Released by MVD
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Heavy Metal
Links: http://mvdb2b.com/s/StryperLiveInIndonesiaAtJavaRockinLand/MVD5433D
Line Up:
Michael Sweet: Lead Vocals / Guitar
Robert Sweet: Drums
Oz Fox: Guitar / Vocals
Timothy Gaines: Bass/Vocals
Tracklist:
01. Sing Along Song
02. Murder By Pride
03. Loud ‘N Clear
04. Rock That Makes Me Roll
05. Reach Out
06. Calling On You
07. More Than A Man
08. Honestly
09. Open Your Eyes
10. All For One
11. To Hell With The Devil
12. Soldiers Under Command
One of the first Christian Metal bands that rose to fame in the 80’s was the great Stryper lead by brothers Michael and Robert Sweet. The band catapulted to prominence after their debut in 1985 with hits like “Reach Out” and “Surrender”. I know the religious preaching turned off some heavy metal fans, but the fact remains that Stryper are to this day a bunch of great musicians and players and have always had a tight sound which is the main reason I still enjoy them today. Who could forget the guys dressed in those bumblebee spandex back in the day? Well regardless of image, message or musical direction, Stryper has always found an audience and yes it does help a bit that they reach a wider circle with their beliefs and the writing in their music, but honestly that has never really bother me much while I respect their beliefs the music to me is what always caught my attention and if you wish to sing about your beliefs and the music sounds great, then by all means who am I to judge.
If you remember the band released a DVD concert back in 1997 titled Stryper: Greatest Hits – Live in Puerto Rico whilst the performance was solid, the audio on that set was not of the highest quality from what I can remember. This time around the band is releasing another DVD set this time live from Indonesia, yes speaking of odd locations apparently this was a last minute venue added in Jakarta and it just so happened to be a recording of this concert set piece as well. As Michael Sweet put it, “it was another chance for us to spread our faith into a predominant Muslim country”, tough task but after this performance you prove that music really holds no boundaries and even though the crowds maybe had a little of a hard time understanding the band at the beginning, they we’re pretty into the whole set for the most part.
I’m not entirely sure who recorded the video and how it ended up on this DVD via MVD, but I’m pretty sure there was videos on youtube of this performance before this DVD was pushed for a release date. Either way you have a tight nit set which features all the bands greatest hits and some prime cuts form the more recent “Murder by Pride” record. First thing you notice is the quality of video, not it’s not HD or anything but it looks crisp and the professionally done, whilst the sound is a bit of an improvement from the last DVD recording in Puerto Rico.
Michael Sweet sounds good as always as he interacts with the Jakarta crowd trying to get the audience to sing along with him, Robert Sweet one of the vastly underrated drummers around dominates the kit on this given day. The guitar shredding skills of Oz Fox are always a welcome site as he rips through some of the early classics. Loud ‘N Clear is one of the first songs that makes a stand with that addicting chorus. Of course “Reach Out” and “Calling On You” are always great numbers live, and the band sounds better then ever with each delivery. A real treat comes our way via the Michael Sweet led ballad of “Honestly” where we hear Sweet’s still rangy vocals with prudent detail. The live set ends with more Stryper classix cuts in “Abyss/To Hell With The Devil” and “Soldiers Under Command” pounding it’s way and bringing me reminiscent memories of the past.
While this is solid and audio and video are surprisingly well done, I could not push the score up a bunch because we don’t get any special features added as bonus material, is just the concert itself and that’s it. For any fans of the band that just want to add a historical cataloged performance then you should pick it up. But for more casual listeners I would probably wait and see if the band has any more of these package left to offer after hopefully coming back for another record.
Written by Denys
Ratings Denys 8/10
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