STRYPER 'Throne of Thorns'

STRYPER
Throne of Thorns
Frontiers Music
https://stryper.com 

STRYPER is like the Energizer bunny, they just keep going and going and going.  People of a certain age will get that reference.  For over forty years and eighteen studio albums, STRYPER has been delivering their brand of “Heavenly” Metal to the masses.  Some music fans love to hate on the band, while others embrace their message of faith, love, and the unity of music.

’Throne Of Thorns’ is their latest studio effort, and it finds STRYPER sticking with their recent decade of heaviness, while also paying homage to their notable beginnings.  Besides being a bit of a tongue twister, the album’s title track “Throne Of Thorns”, gives praise to Jesus Christ for dying on the cross for our sins and taking his place as the King of Kings.  Notable riffs, multipart harmonies and Michael Sweet’s trademark vocal wails are prevalent throughout.

Drummer Robert Sweet sets a thumping marching beat while his brother Michael laments about conflicts we have when it comes to trusting and believing God’s impact on our lives. In that same vein, “Falling” is more of an acknowledgment of His influence.  “I’m Alright (I’m Okay) is a deeply personal song for Michael Sweet, as he navigates his emotions after receiving his thyroid cancer diagnosis. It’s not a tearful ballad, but an upbeat inspirational mid-tempo rocker. 

“Waiting For You” has a melodic and repetitive chorus that you won’t be able to get out of your head any time soon.  STRYPER takes a trip down memory lane with “Hollywood” by recalling the life and times of their beginnings and those of their peers.  Michael Sweet assures fans that they don’t need to be perfect to be loved and appreciated on “Beautifully Broken”. 

“Ashes To Roses” turns off the distortion for an almost unplugged atmosphere.  Sweet pours a lot of emotion into this one.  “Alone Again” brings back the fuzz with crunchy riffs.  “Shadowbreaker” takes things to a fever pitch with rapid-fire drums, driving guitars, and powerful vocals. 

I feel I should mention that Michael Sweet handled both rhythm and lead guitars on this album.  While his solos are proficient, they are a bit simplistic.  If you have followed STRYPER for any amount of time, you can tell Oz Fox has a different approach to his guitar work.

My favorite STYPER release in the modern era (post 2013) is ‘Even The Devil Believes’ (2020).  It is the pinnacle STYPER album, in my opinion.  Since then, I can’t help but to compare new STRYPER albums to it.  ‘The Final Battle’ (2022) I thought took a step back, while ‘When We Were Kings’ (2024) brought things closer to the peak.  “Throne of Thorns” falls somewhere in between those two releases.  

STRYPER still delivers their message loud and clear with bombast and heart on ‘Throne of Thorns.’  There’s plenty of Heavy Metal thunder and melodic passion to go around.  The songs didn’t quite win me over the way the material on ‘Even The Devil Believes’ did, but there’s a good handful that I will go back to again and again.  

4.2 Out Of 5.0

Interview with Michael Sweet HERE