Let's Talk '80s Metal

"Say what you want about the 80's but there will never be another era quite like it. Rock & Metal ruled the charts, arenas, magazines, television - the world. We were a part of that moment in music history. Lord willing, maybe we'll be a part of the next big rock movement. Stryper is alive & well!" -- Michael Sweet, Stryper, FB post 24 March 2018

The colors, the light shows, the hair, the outfits, and of course THE MUSIC! While it is true that I love blues, jazz, country, gospel, hymns, classic rock, hard rock, folk, and the pop songs of the '50s through the '80s, it is '80s metal that will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the first music that was truly my own and that I enjoyed in some of the most formative years of my life.

So let's take a look and a listen with some of the bands whose logos are featured here, starting, in no particular order, with Poison.  These guys were just straight up fun.  They had some of the biggest hair in the business, and "Nothin' But A Good Time" could well have been the anthem for the whole decade.

Although there was some bad blood between Poison and Mötley Crüe back in the day, which undoubtedly bumped record sales for both bands, it seems fitting to put them back-to-back here.  There's a lot to choose from in the Mötley catalog, but 1989's "Dr. Feelgood" has it all...the boys at their best and a video full of flames and plot straight out of Miami Vice.

Another anthem for the era could well have been "Cum On  Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot.  It's a song about loud music.  It's a song about noise.  It's a song about cranking those speakers to 11.  What's not to like?

Readers of this blog know how big a Stryper fan I am, and with a new album coming out on April 20, 2018, these guys are not just keeping the great music of the '80s alive but taking to new heights in the 21st century.  Here's the title track to their 1985 album Soldiers Under Command, a favorite for lead singer Michael Sweet and the album that introduced me to the yellow & black army.

I love that in the graphic above Stryper and Whitesnake are next to each other, since Whitesnake was my other favorite band in the '80s.  Their entire body of work, from 1978 onward, is killer blues-rock and metal, but nothing, and I mean nothing, slays quite like "Still of the Night" from their quintuple platinum 1987 album.

Lots of bands have had color words in their names, and White Lion joined the palette in the '80s.  I was fortunate to seem the open for Stryper in Louisville, Kentucky, and remember being blown away the gymnastic performance of bassist James LoMenzo, who went on to play with Michael Sweet on both Sweet & Lynch albums.

'80s metal may have been something of a boys' club, but Vixen proved that the ladies could rock just as hard.  Following the path paved by Heart and Joan Jett, they also showed why relationships were easier in the '80s...guys and girls could share Aqua Net!

Now, I've had a taste for the blues ever since I first started listening to rock, and no one plays blues-rock/metal better than Cinderella.  Once again I was fortunate to see them live when they opened for Bon Jovi in the spring of '87.  "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" from their sophomore album Long Cold Winter showcases Tom Keifer's unique, gravel-filled vocals at their peak.

Is there any song from the metallic '80s that has been played, sampled, used, and even mocked more than Europe's "The Final Countdown?"  Who cares!  It's a classic, and for some reason I will always connect it with a college visit to Indiana University when I was a senior in high school and was planning what classes I would take.  I must have been listening to it a lot then, and it sure takes me back.

I've always been a big Twisted Sister fan, and "We're Not Gonna Take It" is a straight up metal anthem.  It also connects with a special memory for me.  When I was in high school, some guys from the grade ahead of me had a band called Storm Front and they played this during one of our Latin Club meetings!

There are, of course, countless more great metal and rock songs from the '80s.  Share favorites and leave a link to the videos in the comments below.  As for me, if I ever get around to writing a will, I am going to insist that those who attend my funeral listen to a playlist of my favorites!

Sweet & Lynch: Unified

There was a time when I thought there was no more good, new music.  I even used to joke that "the day the music died" did not refer to the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, but December 31, 1989, for once we left the '80s, there was nothing good anymore in the musical world.  That was, of course, an exaggeration, but let's face it.  There comes a time when many of us stop listening to new material and just replay our favorite albums over and over.  The 21st century, however, has seen a rebirth of some great rock music, and the latest testament is the sophomore release from Sweet & Lynch.

Their 2015 debut, Only To Rise, was a solid record, but their new album, Unified, simply blows it and many others out of the water.  Michael Sweet (Stryper, Boston), George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Dokken), James LoMenzo (White Lion, Megadeth), and Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Whitesnake) have returned tighter than ever.  Their individual efforts mesh on this album, and they simply sound comfortable together, a fact that gives the album its defining characteristic, creativity.  I have never heard an album that experiments as much as this one from track to track, and those experiments pay off, yielding music that is intensely interesting and that makes you want to keep the album on repeat.

