Stryper: When We Were Kings | Kings Don’t Abdicate
(Frontiers Music – 2024)
A fierce riff and a double guitar intro are the first things we hear as soon as we press play on our cd player. This is “End Of Days,” the first track from Stryper’s long-awaited full-length album, released in 2024. After a long wait, it finally reaches our hands, just in time for their upcoming tour in these lands.
“When We Were Kings” is Stryper’s first studio album since “The Final Battle” in 2022, continuing a streak that began back in 2005 when the band reunited, releasing several albums of similar caliber in recent years; this latest work is no exception. Let’s take a look.
With 11 tracks, and right from the title, Stryper evokes nostalgia for the good old days of the 1980s, when the band surprised us with one great album after another. However, despite their noble intentions, the attempt falls short. It is clear that for several years now, Stryper has been stuck in its own rut and is struggling to break out of its vicious circle, as it has failed to produce an album that moves us or at least lives up to its greatest works. I could say that 2013’s No More Hell To Pay was the closest they’ve come to their former glory in recent times, but here they leave us wanting more once again.
The album isn’t bad at all, and the excuse to give it a chance comes from the opening track or the title track, which fits perfectly as a radio single. With “Trinity” and “Raptured,” we may have the most Stryper moments we can hear on this album, but only up to that point. Then we have a ballad like “Betrayed By Love,” more worthy of a Michael Sweet solo work than Stryper itself, to which we can add the insipid “Loves Symphony.”
And there’s more. If we want to find some positive points, we find them in “Divided By Design” and the excellent rendition of “Imperfect World,” which stands out as the best track on the album. “Rhyme Of Time” could go completely unnoticed, and we’ll note “Grateful” as the best ballad on this album; at least it doesn’t sound so out of place and manages to create some interesting moods.
We don’t usually give albums scores (this isn’t an exam), but if we had to, “When We Were Kings” would get a 6. It does the job, resulting in a decent album that, without taking any risks, doesn’t make any major mistakes like “Reborn” did. Obviously, it serves Stryper well in keeping up with their fans and their discography, doing what it’s supposed to do, and nothing more.
As for the production, it is truly superb and in line with what is expected from a historic band like Stryper, with great work in both sound engineering and mixing and mastering. In that sense, the work of both Danny Bernini and Alex Saltz at the controls achieves a sound in keeping with the times. In any case, it must be said that Stryper’s sound is not very far from what we already knew from their previous albums. Nothing that strays from the line that has been traced for a long time.
We really liked the cover, and it is truly impressive, but, as with the sound and compositions that the album offers, it is not a gamble either. It follows the same guidelines as always. The inner booklet contains the lyrics of the songs, a few photos of the members of Stryper, and fulfills its purpose perfectly. Not to mention that this album also has a vinyl edition for those who like to listen to metal in the ideal format.
What will become of Stryper in the future? Who knows. For now, continuing along the path set out in “When We Were Kings” may not be the healthiest option, that’s for sure. The fact that the band is still active is really something to be applauded, but we’re still waiting for a last-minute change of direction that will wake us up (remember “Against The Law”?) and live up to what Stryper represents.
The album was released by Frontiers Music in Europe, so for the physical format, both CD and vinyl, you can try https://www.frontiers.it or the band’s official website at https://stryper.com.
