While The Yellow and Black Attack! earned Stryper a fair amount of publicity, it was Soldiers Under Command that put the band on the map commercially. The album went gold, and Stryper became a major hit on MTV without abandoning its Christian message. Glossy yet intense pop-metal like “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” and “Surrender” definitely promotes Christianity, but does so without condemning non-Christians or pointing the finger at other religions. Ironically, one of lead singer Michael Sweet’s influences is Rob Halford of Judas Priest — although Stryper and the Priest have little in common lyrically. Like The Yellow and Black Attack!, Soldiers Under Command is decent when it comes to up-tempo songs, but weak when it comes to ballads. “First Love” and “Together as One” demonstrate that all too often, Stryper’s ballads were much too sugary for their own good. – Alex Henderson
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