“The Covering” is the new studio album by the white metallers Stryper and if you haven’t figured it out by the title, this a tribute record to some of the bands and songs that influenced and shaped the musical taste of the Stryper members. It is essentially a well-balanced mixture of classic, hard n’ heavy 70s and 80s outfits while the selection of the songs may seem at first thrived or detrimental but these are some of the most beloved rock songs of all time. Just take a look at some of them (and, needless to add that I won’t even mention the names of the bands that first recorded the song): “The Trooper”, “Heaven and Hell”, “Breaking The Law”, “Highway Star”, “Blackout”, “Lights Out”, “Over The Mountain”, “Shout It Out Loud” etc.
Stryper remains, more or less, truthful to the first version while of special notice are the superb backing vocals and the excellent quality of the production work. We should, also, point down that there is a new Stryper song in there called “God” and that this was the first time after almost 20 years that the classic line-up of Michael and Robert Sweet, Oz Fox and Tim Gaines got together in the studio.
Highlight: Michael Sweet outdoes himself on the cover version of The Scorpions’ “Blackout”. Superb vocals…
