STRYPER In Houston, TX With Photos!

Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 10:31 AM

By Larry Petro @petrofyed

Band Shows Why Texas Is Still A Favorite At The House Of Blues On July 18th

All Live Photos By Larry Petro/Petrofyed Photography

Band Photo Credit: Manuel Moggio, Hainecch

I can still remember the first time I heard STRYPER on the radio. It was 1984 and I had just moved to Texas. I was helping my parents in their resale clothing store and the local Christian radio station had a special Christian Rock program that aired on Saturday nights. They played STRYPER's "Loud 'n' Clear" from the band's debut EP that had just recently been released and that was all it took. I was hooked from that point forward. Needless to say, I own every studio album by the band and to this day they are in my Top 5 favorite bands of all time. And in the past 15 years or so I have only missed maybe one show here in Houston so when they announced a show at the House of Blues in Houston as part of a 3-date Lone Star swing I of course had to cover it.

Say what you will about the band's religious lyrical slant but the fact remains that STYRPER rocks, always have, and it seems as they've gotten older they're putting out some of the best music of their careers. And since 2020 the group has released 5 albums (not including 2024's 'To Hell With The Amps' acoustic album) including the forthcoming 'Throne of Thorns' which is due to drop on September 25th. To take that a step further STRYPER has released an album every year the past three, giving them 18 over their 40+ year career. That alone puts them into rarified air with some of the greatest rock acts in history.

The opening act for this Texas run was HEDRAS, or better yet Hedras Ramos, a 34 year old multi-instrumentalist from Guatemala whose specialization is with the guitar. The self-taught musician blends a variety of different genres from rock, progressive and metal to jazz fusion. He's released a handful of albums over the years, most recently 'Angels' from 2022. While taking nothing away from his deft and talents, I found his performance to be something more suited to opening for Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen or Eric Johnson than STRYPER. Still, the guy definitely has chops and his instrumental set was solid, definitely leaving the large crowd entertained, if not intrigued. Check him out if you get the chance.

https://hedrasmusic.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/hedrasramoslive
https://www.facebook.com/g7hedras/
https://www.instagram.com/hedrasmusic/?hl=en

Texas has always had a special place in the hearts of the STRYPER guys, mainly because it was the first place they toured outside of California back in the day and thusly, Texas loves STRYPER just as much. Most casual fans of the band only remember the pop-metal anthems that got the most airplay on MTV but if you dive into their albums there are some balls-out rockers on them. Check out songs like "Yahweh" from the 2015 album 'Fallen' or "The Way" from 'To Hell With The Devil' and you'll see what I mean. Vocalist Michael Sweet has a very recognizable voice and that latter song has probably one of the greatest metal screams ever recorded.

The band took the stage and opened the evening with "Sing-Long Song" and then went straight into a pair of the MTV 'hits' I alluded to with "Calling On You" and "Free". From there the evening was filled with a set that spanned their entire career, from the debut all the way through 2024's 'When We Were Kings' (the 2025 album 'The Greatest Gift of All' was a Christmas themed opus). We got at least one song from 9 of their releases, including "Loud 'n' Clear", "Divider", "More Than A Man", "No More Hell To Pay" and "When We Were Kings". Obviously their seminal record 'To Hell With The Devil' had the most songs with 5, followed by 3 from 'Soldiers Under Command' and 2 from 'God Damn Evil'.

One thing I wanted to see more than anything was how Michael Sweet's voice has fared, especially in light of his thyroid cancer diagnosis and vocal fold thickening. He doesn't hit every high note that was prevalent in STYPER's songs, instead saving them for the right moments such as the end of "The Rock That Makes Me Roll" or the beginning of "Surrender". But when he did go for those notes he nailed them, each one garnering a loud response from the crowd in appreciation, in particular during the first encore of "Soldiers Under Command". If you know the song then you know the scream I'm talking about. Honestly I thought he sounded better than the last time they played here.

The rest of the band was just as tight throughout. Guitarist Oz Fox has battled his own health issues over the last several years, most notably his brain tumors, so it is nothing short of a miracle that the guy can even play AT ALL, let alone to the level that he does. Drummer Robert Sweet continues to be the 'visual timekeeper' of the group and the addition of former FIREHOUSE bassist Perry Richardson has only solidified the lineup.

The band never has to say "Sorry" to anyone because they're "All For One" and "Always There For You" in helping to say "To Hell With The Devil". After more than 4 decades STRYPER continues to stand atop the mountain of Christian metal acts proclaiming the Gospel. God Bless 'Em!

The band goes back out on the road in America at the end of September so catch 'em if they come near you!

Dates:

Sept 29th - Derry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
Sept 30th - Wantagh, NY @ Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall
Oct 1st - Newton, NJ @ The Newton Theatre
Oct 3rd - Harrisburg, PA @ XL Live
Oct 4th - Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
Oct 6th - Marion, IL @ Marion Cultural and Civic Center
Oct 8th - McHenry, IL @ The Vixen
Oct 9th - Wisconsin Dells, WI @ Crystal Grand Music Theatre
Oct 10th - Green Bay, WI @ EPIC Event Center
Oct 12th - St. Louis, MO @ The Hawthorn
Oct 13th - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
Oct 15th - Nashville, TN @ The Cannery Mainstage
Oct 16th - Newton, NC @ Newton Performing Arts Center
Oct 17th - Kingsport, TN @ MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center
Oct 19th - Jacksonville, FL @ FIVE
Oct 20th - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
Oct 22nd - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Oct 23rd - Liberty, SC @ Pickens County PAC
Oct 24th - Hopewell, VA @ Beacon Theatre
Oct 25th - Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater
Dec 5th - San Juan, PR @ Coca-Cola Music Hall

Setlist:

"Sing-Along Song"
"Calling On You"
"Free"
"Divider"
"Sorry"
"Loud 'n' Clear"
"The Rock That Makes Me Roll"
"Surrender"
"All For One"
"More Than a Man"
"Always There For You"
"No More Hell To Pay"
"Breaking The Law" (JUDAS PRIEST cover)
"When We Were Kings"
"The Valley"
"Soldiers Under Command"
"To Hell With The Devil"