"Let thy words be few" Ecclesiastes 5:2 . Is that possible when it comes to a band like STRYPER? Glam Christian metal strikes back, just 2 years after their release of "Murder by Pride". Their new album entitled as "The Covering", consists only of classic hard rock covers with the exception of "God" ,the 13th track of the album (that will please much the fans). When seeing the name of the songs and bands mentioned in this album I was shocked , amazed and bedazzled by the mixture of music styles. Stryper dare to touch the untouchable! We are talking about bands such as Scorpions, U.F.O, Black Sabbath, Kiss , Deep Purple, Sweet, Kansas, Ozzy , Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin. So I stood like a pillar of salt and started questioning my own faith. Many other bigger bands tried to do the same thing but the result was kinda of a disappointment leaving a sour and bitter taste to the listener. Can this really be or shall I pray to Lord Jesus our savior for help?

STRYPER ,leaving their yellow n' black spandex behind, prove their musical manhood and leave you with your mouth open wide! Having the original line up and Michael Sweet not only as a frontman but also as a producer, the album can surely be characterized with only three words: "IN YOUR FACE"! Just for this once I won't be writing the usual staff like praising the production ,the vocals, the riffs, the (mind-blowing!) harmonies or the musical talent of STRYPER. I will just say that all the above are to be found in "The Covering" and there is no **cking doubt about it! The thing that you have to bear in mind is that this specific tribute album is no ordinary one. Even though the band remains faithful to the original tracks with minor changes in the music or the lyrics they successfully manage to blow new life in them. Yes, it's true I caught myself many times listening to the cover tracks instead of the original ones (I repent!).

STRYPER is the living proof that if you have what it takes, you can create miracles with material that isn't even yours. And all that just by paying homage to the bands that influenced them the most! I am pretty sure that the hand of God was somewhere near when this album was recorded...Recommended not only for fans but also for the non-believers!