OMIGOSH...New Stryper Album Title

Stryper have really outdone themselves this time...at least in the album title department.

Read the Blabbermouth Article here.

Is this a joke?!?

There's no indication it's a joke. Michael posted the lyrics to the title track to give the term some context. I mean, we knew Stryper had a tendency to go for shock value...but this is a whole new level haha.

It's all over Facebook and there are lyrics posted, so no.

Personally after having read the lyrics I get it.  It's To Hell With the Devil taken to the next level.  That said, I'll have trouble saying the title out loud.

On the cover itself, it's their third straight blue/yellow theme.  Consistent or sameness?

The article also says Perry didn't play on it.  How many Stryper albums has every member played their part on?

I love it.

eatbugs wrote:It's all over Facebook and there are lyrics posted, so no.

Personally after having read the lyrics I get it.  It's To Hell With the Devil taken to the next level.  That said, I'll have trouble saying the title out loud.

On the cover itself, it's their third straight blue/yellow theme.  Consistent or sameness?

The article also says Perry didn't play on it.  How many Stryper albums has every member played their part on?

If they keep with tradition, Tim will tour with them.

I'm gonna go ahead and coin the term "GDE" to refer to the album.

I have no problems with the album title. Maybe it's the law student in me, but I'm really a person who likes the precise meaning of words. And in this case, when taken literally (as it should be), the album title is something for which I pray frequently (albeit more elaborate).

I know it can be taken as a profanity, and those words are used like that frequently. But I'm not gonna let abusers of God's Name rob certain words and expressions from their meaning.

Andreas89 wrote:I have no problems with the album title. Maybe it's the law student in me, but I'm really a person who likes the precise meaning of words. And in this case, when taken literally (as it should be), the album title is something for which I pray frequently (albeit more elaborate).

I know it can be taken as a profanity, and those words are used like that frequently. But I'm not gonna let abusers of God's Name rob certain words and expressions from their meaning.

Cool, man, I'm a law student too. 

Yeah, I have no problem listening to it in context, though like eatbugs I'm struggling just to say the words out loud. While I understand the sentiment, I have never prayed "God, please damn evil for me." They're obviously doing it to shock since it at least sounds blaspemous...which I'm not sure is the wisest move. But hey hopefully the controversy is at least somewhat positive, and maybe some non-Christians will think it's hilarious and give it a listen just for that.

Maybe they've been reading the imprecatory Psalms.

Dumb question but, Where are the lyrics posted?

TMLMKE wrote:Dumb question but, Where are the lyrics posted?

On Stryper's facebook page, in the comments of their new post regarding the album.

We power up the empty screen
And let the games begin
Far beyond it's poisoning
Is a special kind of sin

We open locks
And break the chains
To let the devil in
We're losing all of what remains
In a war we'll never win
A war that never ends

(Chorus)
God Damn Evil
God Damn it all
God save The People
But God Damn The Walls

Self control is all but gone
The weak time after time
Take the bait and break the bond
But never pay the crime

The only saving grace is love
And we know where that lies
It's what we feel unworthy of
So we don't claim the prize
We never claim the prize.....

(Chorus)
God Damn Evil
God Damn it all
God save The People
But God Damn The Walls

Friday13th wrote:

TMLMKE wrote:Dumb question but, Where are the lyrics posted?

On Stryper's facebook page, in the comments of their new post regarding the album.

Just read the lyrics thanks for telling me where to find them.

Adolf Hitler was born April 20th, I wonder if this is purely coincidental or on purpose

Accoring to the internet, so was Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf.

Friday13th wrote:There's no indication it's a joke. Michael posted the lyrics to the title track to give the term some context. I mean, we knew Stryper had a tendency to go for shock value...but this is a whole new level haha.

Wow I really thought it was a joke!  This is going to sound harsher than I intend it to be... but the title is something I'd expect from a one-man-bedroom-"unblack"-metal project of some teenage kid who just discovered Horde and is trying to be "edgy".  As for shock-value, I foresee only Christians being shocked by it and there will be a bunch of in-fighting over the title but I doubt it'll make much of a splash in the secular crowd.  Time will tell though.  I've never been a Stryper fan but from what I can put together, musically their latest albums have all been very good, so who knows!

I don't quite understand the intention behind the lyrics.  If they're using "damn" literally as in "to condemn someone to hell", then why are the walls included here too?  Huh.

Kerrick wrote:

Friday13th wrote:There's no indication it's a joke. Michael posted the lyrics to the title track to give the term some context. I mean, we knew Stryper had a tendency to go for shock value...but this is a whole new level haha.

