Stryper

Item: Against the Law
Author: Nelson Myers

Against the Law

(1990)

Reviewed by Nelson Myers

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label EnigmaHeaven's Metal #26July 1990

glam metal hard rock heavy metal

Behold, all things are become new, and so it is with Stryper. The look, the sound, not to mention the Marshall stacks...(an educated guess, as of yet unconfirmed). This album rocks! Definitely their best yet. It has intensity unparalleled in earlier releases, I mean raw power man. I was impressed right from the first song, and I'm not a professed Stryper fan. I didn't approach this with the expectation of getting what I got, "the hell rocked out of me"...Oh yeah, that's one of the songs. The album is entitled Against the Law and symbolizes the change in attitude of the band. The phrase "change in image" would not be doing justice here. It is certainly deeper than that, as evidenced by the lyrical content of the first song: "You've got to point your finger/ You think you know it all/ I want you to remember/ I don't live for you/ Cause I'm against your laws." The law here is man's law of right and wrong. Spare that. I really liked "Not That Kinda Guy". What a righteous rockin' song. It has an early Van Halen flair to it. (Am I allowed to say that?) It certainly puts to rest some of the rumors going around. It's my favorite song on the album. There's something I don't think I've ever heard a metal do, at least with style: a "funky" cover. Try to imagine Earth, Wind, and Fire's "Shining Star" transformed by the renewing of Stryper. The song, though secular, has spiritual parallels on how God views us, and how we should view each other. It's a cool song man, I mean real cool. I thought "Caught in the Middle" was right on, pointing out the error of living like a king and gaining the world. "You've got everything/ Live like a king/ But how will you live tomorrow?/ You've got what it takes/ Make no mistakes/ Don't live your life in sorrow." Pretty heavy. Somebody send Donald a copy of this song (ed - that's Mr. Trump to you, Nelson). I'm not going to do every song. I'll let you do that yourself. Okay, okay, there's a couple songs about guy/girl relationships, but I think even apostle Paul would approve. I've always pictured Paul as bangin' heads...I mean a headbanger. Does this album (there's that word again!) rock? In California terms: "It's most excellent man." Should it be in your collection? Only if you're a metalhead who appreciates metal at its best. A "most excellent" production too. So are these guys still soldiers under command? You'll have to ask them. So, where are the yellow and black stripes, guys? That was Stryper from the Yellow and Black Attack days. This is Stryper Against the Law. Any questions?