Murder by Pride
| Murder by Pride | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Stryper | ||||
| Released | July 21, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
| Genre | Christian metal,[1] heavy metal | |||
| Length | 45:45 | |||
| Label | Big 3 | |||
| Producer | Michael Sweet | |||
| Stryper chronology | ||||
| ||||
Murder by Pride is the twelfth release and seventh studio album by Stryper. The first single for the album, "Peace of Mind", debuted at No. 27 on Christianrock.net on October 24, 2008 and peaked at 1 on February 22, 2009. The track is a cover version, originally performed by rock band Boston on its debut 1976 self-titled album. Michael Sweet was a touring member of Boston for several years, before parting ways amicably in 2011.
Starting May 5, the band announced to release a song per week on iTunes up until July 21. As each new song was released, the previous one would no longer be available until the full album was released.[2]
Robert Sweet did not play on the album since he lost the CD that had the demos on it and he wasn't able to learn the material in time for recording. According to Michael Sweet it would have taken 7–10 days longer to record the drums with Robert but they didn't have the time or the budget to do so. As a result, the drum parts were provided by Kenny Aronoff and only took 3 days to record.[3] However, Robert Sweet was present on the tour that supported the album, as well as the commemoration of Stryper's 25th anniversary.
Stylistically, Michael Sweet has commented, that "after years of speaking to fans and hearing comments like 'more guitars,' 'more solos' and 'more screams,' I decided to keep those suggestions in mind as I wrote each song. It was important to me to try to get back to that early sound of STRYPER yet at the same time, to remain relevant today. It's certainly not an easy thing to do, but as I listen to Murder by Pride, I think that was accomplished."[2]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |  [4] |
The album debuted on the following Billboard charts:
- No. 73 on the Billboard 200
- No. 32 on Rock Albums
- No. 2 on Christian Albums
- No. 13 on Independent Albums
- No. 11 on Hard Rock Albums
Track listing
All tracks written by Michael Sweet, except "Peace of Mind", written by Tom Scholz.
- Eclipse of the Son - 5:05
- 4 Leaf Clover - 3:41
- Peace of Mind (Boston cover) - 3:59
- Alive - 3:36
- The Plan - 3:11
- Murder by Pride - 3:18
- Mercy Over Blame - 4:10
- I Believe - 3:43
- Run in You - 4:15
- Love is Why - 4:08
- Everything - 4:25
- My Love (I'll Always Show) - 3:15
| International bonus tracks[5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Track listing | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "My Love My Life My Flame" | |
| Japanese bonus tracks[6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Track listing | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "Loud 'N' Clear" (Live 2003) | |
| 14. | "Winter Wonderland" (Live 2003) | |
Personnel
Stryper
- Michael Sweet - lead vocals, guitar
- Oz Fox - lead guitar, background vocals
- Tracy Ferrie - bass guitar
- Robert Sweet - drums
Additional musicians
- Paul McNamara - piano, keyboards
- Danny Bernini - percussion
Session musicians
- Kenny Aronoff - drums [7]
Guest musicians
- Tom Scholz - guitar on "Peace of Mind"
Notes
- 1 2 AllMusic review
- 1 2 STRYPER: New Song Posted Online - May 5, 2009. Blabbermouth.net
- ↑ http://www.sleazeroxx.com/interviews/michaelsweet2.shtml
- ↑ "Stryper, "Murder by Pride" Review". Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ "Murder by Pride [Bonus Track] - Stryper - Release Info - AllMusic". Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ "Murder By Pride". Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ Komodo Rock