Stryper's songwriting fails to ascend on When We Were Kings

Veteran Christian rockers Stryper haven’t changed much since their hairy heyday in the 80s.

Their messaging is a little more nuanced than on early albums To Hell With The Devil and In God We Trust , but their faith in the Lord – and in old-school metal – remains unshakable. And their line-up still includes three original members: Michael Sweet on guitar and vocals, his brother Robert on drums, and Oz Fox on second guitar.

This twelfth studio album is delivered with total conviction and age-defying energy, and Michael still sings his songs of praise like an overexcited Dennis DeYoung. It’s only in the songwriting that they come up short.

The title track and Rhyme Of Time are mighty rock anthems, though, and there’s a melodic finesse in Grateful and (the poorly punctuated) Loves Symphony . But a bunch of predictable, generic numbers proves that even the most fervent of believers can run out of divine inspiration.