Yellow and black spandex. Big hair. Bibles flying into the crowd like frisbees. If you lived through 1986, you couldn't escape the visual assault of Stryper. But beyond the beehive hairdos and the literal interpretation of "spiritual warfare," there was an actual record that changed the trajectory of heavy metal. We’re talking about To Hell with the Devil, the album that proved Christian metal wasn't just a basement-dwelling subculture but a multi-platinum powerhouse.
Honestly, it’s easy to poke fun at the aesthetic now. The 80s were loud. They were gaudy. Stryper took that excess and dipped it in a bucket of yellow paint. But when you drop the needle on that title track, the mockery usually stops. The production, handled by the band and Stephan Galfas, was massive. It had to be. At a time when Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe were dominating the airwaves, a band singing about salvation had to sound twice as polished to be taken seriously by the mainstream. And they were.
The album didn't just "do okay." It went Platinum. That was a first for a Christian metal act. Think about that for a second. In an era where the "Satanic Panic" was reaching a fever pitch and parents were terrified of backmasking, a group of guys from Orange County were hitting the Billboard Top 40 with songs about Christ. It was a bizarre, brilliant collision of hair metal vanity and evangelical fervor.
The Sound That Defined an Era
Michael Sweet has one of the most technically proficient voices in the history of the genre. Period. His range on songs like "Free" or "Calling on You" isn't just impressive; it’s Olympic-level. Most people forget that Stryper wasn't just "good for a Christian band." They were just a flat-out great metal band. Robert Sweet’s drumming—famously set up sideways so the crowd could see him—provided a visual and rhythmic anchor that felt larger than life. Then you have Oz Fox’s guitar work. The solos on To Hell with the Devil are melodic, shredded to perfection, and incredibly catchy.
It’s the hooks, really.
"Calling on You" is basically a pop song disguised as a metal anthem. It’s got that saccharine 80s sweetness that makes it impossible to get out of your head. But then "The Way" comes in with a riff that could stand up against anything Judas Priest was putting out at the time. This duality is what made the album work. It gave the church kids something "cool" to listen to, and it gave the metalheads a guilty pleasure they couldn't quite deny.
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Breaking the "Christian" Ceiling
Before 1986, Christian rock was mostly relegated to small bookstores and church basements. It was often a pale imitation of what was happening in the secular world. If a secular band was popular, a "Christian version" would pop up six months later with lower production values. Stryper flipped that script. They weren't reacting to the scene; they were in the scene.
They played the same clubs on the Sunset Strip as Guns N' Roses and Poison. They weren't hiding. When To Hell with the Devil dropped, MTV put their videos in heavy rotation. "Honestly" became one of the most requested songs in the channel's history. It’s a power ballad, sure, but it’s a power ballad that reached people who would never have stepped foot in a sanctuary. That kind of crossover success was unprecedented. It paved the way for every "faith-based" artist who followed, from P.O.D. to Skillet.
The Controversy Behind the Cover Art
You might remember the original cover. It featured four angels—clearly modeled after the band members—tossing a long-haired devil into a fiery pit. It was dramatic. It was literal. It was also apparently too much for some retailers.
Because of pressure from certain distributors and even some conservative Christian circles who found the imagery "too intense," the band had to release an alternative version. The "black cover" featured a simple logo against a dark background. It’s a classic example of the tightrope Stryper had to walk. They were too "metal" for the church and too "churchy" for the metal world.
Getting criticized from both sides is usually a sign you're doing something interesting.
The band’s look—the "777" and the yellow and black stripes—wasn't just a gimmick. It was based on Isaiah 53:5 ("by His stripes we are healed"). Whether you buy into the theology or not, you have to respect the commitment to the brand. They didn't half-heart it. They went all in on the theme, and it made them one of the most recognizable acts of the decade.
Why "Honestly" Changed Everything
Every metal album in the 80s needed a ballad. It was the law of the land. But "Honestly" was different. It wasn't about a breakup or a "tough guy" showing his soft side to a girl. It was a vulnerable, piano-driven profession of faith and loyalty. Michael Sweet’s vocal performance here is legendary. The high notes at the end? Unreal.