The opening track, "Promised Land," forms a clear bridge with the last album.  In fact, it could well have been on Only To Rise and has much in common with that album's title track melodically and rhythmically.  After listening to it, you say, "Okay.  Sounds good.  Pretty much as I expected.  What's next?"  And that's where things get interesting and take off.

Track 2, called "Walk," is unlike anything these guys are known for in their other bands.  It is certainly unlike anything Michael Sweet has ever sung.  It opens with a funky rhythm followed by Michael's rapid fire vocals that recall Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on "Hard To Handle."  Early comments on this song based on the video likened it to Queen, and that is clearly evident in the chorus. After two verses and twice through the chorus, things change again for a tasty solo from George Lynch that is again evocative of Queen, yet at the 3:14 mark we hear a throwback to "Under The Bridge" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  From there, it is back to a big, Queenesque finish.

At this point, any first-time listener should be wondering what is going on and curious for the next track, for it is clear that this album is not going to sound as if each song were cut from the same mold.  And if curiosity killed the cat, it is probably because the cat tripped and fell as it stumbled into the dark metal of the third song, "Afterlife."  It is dark, heavy, and sludgy.  Oh, and did I say it is dark?  It features a slow rhythm that, when it does accelerate, moves into a swagger and then back into slow...what's the word I'm looking for...darkness.

It is well known that I'm a huge Michael Sweet fan, but these opening three songs display an amazing talent.  The lyrics are wildly different as are his vocal styles, and he pulls each one off with great success.  For someone who has enjoyed his metal screams for years, "Walk" and "Afterlife" are delicious treats.

"Make Your Mark," the fourth track, returns to the familiar Sweet & Lynch of the first album and Michael's aggressive screams, although at the 2:07 mark his vocals call to mind Steven Tyler from "Sweet Emotion."

A slow, country/southern-rock groove opens track 5, "Tried & True," and turns into a melody that would have stood well alongside Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye."  In fact, you could well imagine this playing at the high school dance or in the car as you and your date hung out after the football game.  It takes you back to a simpler time and is quite a lovely tune.

And speaking of taking you back in time, the title track, "Unified" comes up next and does just that.  While Sweet & Lynch is without a doubt a rock outfit built on the solid guitar work of George Lynch, it is the subtle, almost ethereal keyboard floating above the verses that conjures up images of big hair, Aqua Net, and spandex, and for this Roman Rocker, that always fits the bill.

Is it the theme song to a 1970's sci-fi film?  No, that's just the intro to "Find Your Way," the seventh song, but despite prompting us to imagine George and Michael dressing like Space Ace Frehley, this one is again solidly in the vein of Sweet & Lynch's first album with thundering vocals and good, meat-and-potatoes guitar work.

"Heart of Fire," track 8, is a true sing-along song.  Great harmonies on the chorus bring this one home, and by this point in the album, you've pretty much stopped paying attention to whatever else you were doing and have just settled back into the music.  But at the 2:39 mark, you look at your device or record player with a "what is that?" expression on your face as George Lynch takes off on a solo that goes in an unexpected direction.

Track 9, "Bridge of Broken Lies," could have been a Michael Sweet solo number.  In both music and lyrics, it sounds as if it could have come from his 2014 album I'm Not Your Suicide.  A slow number that explores the pain of broken relationships, it is a solid rocker that really opens up with Lynch's solo in a blues-rock groove.

Dark and foreboding that explodes with wailing guitar.  That's what you get with the opening of the tenth song, "Better Man."  And then comes another surprise, for this is a love song.  Again there is the '80s-inspired keyboard and driving, child-of-the-'80s rhythm and guitar wail.

The final number, "Live To Die," opens with a straightforward rock drum and guitar attack, but when the vocals kick in, you would swear you were in 2005 and listening to a lost recording for Stryper's Reborn album for the first two minutes.  The solo that enters at that point gives you the Sweet & Lynch vibe from their first album, and then shifts again at the 3:00 mark to sound like a Michael Sweet trademark guitar assault.

This is an album for music lovers, and by that I mean it is a project that those who are genuinely interested in the making of music will enjoy.  It experiments.  It plays with different sounds from what we are used to from these musicians.  It mixes things up, proudly reveals its roots in other eras and styles of music, and creates something new.  This is what music making is all about, and this what musicians, not merely entertainers, seek to do.

As I said before, I'm a huge Michael Sweet fan, but it is not for that reason that I note this is his project.  Yes, George, James, and Brian brought their tremendous talents to the table, but if you watch any of the behind-the-scenes videos (here, here, and here) you will see just how much Michael was the ringmaster of this musical circus.  These are some of his most interesting and heartfelt lyrics to date, his vocals in even this wide range of styles are spot on, and his ability to arrange and get the sounds he is looking for all add up to one thing.  The guy is a serious musician who has aged better than a fine wine, and when you put musicians the likes of George, James, and Brian in the same studio with him, the result is fantastic music for the serious and discerning listener.

