Where would you rank Stryper against other hair metal bands?

Would you rank them on the top tier, middle tier, or bottom tier?

Of course, top meaning they're one of the best, middle being average, and bottom meaning you think they suck.

How about lower top tier? I think they were one of the best musically but some songs are extra cheesy.

troublezone wrote:

How about lower top tier? I think they were one of the best musically but some songs are extra cheesy.

I agree. Their best heavy songs were as good as anybody, but the pop didn't appeal to me personally.

name one hair metal band that never made a cheesy song.

I don't hold it against Stryper. I'm a huge Styx fan, but I don't care for thier ballads either. I don't really like anybodies ballads in fact.

Subterranean

SAHB Healer wrote:

I don't hold it against Stryper. I'm a huge Styx fan, but I don't care for thier ballads either. I don't really like anybodies ballads in fact.

I don't like their ballads either, except maybe a couple.

RP, when I make a thread, i'm not talking to you.

I guess no Hair Metal band has made a cheesless album but Stryper got a little too "angelic" or "fluffy" for me at times.

top tier. Micheal Sweet's vocals made damn sure of that!

Somewhere in the middle. Love their harder edged stuff, but their ballads (save for "Lady" off of AGAINST THE LAW) always made me gag.

I think Stryper was in a different class of "Hair Band"...they weren't the Firehouse/Winger type band...IMO they were more like a TNT or a Dokken...a band that had the pop stuff (Calling On You, Reach Out) combined with the Metal (More Than A Man, The Way)...much more Metal than the Hair Bands like Poison & Warrant...but not as Metal as Armored Saint or Judas Priest...

Right in the middle, not as bad as Warrent but alot more talented than some of the bands that were alot more successful but they did not have the cultural impact of Motley Crue, Ratt, or even Dokken.

They could musically fit in with both types of hair metal bands mentioned such as TNT and Dokken , due Oz Fox being underrated guitartist but due to their ballads they could also fit in with Firehouse and Warrent. Lyrically they were on their own.

mc666 wrote:

top tier. Micheal Sweet's vocals made damn sure of that!

Indeed. They also had a unique, overdriven guitar sound IMO.

I love 'em. Like the heavy stuff. "Surrender" is one of my all time favorite songs and it's stinkin' heavy. As a matter of fact, nearly two decades later and Iron Maiden "borrowed" that riff for one of their songs. (Check out "Wicker Man")

Like the ballads. "Together As One" was my wedding song. Nothing wrong with a good ballad IMO. Judas Priest wrote some of the best ballads. "Lady" is one of my favorite Stryper ballads. Sweet's vocals are incredible.

I would rank them at the top.Michaels voice along with Oz's playing made them as good or better than any of the other hair bands.Of course I'm a big ol Stryper fan boy

thrasher73 wrote:

Michaels voice along with Oz's playing

Michael played/plays more than half the solos...

I'd rank them near the bottom. I find the vocals way too high pitched for my liking. They also have too many ballads for my tastes.

I do break out their version of Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland every Christmas though.

I was never really a Stryper "fan", but I did own their first 3 albums and saw them on the "To Hell With The Devil" tour. There's no arguing their talent level and they did write some good songs. But I also doubt that I could ever listen to them again, I was around 15-16 when I listened to Stryper and I'm just not remotely the same person now.

But to answer the question, I would put them in "lower top tier". Not quite up to the level of Dokken, around the same level as TNT...but miles better than Poison, Warrant, Winger, etc.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

thrasher73 wrote:

Michaels voice along with Oz's playing

Michael played/plays more than half the solos...

True

Quote :

But to answer the question, I would put them in "lower top tier". Not quite up to the level of Dokken, around the same level as TNT...but miles better than Poison, Warrant, Winger, etc.

Dokken had so much talent, but for some reason, I can't listen to them anymore. Do still spin Lynch Mob now and then.

being as I spend most of my musical indulgence waist deep in cheese/glam and sleaze....I would rank them high middle tier.

The only "real" thing that setthem apart from the oher bands at the time, was the Christian angle. Scratch that and they could have been another faceless strip band circa 1984.

Now that's no slam. they were a great band. Killer harmonies and vocals and nice crunchy chops...But there were loads of other bands that did as well...

Quote :

The only "real" thing that setthem apart from the oher bands at the time, was the Christian angle. Scratch that and they could have been another faceless strip band circa 1984.

Uou think this was an adavantage? because i don't. I believe if they had sang about girls, parties, and hot rods, they would have sold twice as many records.

never said an advantage just a thing they did that was different....I think had they not had that going for them, they'd have been another band.


Had they traveled the hackneyed formulaic road of girls, booze and car songs....they'd have maybe sold more records but they'd have been less memorable.

Ask anyone from the time who listened to metal or hard rock about STRYPER and the first thing they'll say is "That God band" or "They threw the Bibles at people" so I have to say that huge percentage of their appeal was that Christian angle.

this is all just my opinion though.

Quote :

Ask anyone from the time who listened to metal or hard rock about STRYPER and the first thing they'll say is "That God band" or "They threw the Bibles at people" so I have to say that huge percentage of their appeal was that Christian angle.

I definitely agree. I see where you're coming from with the memorable thing.

Shiney wrote:

never said an advantage just a thing they did that was different....I think had they not had that going for them, they'd have been another band.


Had they traveled the hackneyed formulaic road of girls, booze and car songs....they'd have maybe sold more records but they'd have been less memorable.

Ask anyone from the time who listened to metal or hard rock about STRYPER and the first thing they'll say is "That God band" or "They threw the Bibles at people" so I have to say that huge percentage of their appeal was that Christian angle.

this is all just my opinion though.

I'd agree with that. Speaking from my own personal experiences, back in the day when my friends and I were all into the glam scene, Stryper absolutely were goofed on and only known as being "that God band". I'll admit that we were all a buncha immature drunkards and my opinion has changed since those days, but at the time, the only thing for us that set them apart from all the other glam bands of that era was the Christian connection and the stripped outfits.

DenimAndLeather wrote:

Dokken had so much talent, but for some reason, I can't listen to them anymore. Do still spin Lynch Mob now and then.

I can't either. The only "hair" band that I can still stomach is Kix...and they don't really qualify as a hair band in my book.