Stryper - In God We Trust

Released in 1988

When I was a teen I owned all of the Stryper albums, and although I enjoyed them all, In God We Trust was my clear favorite. Many years later (too many!), I still have a soft spot in my heart for this album, even though To Hell With the Devil was probably a slightly superior album.

After Stryper's previous release reached platinum status in sales the band set forth to give fans more of what they wanted: radio friendly pop-metal. And while In God We Trust did not reach the same level of sales as their preceding album, the band's efforts were successful since the album received regular airplay and reached gold in sales.

Fans expecting the same level of intensity as their previous three albums may be in for a bit of a disappointment because Stryper clearly lowered the tempo a bit on most of the tracks. In addition the production has been polished even further, to the point where In God We Trust has been brushed with a pop sheen. While that wasn't a problem for me, some hair metal fans may not appreciate the band's diversion into the realms of AOR.

The reason I enjoy this album so much is the band really kicked their vocal harmonizing into overdrive. Incorporating layered vocals into a song is a relatively uncommon art in the music world nowadays, and often when it is attempted the results are off-balance. Stryper not only dared to harmonize… they did so with the proficiency of a master.

Some of the album highlights are:

In God We Trust – This title track shows that although the band's work was glossier on this album, they still knew how to lay down racing riffs and sonic bliss.
Always There For You – A luscious mid-tempo rocker featuring uplifting lyrics and the harmonized vocals that I spoke of earlier. Pure ear candy that should not be missed.
Lonely – An enthralling ballad with just the right amount of twin-guitars.

So all these years later it's come down to this: if I'm in the mood for pure hair metal, I'll usually pull out Soldiers Under Command or To Hell With the Devil since they both possess more intensity and aggression. But if I'm in the mood for lush pop-metal that places beauty before force (though still rocks hard), In God We Trust remains my favorite.

Rating: 9 stars

Track List

In God We Trust
Always There for You
Keep the Fire Burning
I Believe in You
The Writing's on the Wall
It's up 2 U
The World of You and I
Come to the Everlife
Lonely
The Reign

Additional Resources:

Music Sitemap

Wondering if the Netflix service is all
it's cracked up to be? Read our
detailed review and find out!