Decently Appreciated for Nostalgic Reasons - A Review of Stryper's 7 Weeks: Live in America 2003

7 Weeks: Live in America 2003 documents Stryper's Seven reunion tour which also led to the release of a compilation with two new songs. This live record features thirteen songs and a closing prayer for a total length of sixty-four minutes. While it was great news that Stryper was back after twelve years of silence, the quartet has released better live records than this one such as Live at the Whisky for instance.

Let's take a closer look at the positive aspects of good average live record 7 Weeks: Live in America 2003. The band is in excellent shape and picks up right where it stopped its career a decade earlier. The concert is energetic and entertaining alike. The thunderous drum play, dynamic bass guitar sounds, versatile guitar play and varied vocals deliver traditional heavy metal with a few hints at melodic hard rock. Communication with the fans is excellent and crowd participation is wonderful as well. Highlights in the set list include powerful opener "Sing-Along Song"  and the powerful double-pack of "Soldiers Under Command" and "To Hell with the Devil". Production values are great for their organic authenticity.

There are several flaws to be pointed out as well. The overall length of the concert is surprisingly short. The band could have easily played half a dozen more songs for an experience of an hour and a half. None of the two brand-new songs has been played which makes the set-list look exaggeratedly old-fashioned. Several important cuts are missing such as vibrant band anthem "All for One". While "Closing Prayer" suits Stryper's convictions, it ends an energetic concert on a tame note, severely overstays its welcome and should have just been cut from this release altogether.

As you can read, the balance between strengths and flaws is almost perfect on Stryper's 7 Weeks: Live in America 2003. The reason why this live record still qualifies as recommendable effort is due to the wonderful surprise to finally have these veterans back after such a long silence. Seasoned fans will certainly appreciate this release more than younger audiences for nostalgic reasons. At the end of the day, Stryper's 7 Weeks: Live in America 2003 is a good heavy metal live record but certainly no essential release. This effort is for faithful collectors only.

Final Rating: 65%