Phoned in, half-hearted and by the numbers - A review of Stryper's Even the Devil Believes

After two strong efforts with Fallen and God Damn Evil, Christian heavy metal quartet Stryper's new output Even the Devil Believes is a step back and one of the band's most disappointing releases in a long time.

The band's classic trademarks are still there. The guitar work by Oz Fox is technically impressive and his solos are mostly emotional as well. Michael Sweet's melodic vocals still sound charismatic and unique. The religious lyrics are business as usual.

The cracks however already start to show right from the start as the weak production sounds cold and dry which doesn't fit to a band with such a melodic sound and overwhelmingly emotional messages.

The main issue is that the final result sounds phoned in. This album simply offers eleven Stryper tracks by the numbers. Even after multiple spins, there isn't one single positively outstanding tune on the entire record.

Instead, the band offers bland mid-paced adult-oriented rock as in the weak single ''Make Love Great Again'' that doesn't evoke any emotions.

''This I Pray'' tries to bring in some diversity but simply sounds like one of those contemporary country rock ballads that can be heard thousands of times every single day on North American radio channels.

''Invitation Only'' has some weird keyboard sounds in the background that seem to attempt to add a slightly progressive touch but make rather think of cheesy disco pop music from the late seventies or early eighties.

Most of the other songs are alright and should be appreciated by faithful fans of the band. However, they simply fail to be on the same level as the band's classics from the early years. Furthermore, they can't even compete with the more recent material that saw the band returning to strength over the past few years.

In a time when the United States of America need belief, hope, inspiration, joy and Christian values more than ever before, it's underwhelming that the flagship of Christian metal releases such a half-hearted effort. I will simply skip this album and refer to the numerous excellent efforts by this band from the past.

Final rating: 45%