Wow I really thought it was a joke!  This is going to sound harsher than I intend it to be... but the title is something I'd expect from a one-man-bedroom-"unblack"-metal project of some teenage kid who just discovered Horde and is trying to be "edgy".  As for shock-value, I foresee only Christians being shocked by it and there will be a bunch of in-fighting over the title but I doubt it'll make much of a splash in the secular crowd.  Time will tell though.  I've never been a Stryper fan but from what I can put together, musically their latest albums have all been very good, so who knows!

I don't quite understand the intention behind the lyrics.  If they're using "damn" literally as in "to condemn someone to hell", then why are the walls included here too?  Huh.

You hit the nail on the head regarding why the shock is gonna have negative effects, Kerrick. I agree, regardless of it being right or not, it's a shame it allows non-christians to peer into conflict over such a small issue. Oh well. I saw one guy say "Why not 'God Damns Evil'?" Oh, to think the controversy could have been avoided with a little "s"! 

It's all for shock value, which I find hilarious

Its funny and disappointing that there are fans they are alienating and pissing off because of it, I agree not much shock secular-ly but all it does is encourage fighting among Christians, which is funny and terrible at the same time

I am excited to pre-order this one!!!!!!

I'm here in Australia not understanding what the fuss over the title is.

We don't have the same issues using the word damn.

I find that the uproar over what essentially amounts to semantics makes me chuckle ironically a bit.  then I think about it more, gnash my teeth at it all, and go full on "Don Music".....

1. Context is everything. If they did an album titled “Anti-Christ” it means something different than if Slayer used the same name. We can choose to give Stryper the benefit of the doubt on this one.
2. People on FACEBOOK are whining about commas. As if “God, Damn Evil” was a better title.
3. The song seems to be about porn. I can understand a controversial topic like that moving an artist to extremes. Christians are indeed supposed to hate evil.
4. The album artwork indicates judgment on mankind for all types of evil. While final judgment is a future reality, it’s not something a believer looks forward to or asks for.
5. While various painters have attempted to portray God the Father in art over the centuries, I don’t think it’s the type of thing God likes. Some even say the second commandment tells you to not even try. You end up with something that looks more Greek god than the indescribable Yahweh.
6. The 3rd commandment is not to use the name of God in vain. One can argue the album title falls in this category.
7. However we know from album number 5 that Stryper is “Against the Law” , so keeping the 10 Commandments is not their priority. Maybe that makes points 5 and 6 moot.
8. This is all about artistic freedom and shock value.
9. I’m no hypocrite — I buy tons of secular music and got no problem buying this as well. BUT...
10. I don’t put Stryper on some pedestal and grade them by impossible standards none of us can meet. They are a BAND. They are just people running a business. Some folks can’t handle that....

Jeff Godwin and Dial The Truth Ministries is going to have a field day with this one lol. Seriously though I think this could be a mistake for the band but who knows. The in fighting is going to be insane I can already imagine my cousin back home preparing his Sunday sermon on this and other churches doing the same. That isn't going to help them one bit but they've made it clear before the church and Christians aren't who they are going after anyway. I'm confused about how I feel about the title I'm more shocked than offended cause I kinda sorta understand the context. Hope it works out though as always the art work is amazing

After a little more thought that I probably would be better off not expending my energy on.....the whole "issue" reminds me of my teenage years, my "1980's Baptist" upbringing, and the yearly week long "youth camp" I attended.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely TREASURE most of those memories.  The "good times" from those days ABSOLUTELY made me who I am today, and even with the "bad memories", I wouldn't change a single thing about it....

But I can't help somehow equating this "controversy" with the time I was 16-17 years old, at Camp.....and they had a "preaching contest" for campers. ( No joke, kids in their mid teens would "preach" on things, with judging, scoring, and "winner" when it was all said and done...I'm almost 43 now, and I'm still a little bit confused by it all....)

I remember a time, don't remember the kid's name....but I remember VERY CLEARLY at one point around 1992 or so, the statement "I believe in a short haired Jesus!" being made to absolutely uproarious cheers.....and all I could do was bury my head in my hands in the "ultimate facepalm"......Maybe it's not really some sort of "equivalent" thing....but my brain draws the comparison nonetheless.....

Now, 25-30 years later, this (IMO, of course...), this stuff is somehow still an issue for people...

Quit nitpicking the details of how Michael Sweet operates his band, and go out there and BE the representative of Christ this world needs to see, people.  Help someone see Truth....it's SO much more important than having or creating an issue with a "Rock Star" over the way they choose to draw "mainstream" attention to the message......

They should of just called the record Basket Of Puppues