Concert Reviews

Stryper Live 2022 Review

Published

4 years ago

July 26, 2022

The legendary yellow and black attack descended on the city of black and gold in the form of iconic Christian metal band Stryper. The prolific musicians made a stop in Warerndale Pennsylvania, a suburb of the Pittsburgh which is fittingly known for it’s black and gold clad Steelers, Penguins, Pirates teams.

Stryper is crisscrossing the nation in celebration of nearly 40 years of dominance in their market and building anticipation for their new album that is set for a fall of 2022 release. Thus far that band has released two tracks from the yet untitled album; “Rise to The Call”, and “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”. These two tracks follow the trend set by the band’s most recent albums. Though heavier and tighter than their eighties metal anthems these songs continue to capture the instantly recognizable vocal melodies, speaker blowing guitar work, and rhythms that most any band would be willing to make the deal at the cross-roads for.

The new release marks Stryper’s 14th studio album which sees front man Michael Sweet again taking on production duties for the band of all original members, save bassist Tim Gaines who exited the band and was subsequently replaced by Perry Richardson formerly of the multi-platinum selling band Firehouse in 2017.

The band opened the night with the thunderous roar of “In God We Trust” from the 1988 album of the same name. Followed by the twin guitar attack of “Revelation” from the album Hell To Pay.

The band was dressed in much more modern attire. Gone is the yellow and black spandex and big hair, but they pay homage to their “stripes” with tasteful hints of the colors throughout their clothing and of course the guitar and bass designs. Michael sported a black skull cap with a white/grey Stryper logo. They call a “slouchy hat” in their web store and is the single piece of band merch. that I must have.

Next up was the guitar crunch and deafening percussion of “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” and the nearly 40 years old vocal harmonies of “Loving You” pulled from the from the band’s debut The Yellow And Black Attack album. Sticking with the early era the band plowed through several tracks from the To Hell With The Devil album including the hits “Calling On You” and “Honestly”. But before they brought the energy level down with the MTV era ballad “Honestly” they turned it up to eleven and tore the roof off with the rhythm heavy simplicity of “Sorry” from the controversially titled album God Damn Evil.

The band did a great job in including tracks from all portions of their history even including the Against The Law era with the inclusion of the song “All For One”. Followed by yet another hit with the pop-metal harmonies of the slickly produced and radio ready “Always There For You”. Not to corner themselves in, they jumped directly into the modern-rockers “Divider”, “The Valley”, and “Yahweh”. At this point Michael said “Rather than us going over there and off the stage and down the stairs, just to come back and play a couple more songs, we are just gonna stay here and a rock some more for you. Is that OK?” With that they burst into the iconic opening riff of “Soldiers Under Command”. The chorus had the entire audience singing along at the top of their lungs and head banging as Oz Fox and Michael Sweet shared guitar solos. Without missing a beat they burst into the career defining “To Hell With The Devil”, which again had the crowd singing along to every word and enjoying the twin-guitar onslaught of both Oz and Michael. As the song wound down and with the squeal of guitar and thundering drums behind him Michael exclaimed “Stay Safe. Say a pray every day to Him. God bless you all! We love you! Goodnight.” (SEE VIDEO BELOW)

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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Related Topics:featured Jergel's Michael Sweet Oz Fox Rober Sweet Stryper

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Concert Reviews

DARK WINTER TOUR:BALTIMORE SHOW REVIEW

Published

1 month ago

January 26, 2026

Ron

LORD OF THE LOST AND WEDNESDAY 13 CAME INTO BALTIMORE MARYLAND OR AS LORD OF THE LOST SINGER CHRIS HARMS CALLED IT BALTIMOST..

WEDNESDAY 13 opened and had a killer set. It’s tough when you have such a great spanning career to choose which songs to play, but Wednesday nailed it. From new to old, the band played a ton of great songs and got the crowd hyped and ready for a night of kick-ass music. When between band breaks,outside, I was outside and a guy who has never seen Wednesday 13 before was like “I’ve never seen an opening band, with so much energy and having the crowd pumped up like that before”. We got to see Wednesday throw out some plastic spiders from a Halloween pail,say… and this time his umbrella didn’t break when he performed “I Love to Say..Fuck”.

