the lead guitar as well?
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