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Against The Law Review

Stryper's fifth record, "Against the Law," marked several changes for the band. The band changed its appearance, ditching the yellow & black striped spandex and their whole glam rock look. They also changed their sound, exchanging the well-polished rock/metal sound from THWTD & IGWT for a raw, rough around the edges hard rock sound, and making their vocal harmonies less angelic-sounding. The change which drew the most critcism was in the songwriting approach, which many observers both Christian & non-Christian perceived as an abandonment of the group's Christian beliefs. The Christian themes are still there, but they are just not as obvious as on previous Stryper records, as evidenced on songs like "All for One," "Caught in the Middle," "Rock the Hell Out of You," & even the hard rock/funk remake of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" ("Be a giant or grain of sand/Words of wisdom, 'Yes, I can.'"--It's a song about faith!). ATL also includes several songs about relationships, like "Two Bodies...," "Ordinary Man" & the acoustic ballad "Lady." While "Against the Law" may not be as good as "To Hell with the Devil" or "Soldiers Under Command," it is still a good album, and a very important part of the Stryper discography.

Review by: rnorton828, Amazon.com