Stryped History

R.E.M. once had an album titled Life's Rich Pageant.  I think of that phrase whenever I reflect on the wildly different threads, so intricately woven, that form the tapestry of life, and yes, I know I am mixing metaphors here.  Can there be only one metaphor to capture the complex beauty of human life?  How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand indeed.

Part of my life's rich pageant involves classic rock, hard rock, and heavy metal.  I love these kinds of music.  Nothing else even comes close.  Okay, blues comes close.  And some country.  And the classic hymns.  Gotta love the '80s pop, too.  Throw in some Motown and ballads while you're at it and don't forget the crooners.  But on a regular basis, it is the sounds of rock and metal that blast through my speakers as I drive to and from school each day.

A dream came true recently when I interviewed Michael Sweet, founder and lead singer/guitarist of Stryper and Sweet & Lynch and also a former member of Boston.  Yeah, that's right, a high school Latin teacher got to interview one of his rock heroes, a guy who has enjoyed multi-platinum success and tours to millions around the world.

Back up the story to around 1985.  My youth minister, John Cutshall, introduced me to a cassette tape of Soldiers Under Command by a Christian metal band called Stryper, and I went to Beethoven's, the music store in Greentree Mall in Clarksville, Indiana, and purchased it.  It went straight into my Sony Walkman and hardly left.  Okay, I did put it in my boom box so I could play it for my grandma one Sunday.  I told her it was church music.  The point is, I was hooked and immediately went back to Beethoven's to get their debut album, The Yellow And Black Attack.

When I bought their album To Hell With The Devil in 1986, I had no idea I was getting such a rare treasure by purchasing the cassette with the controversial "angel" cover that was quickly replaced for later issues.  This album led to one of the iconic rock poster's of the '80s gracing my bedroom door and my first rock concert ever when I saw the band perform in Louisville, Kentucky.

When Stryper released their fourth and fifth albums, In God We Trust and Against The Law, I snapped them up as fast as I could get to College Mall in Bloomington, Indiana.  Studying to become a Latin teacher at Indiana University for many reasons, including my introduction to cable television and MTV, which played videos by Stryper, Whitesnake, and Bon Jovi and even had a show dedicated to the greatest musical form on the planet called Headbangers Ball.  The Stryper albums I purchased in those years were on the still relatively new format of the compact disc, which meant hair metal in all its digital glory cranked to 11.

And then came the long cold winter.  The band pursued other projects, and it was not until 2003 that I, as a now married man and father, found a new Stryper CD.  It was staring at me from the music rack at Wal-Mart in Westfield, Indiana, and was a compilation with a couple of new tracks.  Was Stryper back on the scene?  A year later saw the release of 7 Weeks:  Live In America, a live album from a tour the previous year that ranks with Deep Purple's famous album Made In Japan as my favorite live recording.  Something was up.  It seemed that Stryper indeed was making a comeback, and that was proved accurate from 2005 to the present.

Since that live album, the band has put out Reborn, The Roxx Regime Demos, Murder By Pride, The Covering, Second Coming, No More Hell To Pay, Live At The Whisky, and Fallen.  During that time Michael Sweet has continued his solo projects, done a stint with Boston, and formed Sweet & Lynch with George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), James LoMenzo (White Lion), and Brian Tichy (Whitesnake).

After nearly twenty years, I saw Stryper again playing an acoustic show in Pekin, Illinois, in 2014.  I met up with my own former Latin teacher and now colleague, Marcene Farley, and took my son to his first rock concert.  As we waited to enter the venue, Michael came out to meet the crowd, and Marcene got his attention.  I was like a kid myself as my son and I got our pictures with him.  Later that night as the band members tossed Bibles to crowd, I yelled to drummer Robert Sweet, and he tossed one directly to me.  Since then I have seen Stryper twice in fully electric shows and have seen Michael perform solo twice as well.

The first time I saw Michael Sweet play a solo show, I was with my friend Dr. Brad Oliver, an education leader in our state and a huge Stryper fan.  We met Michael afterward, and I gave him a copy of the lyrics to their 1985 hit "Soldiers Under Command" that I had a translated into Latin.  Shortly afterward, he tweeted out a picture of it, and earlier this year he autographed a copy for me.

And that brings us to the present.  When I knew I was going to attend Michael's solo show in Richmond, Indiana, I reached out to him and asked if I could interview him.  Amazingly, he messaged right back and said yes!  I was so excited!

Michael Sweet is a humble and honest man.  His faith in Christ makes him who he is, which is pretty amazing given his incredible talent.  The world is filled with people who elevate themselves, but Michael is a down-to-earth guy and the real deal.  So check out the time a Latin teacher got to interview a rock star!