To Hell with the Devil
To Hell with the Devil | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 24, 1986 | |||
Studio | Master Control (Burbank, California) | |||
Genre | Glam metal,[1] Christian metal[1] | |||
Length | 41:10 | |||
Label | Enigma | |||
Producer | Stephan Galfas and Stryper | |||
Stryper chronology | ||||
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Alternative Cover | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Jesus Freak Hideout | [3] |
To Hell with the Devil is the third studio album by the
The album was listed at No. 88 in the 2001 book,
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 songs written by Michael Sweet except as noted
- "Abyss (To Hell with the Devil)" – 1:21
- "To Hell with the Devil" (M. Sweet, Robert Sweet) – 4:08
- "Calling on You" – 3:59
- "Free" (M. Sweet, R. Sweet) – 3:44
- "Honestly" – 4:10
- "The Way" (Oz Fox) – 3:37
- "Sing-Along Song" – 4:21
- "Holding On" – 4:16
- "Rockin' the World" – 3:30
- "All of Me" – 3:11
- "More Than a Man" – 4:35
Personnel
Stryper
- Michael Sweet – lead vocals, backing vocals, lead guitars, acoustic guitar, arrangements
- Oz Fox – guitars, backing vocals
- Robert Sweet – drums
Additional musicians
- John Van Tongeren – keyboards
- Brad Cobb – bass guitar
Production
- Oz Fox – producer
- Michael Sweet – producer
- Robert Sweet – producer, cover concept
- Stephan Galfas – producer, arrangements, engineer
- Dan Nebanzal – engineer
- Gary Myerberg – technical assistant
- Eddy Schreyer – mastering at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood, California)
- Brian Ayuso – art direction, design
- Ray Brown – costume design
- Annamaria DiSanto – photography
- Anna Revenge – photography
- Neil Zlozower – photography
- Suzan Carson – photography assistant
- Kyle Rae Sweet – make-up artist
- Janice Sweet – management
Singles
- "Free"/"Calling on You" - released February 10, 1987 (Enigma Records 75001)
- "Honestly"/"Sing-Along Song" - released August 10, 1987 (Enigma 75009)
Videos
- "Calling On You"
- "Free"
- "Honestly"
- "All of Me" (on the documentary Stryper: In the Beginning')
Charts
Chart (1986-1987) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] | 89 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 43 |
US Billboard 200[14] | 32 |
US | 3 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- AllMusic
- ^ Keel, Fred (March 1, 2009). "Stryper, "To Hell with the Devil" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. John DiBiase. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ISBN 1-55022-421-2Pages 152-155.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Eminem, Nelly, Lavigne Notch New Platinum Marks". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ^ "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.
- ISBN 0-380-81127-8
- ^ Brett Christensen. "Enigma Vinyl Pressing". stryper.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
- ^ HM Staff. "Top 100 Christian rock albums". HM Magazine. Open Publishing. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ Heaven's Metal Staff. "Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time". HM Magazine. Noise Creep. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0789". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Stryper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Stryper Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Music Canada. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 23, 2022.