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

BRISTOW VIRGINIA TOOK A TRIP ON THE WILD SIDE… SHOUTED AT THE DEVIL. AND ENJOYED THE GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 7, 2026

Ron

MOTLEY CRUE CAME BACK INTO TOWN BRINGING WITH THEM TESLA AND EXTREME FOR THE RETURN OF CARNIVAL SINS TOUR.

Extreme opened up, and not only did they kick ass, but they also took some names, too. Gary sounded amazing on vocals, and of course, Nuno not only rocked the guitar; he gave all the ladies out there heart problems. We got to hear “More Than Words,” “Get the Funk Out,” and “Hole Hearted”.

Tesla was next, and the band always puts on an amazing show. It’s just a good ole rock and roll fun time. We got to hear “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Mama’s Fool,” and “Little Suzi.”

Motley Crue put up the circus tent, and fans were ready for the big top to drop. I was excited because this was the first time getting to see Crue with John 5 on guitar. The stage looked crazy and had things you could look at everywhere, from girls to cages and beyond. Nikki and Tommy looked amazing, and Neil looked healthier than in the past years; he sounded great, and you could see that he was having fun.

I have seen Motley Crue a few times now, but this time I was so close to the stage it was insane. Doing this press gig does come with some perks, and we get to see great bands and get tickets, but this was next level with how close to the stage my tickets were. It gave me such a great experience, not only just being that close and jamming out to songs that I grew up to, but also being with all the Crue fans and just seeing everyone getting excited and rocking out. They were all there for a good time and some kick-ass rock n’ roll.

Motley played a fantastic set too, with some bangers and killer songs from albums up to Generation Swine. Songs like “Wild Side,” “Shout at the Devil,” “Looks that Kill,” “Home Sweet Home,” “Smoking in the Boys’ Room,” “Live Wire,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” and, of course “Dr. Feelgood” and “Kickstart My Heart.” The show was amazing, and the place was packed and having a great time. This is only the first leg of the tour, so if they come your way, go and see this tour and let yourself go and enjoy live music and rock ‘n’ roll.

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

THIS IS WHERE IT FALLS APART… STABBING WESTWARD CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF WITHER, BLISTER, BURN AND PEEL IN BALTIMORE

Published

1 month ago

July 25, 2026

Ron

It has been nine years since Stabbing Westward played in Baltimore, and I was thrilled to see them return to perform my favorite album. They brought along Acumen Nation and Priest as supporting acts. Both Acumen Nation and Priest put on an incredible show, and I loved how they energized the crowd. It’s fantastic to have a band like Acumen Nation, which has been around since 1988, alongside Priest, a newer band, and the fans truly enjoyed both sets.

Stabbing Westward is one of those bands that really resonated with me at a pivotal time in my life. This album was released during my junior year and fit my experiences perfectly. It’s one of those albums I would listen to from start to finish, and then I would just start it over again. I’m excited that the band is releasing a new version of this album, reflecting how they would have approached it if they had the freedom to mix it and create without outside interference.

What we got to hear was amazing. I loved the fresh sound to it but still keeping the core of what that album meant to them and to the fans. Coming out on stage with my 3 favorite songs on the album, “I Don’t Believe,” “What Do I Have To Do,” and “Falls Apart.” But hearing some of the other tracks on that album brought back so many memories of the past, like “Shame,” “So Wrong,” and even hearing the cure cover “Burn” and “Dawn” from the Escape From LA Soundtrack.

The concert was amazing. We were supposed to have an interview with Chris, but because of the Canadian fires, he was saving his voice for the show and meet ‘n greets, but we will have that interview soon for you.

About Author

Ron

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Concert Reviews

THE EX-FACES ROCKED THE REVERB STAGE

Published

1 month ago

July 22, 2026

Ron

I’ve been incredibly excited about the Ex-Faces show since it was first announced. I’m a huge Mushroomhead fan and love that the members of this group have come together to enjoy the music.

It was incredible to see J-Man, Waylon, Stitch, and Lil Dan together again. Adding Gravy and Mr. Murdernickel to the mix—especially since I never got to see him play live despite being a Mushroomhead fan near Cleveland since ’96—made it even better. I love that the guys genuinely looked like they were enjoying being on stage together, celebrating their time in this band and their experiences with Mushroomhead.

Hearing classic songs like “Bwomp,” “These Filthy Hands,” and “Sun Doesn’t Rise” was fantastic, but getting to experience deep cuts like “Eternal,” “1200,” and even the cover of “Crazy” was incredible. The Ex-Faces played 16 songs and could have kept going; the crowd definitely wouldn’t have minded.

I know this band and project are more than likely temporary, but I’m fully down for a few more tours and maybe even some more ex-members joining the trek. Even though I was sad that our stop didn’t have Pig Benis, I was super stoked that we had his OG brother Murdernickel. Go out and see this tour while you can, and let’s all get a little crazy and never let it go.