Throughout
rock history, all great bands spawn quite a bit of similar-sounding offspring -- and the mighty
Van Halen were no different. Throughout the '80s, a plethora of
VH disciples appeared on the scene -- many of which happened to also hail from the same locale, Hollywood. Musically,
Stryper were quite similar to the
Van Halen boys, but vocally, singer
Michael Sweet was more a kin to
Styx's
Dennis DeYoung. The pairing of both styles won
Stryper a large following, and for a stretch of several years, scored several
MTV hits, all of which are neatly compiled on 2003's
7: The Best of Stryper. While
Stryper's lyrical message did not reflect either the party-hearty (
Moetley Cruee) or the "demonic" (
W.A.S.P.) bands of the era, they were cut from the same musical cloth. As a result,
Stryper were known primarily as a
rock band (
"Soldiers Under Command," "Free," etc.), even though they also specialized in schmaltzy power
ballads (
"Honestly," "Lady," etc.). Also, there was the odd moment when both styles merged, such as
"Calling On You," and
Stryper get credit for the unlikeliest cover tune for a
pop-metal band --
Earth, Wind & Fire's
"Shining Star" (perhaps only outdone by
the Bulletboys tackling
Tom Waits'
"Hang On St. Christopher"). With all the expected favorites included here, the 18-track
7: The Best of Stryper is a much better
Stryper compilation than 1991's paltry
Can't Stop the Rock. ~ Greg Prato
![Greatest Hits [2011]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0859401005189_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits [2011]")
![Ultimate Hits [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602557618440_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Ultimate Hits [Deluxe Edition]")
