Reviews

Styrper’s Yellow and Black attack invades the city of Black and gold.

Styrper’s Yellow and Black attack invaded the city of Black and gold.

Published

9 years ago

June 20, 2016

Josh Drespling

Styrper’s Yellow & Black attack invades the city of Black & Gold.

Live review by Josh Drespling:

The infamous yellow and black attack of Christian metal pioneers Stryper ascended on the Steel City (Pittsburgh, PA). The fans at the former church, now known as The Altar Bar represented their Black & Gold loyalty by being clad in their favorite Steeler’s, Penguin’s, Pirate’s, and Stryper gear.

Stryper took the stage and did not hesitate to show they still had the chops to compete with any band half their age. They dove right in with “Yahweh” the lead track from their newest release Fallen, which elevated the energy and excitement level in the club to near boiling. Michael’s vocal acrobatics, including the into scream dismissed any and all disbelieve in his vocal prowess. From there the band jumped right into the title track from Fallen and were as tight as I have ever seen them in their 30 plus years.

Next up was the crowd-singalong “You Know What To Do”, followed by the monster hit “Always There For You” from Stryper’s 1988 gold certified In God We Trust album. They followed with “God” the only original track from the bands 2011 collection of cover songs entitled The Covering. Then they began to dive into the archive with “Rock the People” from the controversial Against the Law album and the dug even farther back with “C’mon Rock” from their 1984 debut The Yellow and Black Attack.

Next up were the minor letdowns of the night, a pair of lackluster covers that really added nothing positive to the otherwise stellar show. They stomped through covers of Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” and “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss. These songs sounded forced and out of place and as though the band had to dumb-down there playing to wedge them in to their set.

Next up was the surprise of the night as they performed the ballad “Lady”. The song started off with Oz nailing that amazing blues riff and Michael’s vocals coming in on the first verse. The band nailed the chorus too, but as the song drug on it just seemed to get sloppy and drawn out. The saving grace was Oz nailing the solo that led back into the soulful chorus. They followed up with yet another track for Against The Law, “All For One”.

The band quickly switched gears and slammed the crowd in the face with classic Stryper. They pulled out the hard driving “Surrender” with the vocals to match, followed by the ever inspiring rock anthem “In God We Trust”.

The title track of No More Hell To Pay fell into place ahead of “King Of Kings” that showcased the double guitar attack of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox. They followed with the high energy classic “Soldiers Under Command” from the mid 80’s that severed well to illustrate the foundation of amazing song writing and guitar work that this band was built upon. The duo of Michael Sweet and Oz Fox is perhaps the most underrated and underappreciated guitar team of their generation. There is no questioning their ingenuity, originality and form. Those characteristics coupled with the extraordinary vocals and rhythm section exemplify why Stryper is still relevant in an age where glam metal and all things 80’s have become running jokes.

Following a brief break, they band returned to the stage and made the people sing with “Makes Me Wanna Sing” and then tore through a medley of To Hell With Devil era standards featuring “Calling On You” and “Free”. They closed out the night with spot on version of “To Hell With the Devil” which had the crowd singing along with every word.

As the last few drum beats and distorted guitar tones resonated off the walls of the club the house lights came up and Michael stepped back up to the mic. Standing there n the crowd, I fully expected to hear the usual, “We love you. Thank you! Good night!” babble. As he began to speak he said “I have something to tell you guys”. The crowd waited; a bit confused and curious as to what he was about to say. He continued by announcing they would be back in the fall; September, October, or maybe November. Then he paused, whether dramatically or nervously we will never know. He went on to explain that the band will be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the To Hell With The Devil album and for that tour they will be performing the entire To Hell With The Devil album from front to back and will be donning the old yellow and black uniforms (if they could fit into them).

Yes, you heard it her first. Stryper will be touring in the fall playing the classic To Hell With The Devil album in its entirety while wearing the yellow and black that turned so many head decades ago. I know I will be there, you should be too!

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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Announcement/News

W.A.S.P. Album One Alive 2024 US Tour

Published

4 months ago

August 21, 2024

Josh Drespling

Hollywood, CA (August 20, 2024) — It is 2024, and W.A.S.P. is celebrating 1984! 40 years ago, the landmark debut album from W.A.S.P. was released on August 17, 1984, and the metal world was knocked on their ass!

The W.A.S.P. “Album ONE Alive” Tour celebrates the debut album by playing the album in its entirety, from start to finish.

To give the fans something every week to celebrate W.A.S.P. is giving away…

• 10 pairs of tickets a week for the length of the US tour.

