To Hell with the Devil

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To Hell with the Devil
Stryper-THWTD-1st.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 24, 1986
StudioMaster Control (Burbank, California)
Genre Glam metal, [1] Christian metal [1]
Length41:10
Label Enigma
Producer Stephan Galfas and Stryper
Stryper chronology
Soldiers Under Command
(1985)
To Hell with the Devil
(1986)
In God We Trust
(1988)
Alternative Cover
Stryper-THWTD.jpg
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Jesus Freak HideoutStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]

To Hell with the Devil is the third studio album by the Christian metal band Stryper, released in 1986. [4] It was the first Christian metal album to achieve platinum status, selling over one million copies. It remained the best-selling Christian metal album until P.O.D.'s Satellite in 2001. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

The album was listed at No. 88 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music . The album was the only heavy metal album on the list. Ian Christe, author of the heavy metal history book Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (2003), mentions To Hell with the Devil in his book as one of the landmarks of the glam metal movement. [8] Throughout 1987, both music videos for "Free" and "Honestly" ranked No. 1 on Dial MTV , the daily MTV list of most requested videos. The first single/video video for "Calling on You" also reached No. 2 on the show. "Honestly" was the biggest single from the record peaking at #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart.

The original artwork depicted four long haired angels (closely resembling the band members) throwing the devil into a fiery pit. The cover was then changed on later pressings to a basic black cover with the Stryper logo and the album title in the center. [9]

According to Michael Sweet's autobiography, as the band started to record the album, Michael felt Tim Gaines wasn't the right bassist for the record. He was replaced by bassist Matt Hurich, who eventually ended up not working out. So session bassist Brad Cobb took Gaines' place while recording the album. However, before the tour began, Sweet asked Gaines to rejoin as he felt it wasn't right performing as "Stryper" without him.

In 2010, HM Magazine listed To Hell with the Devil No. 3 on its Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All Time list stating that "when this album broke, it went multi-platinum, forever raising the ceiling of what heavy Christian music could do." [10] Heaven's Metal fanzine ranked it No. 6 on its Top 100 Christian metal albums of all-time list. [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Sweet, except where noted.

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Abyss (To Hell with the Devil)" 1:21
2."To Hell with the Devil"
4:08
3."Calling on You" 3:59
4."Free"
  • M. Sweet
  • R. Sweet
3:44
5."Honestly" 4:20
6."The Way" Oz Fox 3:37
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Sing-Along Song"4:21
2."Holding On"4:16
3."Rockin' the World"3:30
4."All of Me"3:11
5."More Than a Man"4:35

Personnel

Stryper

Additional musicians

Production

Singles

Videos

Charts

Chart (1986-1987)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [12] 89
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 43
US Billboard 200 [14] 32
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [15] 3

Certifications

Certifications for To Hell with the Devil
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [16] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [17] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal, or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian-themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band-members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by professed Christians, principally for Christians and is often produced and distributed through various Christian networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sweet</span> American singer and guitarist

Michael Harrison Sweet is an American musician; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the metal band Stryper. He has also had a successful solo career, and briefly served as singer and guitarist for Boston from 2007 to 2011.

<i>Soldiers Under Command</i> 1985 studio album by Stryper

Soldiers Under Command is the second release, and first full-length studio album from Christian metal band Stryper, released on August 23, 1985. It was the first Christian metal album to achieve Gold record status, selling more than half a million copies. The album was originally issued on white vinyl. The Live in Japan in-concert video, released in 1986, was filmed on July 8, 1985 during Stryper's tour in support of this album.

<i>The Yellow and Black Attack</i> 1984 EP by Stryper

The Yellow and Black Attack is the debut EP by American Christian metal band Stryper. It was originally released in 1984 as a six-song EP, and fewer than 20,000 copies were pressed, as their label, Enigma Records, was unsure of the potential market for Christian metal. CCM Magazine was slightly critical, citing production quality and the short length of the release, but commented that "Stryper has the promise of a major success story." According to Michael Sweet's autobiography, the album was re-recorded and released as an official album, after their first manager, Daryn Hinton, loaned them $100,000 to re-produce the record. The album initially sold 150,000 units in the first three weeks.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oz Fox</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Gaines</span> Musical artist

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<i>Reborn</i> (Stryper album) 2005 studio album by Stryper

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<i>Against the Law</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Stryper

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<i>No More Hell to Pay</i> 2013 studio album by Stryper

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References

  1. 1 2 "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  2. To Hell with the Devil at AllMusic
  3. Keel, Fred (March 1, 2009). "Stryper, "To Hell with the Devil" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. John DiBiase. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  4. Thompson, John J. (2000), Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll (First printing ed.), Ottawa, Ontario Canada: ECW Press, ISBN   1-55022-421-2 Pages 152-155.
  5. "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - P.O.D. Rejoined By Guitarist MARCOS CURIEL; First Photo Available". Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  6. "Eminem, Nelly, Lavigne Notch New Platinum Marks". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  7. "Jesus Climbs the Charts: The business of Contemporary Christian Music". Religion-online.org. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  8. Christe, Ian (2003), Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (First printing ed.), "10: Glambangers of Hollywood", p. 154. HarperCollins., ISBN   0-380-81127-8
  9. Brett Christensen. "Enigma Vinyl Pressing". stryper.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  10. HM Staff. "Top 100 Christian rock albums". HM Magazine. Open Publishing. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  11. Heaven's Metal Staff. "Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time". HM Magazine. Noise Creep. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  12. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0789". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  14. "Stryper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  15. "Stryper Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  16. "Canadian album certifications – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Music Canada . Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  17. "American album certifications – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 23, 2022.