Lord of the Lost came to Baltimore last year and was super amazing and such a great show that I was excited to see them again. They did have a member of the band missing; their bassist was taking time away from the band to focus on his own mental health, which I applaud because in a world of music and entertainment we lose too many people who are afraid or ashamed to work on their mental health. This was the first day of the tour, and not knowing what song was gonna be played was kinda thrilling, but I knew that at one point that Wednesday 13 would come back on stage and play “I Hate People” which is the latest single from Lord of the Lost. The band sounded amazing, and I loved their cover of “She’s Got the Look.”

Overall this was a great day for music and such a great show. Go out and check it when they come to your city and just enjoy seeing live music.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Concert Reviews

Let’s go back to 2000’s Ozzfest with Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through and God Forbid.

Published

3 months ago

December 19, 2025

Ron

DC’s Hometown Hero’s Darkest Hour came to the Filmore in silver spring Maryland to celebrate 30 years and not only did they kick some ass the made us go back in time to a killer lineup of bands.

God Forbid celebrating the anniversary of “Constitution of Treason” opened up the show and got the crowd rowdy. It’s been years since I’ve seen God Forbid but I remember all those tours and ozzfests when they played and always kicked so much ass. The band still sounds great and singer Byron Davis still looks and sounds amazing. We got to hear songs like “The End of the world” “The lonely dead” and “under this flag”.

Bleeding Through was next up and they were celebrating the anniversary of “The Truth” and throwing a few extra songs from previous albums and new material. Brandan still puts on a hell of a show and always finds a way to hurt himself at shows I’ve seen him perform. In Pittsburgh years ago he stepped on a water bottle and fucked up his ankle and 2 seconds into this show he almost fell straight off the stage. But that didn’t stop him from getting off the stage jumping in the crowd and killing such a great set. Then you add bad ass keyboardist Marta to the mix and this is why I’ve always loved this band. We got to hear songs like “Love in slow motion” , “Line in the sand” and “Love lost in a hail of gunfire “ the crowd went crazy.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Darkest Hour too, I always remember those tours and seeing them with so many kick ass bands, it’s crazy to think they they have been together for 30 years and still bring it to the stage. I loved the energy and fun the band has on stage, loved the intro from a guy in a tux and also loved that the fans were engaged the whole set. I got to hear some great tunes like “The Sadist Nation”, “ Sound the surrender” and “Knife in a safe room”.

This small 3 date tour was great and put me back into the days when I was younger and listened to some great metal.

About Author

Ron

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Concert Reviews

All Time Low: EVERYBODYS TALKING TOUR

Published

3 months ago

November 30, 2025

Kylie Thomas

The appropriately named “Everybody’s Talking” tour from All Time Low featuring Mayday Parade, Four Year Strong, and The Paradox was one of true pop-punk nostalgia. The stop over at UPMC Events Center on November 19 was a must for any fan of the year 2005. Being able to see some of the top names in this genre all with a room full of old-school emo kids is a blessing on its own.

Opening the show first was newer band The Paradox, a mix of core pop-punk anger and modern hip hop nuances. Think heavy riffs over more melodic vocals that float over top.

Four Year Strong, a band more on the hardcore side, follows this up with a pit for the ages. It’s a time for moshing to begin as the members take the audience through years of heavy breakdowns. These guys are a throwback for the ones who always went to Warped Tour.

The third opener, Mayday Parade has the power to pull together an entire crowd just by playing their hits “Jersey” and “Jamie All Over.” This band has been around the scene for a long time and there’s no doubt you’ve heard a song or two of theirs on the radio. Their energy is infectious from singer Derek Sanders to guitarist Brooks Betts and all the rest, too.

At the end of the day though, it’s obvious this crowd is here to see all eras of All Time Low come to life. After 22 years together, there are many layers to this band but their set manages to hit on them all. Whether you’re there for the songs from the beginning years like “Time-Bomb” or brand new ones like “SUCKERPUNCH,” you’re bound to hear something you like. One of the best parts of an All Time Low concert though is the party vibe. Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Zack Merrick, and Rian Dawson all carry an energy that’s similar to walking down Fremont Street in Vegas. It’s all flashy lights, big personalities, and good times. But, don’t be led astray, there are tender moments as well. It all creates a story of love and heartbreak alongside the highs and lows of life.

The “Everybody’s Talking” tour from All Time Low is one that chronicles their history. It’s a show that reminds audiences of their place in pop-punk and a chance for these audience to disappear back to high school again when all that mattered was eyeliner, CDs, and hair dye.