• Silver Award – Blackie is also giving away each week of the tour two personal meet and greets in his dressing room. In HIS dressing room!

• Gold Award – One lucky fan will win Blackie’s personal certified RIAA award for the debut album.

• Platinum Award – And the Grand Prize, one fan and a guest will be provided airfare and a luxury Hollywood hotel to the final show in Los Angeles, meet the band and stay for the after show, end of tour party.

W.A.S.P. can only celebrate 1984 once and they want to do it big!

To enter all you have to do is visit and enter your email address:
https://forms.gle/WU5wE3K4BbmaBSQv9

It was recently announced that Armored Saint will be replacing Death Angel on the tour. W.A.S.P. issued the following statement: “W.A.S.P. is pleased to announce that Armored Saint will now be joining the “Album One Alive” Fall 2024 U.S. Tour. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Death Angel will no longer be able to be a part of this tour. We all wish them the best going forward.”

Tickets and VIP packages available at WASPnati on.com/tour

THE ALBUM ONE ALIVE WORLD TOUR 2024 DATES:

10/26/24 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater*

10/28/24 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

10/29/24 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

10/30/24 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre

11/01/24 Calgary, AB The Palace Theatre

11/02/24 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory

11/03/24 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory

11/04/24 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

11/05/24 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre

11/07/24 Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore

11/08/24 St Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre

11/09/24 St Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre

11/10/24 Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre

11/11/24 Toronto, ON @ History

11/13/24 Montreal, QC @ MTELUS

11/14/24 Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Capitole

11/15/24 Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre

11/16/24 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Center

11/17/24 Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall

11/19/24 Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theater

11/20/24 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

11/21/24 Stroudsburg, PA @ The Sherman Theater

11/22/24 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

11/23/24 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore

11/24/24 Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live

11/26/24 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

11/27/24 Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern

11/29/24 Houston, TX @ House Of Blues

11/30/24 San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre

12/01/24 Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum

12/03/24 Little Rock, AR @ The Hall

12/04/24 Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion

12/06/24 Albuquerque, NM @ REVEL

12/07/24 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theatre

12/09/24 Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre

12/10/24 San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues

12/11/24 Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort and Casino

12/12/24 Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl

12/13/24 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

12/14/24 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium

* No support acts.

About W.A.S.P.

Few bands in the history of rock n roll have ever incited the love, the hate, and the raw emotional effect this band has had on the world. From the very beginning, in the small venues of Los Angeles, California, and later to the numerous countries worldwide that banned these Winged Assassins from performing live, the band’s unique style of shock and rock caused religious organizations, local city councils, parliaments, and the Washington D.C. Senate to hold hearings in an effort to bar this group from selling records and trashing stages everywhere they played.

The band’s founding member, frontman Blackie Lawless, has led the group as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social, and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold-out shows across the globe for 4 decades.

https://www.waspnation.co m

https://www.facebook.com/W.A.S.P.Nati on

https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspnationofficialgroup/
https://twitter.com/waspofficial
https://instagram.com/waspnationofficial

https://youtube.com/@WASPNationOfficial

@waspnationofficial

https://www.threads.net/@waspnationofficial
https://www.bandsintown.com/a/7553

About Author

Josh Drespling

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CD Reviews

Them Damn Kings “Shown With A Fist”

Published

7 months ago

May 20, 2024

Ron

Them Damn Kings from NJ just released a new single “Shown With a Fist”.
If you like your music in your face with a touch of old school rock and roll this is the band for you. It’s got gritty vocals and pounding drums adding in some killer guitar shreds.
It’s a song that you listen to when you want to get into a bar fight or want to drive your car really fast down the highway.
It’s worth a listen, check out the lyric video below with a little bonus guitar mortal kombat shred off.

THIS IS A SPONSORED REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY TAG PUBLICITY

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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CD Reviews

Ashes to Omens “Feed Me More”

Published

8 months ago

May 8, 2024

Ron

Ashes To Omens are a band from Georgia who’s latest single “Feed Me More” has a great sound to it. It reminds me of bands around the mid to late 2000s. They have a good mixture of sound. The song is a perfect blend of hard rock and metal with the vocals very crisp and delivered with passion.

The song “Feed Me More” has a great melody and works well with the bands style and genre of music. It also is a great title to a song because after listening to it I wanted more of the band.

Some will say that it’s very radio rock/metal and sometimes I do have issues with that but I felt that this song even though it does have that feel to it, isn’t just a radio rock song for the sake of being a radio rock song. I think this single is worth a listen to and could possibly be a track that might make your playlist.

THIS IS A SPONSORED REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY TAG PUBLICITY