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The song peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. For a band that was literally throwing Bibles at people, that’s a massive achievement. It proved that the message was secondary to the melody for many listeners. People just liked the song. It became a prom staple. It was played on Top 40 radio stations next to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
- The Impact: It broke the "Satanic" stigma of metal for many parents.
- The Reach: It brought a feminine audience to a genre that was often a "boys' club."
- The Legacy: It remains the band's highest-charting single.
Technical Mastery and Production
When you listen to To Hell with the Devil today, it doesn't sound as dated as many of its peers. Why? Because the production wasn't thin. A lot of 80s records suffer from "tinny" drums and over-processed guitars. This album has weight. The bass (played largely by Brad Cobb in the studio, though Tim Gaines was the face of the band) is audible and punchy.
The layering of vocals is another hallmark. The "Stryper sound" involves these massive, Queen-esque vocal stacks. It creates a wall of sound that feels heavenly, which was exactly the point. They were trying to create "Heavenly Metal."
- Guitars: Dual-lead harmonies that were tight and melodic.
- Vocals: High-tenor leads with lush, multi-tracked backing harmonies.
- Lyrics: Explicitly religious, yet formatted as rock anthems.
The Long-Term Influence on the Genre
We often talk about the "Big Four" of thrash metal, but there’s a whole generation of "White Metal" bands that owe their careers to this specific record. Bands like Whitecross, Bloodgood, and Guardian would never have found a platform without Stryper kicking the door down.
But it goes beyond the Christian scene. There are plenty of secular musicians who cite Stryper as a technical influence. When you're that good at your instruments, people notice. Even the guys in Slayer—the antithesis of Stryper—have acknowledged the band's presence. It was a weird time. You had the most "evil" bands and the most "holy" bands sharing the same magazines and the same airwaves.
To Hell with the Devil was the peak of that movement. It wasn't just a trend; it was a cultural moment where the lines between the sacred and the profane got very, very blurry.
What People Get Wrong About Stryper
The biggest misconception is that they were a "manufactured" band. People think some record executive saw a gap in the market for Christian metal and put some guys in spandex. That couldn't be further from the truth. The Sweet brothers had been playing together since they were kids. They were a seasoned club band called Roxx Regime before they ever "found their calling."
They were rockers first. The faith came later, and then the mission.
Another myth is that they were "too soft." If you think that, you haven't listened to "More Than a Man." The riff is heavy. The tempo is fast. The energy is aggressive. They were a metal band that happened to have a positive message, not a gospel choir with distortion pedals.
Modern Context: Does It Hold Up?
If you play it for a 20-year-old today, they’ll probably laugh at the hair. But once the music starts? The quality is undeniable. In an age of Auto-Tune and quantized drums, hearing Michael Sweet hit those notes and Robert Sweet play those fills with real human swing is refreshing.
The album’s themes of good vs. evil, struggle, and perseverance are universal. You don't have to be a believer to appreciate the craftsmanship. It’s a snapshot of a time when everything was "more"—more reverb, more hairspray, more ambition.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans
If you're looking to revisit this era or understand why this album was such a big deal, don't just stream the hits. You have to look at the whole package.
- Listen to the deep cuts: "The Rock that Makes Me Roll" shows off their technical speed. It’s a ripper.
- Watch the live footage: Check out videos from the 1987 tour. The stage production was massive, featuring a huge rotating drum riser and enough pyro to start a small fire.
- Compare the production: Listen to To Hell with the Devil back-to-back with other 1986 releases like Master of Puppets or Slippery When Wet. It sits right in the middle of those two extremes.
- Explore the "Yellow and Black Attack": Look into their earlier EP to see the raw version of the band before the big-budget production of 1986.
To Hell with the Devil remains a landmark. It wasn't just a successful Christian record; it was a successful record, period. It challenged the gatekeepers of the metal community and the gatekeepers of the church simultaneously. That’s a rare feat. Whether you're in it for the shredding or the Spirit, you have to give credit where it’s due. Stryper took the devil on, and at least for the duration of this album, they won.