A departure in look, a statement in sound — this classic continues to resonate.
Last month, I was watching ESPN and scrolling through my phone. Then I see that Against the Law from STRYPER turned 35 years old that day. WHAT?!
This one is special for me because I did my usual: buy the CD, dub it onto a tape for Walkman duty, and then walk EVERYWHERE with it blasting in my ears. And while the image was a departure from their earlier works, there’s no denying the music was as vital as anything in their canon at the time. These songs leap out and cling to you like an alien face-hugger.
The title track kicks things off with something pretty great, while “Two Time Woman” and “Rock the People” fueled countless miles on foot. But the star of the show for me is “Two Bodies (One Mind One Soul),” with Michael Sweet slaying the vocal like his life depends on it and the band providing the perfect backdrop.
Switching gears, STRYPER channels their inner VAN HALEN with “Not That Kind of Guy” while still keeping it clean. Their cover of “Shining Star” was a headscratcher as a lead single, but hey — the die was cast.
“Ordinary Man” rips without giving an inch, while “Lady” continues the tradition of STRYPER delivering ballads that land like a home run derby swing. The one-two punch of “Caught in the Middle” and “All for One” shows off a hungrier, heavier side of the band, while closer “Rock the Hell Out of You” takes that energy and runs it down like a squirrel in a drainpipe.
Long story short? Against the Law is an absolutely excellent STRYPER album — one I’ve been blasting since 1990. Thirty-five years later, nothing’s changed.
—THE MAESTRO
