Stryper: Live At The Whisky review

It’s been decades since Christian metal trailblazers Stryper released their legendary Live in Japan concert film. Fast-forward to 2014 and they’re back at it with another live DVD in Stryper: Live At The Whisky.

Live At The Whisky features Stryper returning to the Sunset Strip, where they started their storied career back in the early 1980’s to play a show shortly after their critically-acclaimed 2013 release, No More Hell To Pay.

It’s been a long road back to the top for Stryper, having battled numerous roadblocks along the way, but with No More Hell To Pay, they’ve finally achieved something so few bands from their time – a second wind

Had No More Hell To Pay been released after their two biggest albums of all time- To Hell With the Devil and Soldiers Under Command– things could have been very different for the band so it’s no surprise when they played The Whisky A Go Go to record this live CD/DVD that they played a good portion of the new album.

New tracks included “Legacy” and “Marching Into Battle,” which they opened the show with as well as the title track and their cover of “Jesus Is Just Alright.”

Anyone who’s seen Stryper knows there are staple songs for the set and they play all of those except with Live At The Whisky, they throw in a few surprises. “All For One” and “Always There For You” made it into the set as did “You Know What to Do” and “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” while “Sing Along Song” was taken out.

As always front man Michael Sweet’s banter with the crowd was entertaining, asking the crowd who was seeing Stryper for the first time and when a few people raised their hands he jokingly asked “Why man? Just wait till they’re old right?”

Stryper: Live At The Whisky is living proof that not all bands fade away and lose their ability as they get older. If anything, Stryper are better than they’ve ever been and are only improving at their craft the further they get into their career at an impressive level.

Rating: 9/10

-Reggie Edwards

Stryper: Live At The Whiskey track listing: 

Disc: 1

1. Legacy
2. Marching Into Battle
3. You Know What To Do
4. Loud N\’ Clear
5. Reach Out
6. Calling On You
7. Free
8. More Than A Man
9. The Rock That Makes Me Roll
10. No More Hell To Pay
11. Jesus Is Just Alright
12. Always There For You
13. All For One
14. The Way
15. To Hell With The Devil
16. Soldiers Under Command

Disc: 2

1. Legacy (DVD)
2. Marching Into Battle (DVD)
3. You Know What To Do (DVD)
4. Loud N\’ Clear (DVD)
5. Reach Out (DVD)
6. Calling On You (DVD)
7. Free (DVD)
8. More Than A Man (DVD)
9. The Rock That Makes Me Roll (DVD)
10. No More Hell To Pay (DVD)
11. Jesus Is Just Alright (DVD)
12. Always There For You (DVD)
13. All For One (DVD)
14. The Way (DVD)
15. To Hell With The Devil (DVD)
16. Soldiers Under Command (DVD)
17. No More Hell To Pay (Videoclip)
18. Sympathy (Videoclip)
19. Nashville All Access (Interview)