''Reborn'' is the ninth release, and sixth album, from the

Christian metal 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 ...

band

Stryper Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums). Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...

, and the first full-length album of new material since '' Against the Law'' in 1990. Reborn was slated to be a

Michael Sweet Michael Harrison Sweet (born July 4, 1963) is a singer and guitarist from Whittier, California; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He's also had a successful solo career, and briefly ...

solo record, but after their reunion tour, Sweet played it for the other members, at which time Oz Fox suggested it should be a Stryper record. So the other members came in and learned their parts from the original demos. Sweet says in his autobiography, ''Honestly: My Life and Stryper Revealed'', that he convinced Big3 Records, which had signed him for a solo release, to make it a Stryper record deal. Thus, ''Reborn'' became the first all-original Stryper record in 15 years. The sound of the album is more contemporary compared to their previous records. It is also heavier and has influences of

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

. The sound has been cited as more mature than their previous material, "less glam and more filling", according to one reviewer. This is the first album recorded by the band with new bass guitar player

Tracy Ferrie Tracy Ferrie is an American musician, who is the current bass player for the classic rock band Boston and was the former bass player of Christian metal band Stryper. Biography Ferrie grew up in Northern Indiana where he was encouraged by his hi ...

. ''Reborn'' was released with a variety of cover art, depending on format and region. The alternate US cover art was created for record outlets (such as Christian bookstores) where the original cover art may have been perceived as too disturbing or offensive.

Track listing

All tracks written by Michael Sweet, except where noted. #"Open Your Eyes" - 4:02 #"Reborn" - 3:27 #"When Did I See You Cry" (M. Sweet, David Johnson) - 3:35 #"Make You Mine" - 4:01 #"Passion" - 3:48 #"Live Again" - 3:30 #"If I Die" - 3:22 #"Wait for You" - 3:43 #"Rain" (Paul Heusman, M. Sweet) - 3:45 #" 10,000 Years" (Public domain, M. Sweet) - 3:15 #"I.G.W.T." (M. Sweet, Robert Sweet) - 3:17 "I.G.W.T." is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of the band's previous song "In God We Trust" from the album of the same name.

Personnel

Stryper *

– lead vocals, guitars, arrangements *

Oz Fox Richard Alfonso Martinez (born June 18, 1961), better known by the stage name Oz Fox, is the lead guitarist of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. Martinez' high school friends called him ''Oz'' in honor of Ozzy Osbourne due to his ability t ...

– guitars, backing vocals *

– bass, backing vocals * Robert Sweet – drums Additional musicians * Kenny Lewis – keyboards, programming, loops * Peter Vantine – keyboards, programming, orchestrations * Lou Spagnola – bass (2, 5, 10) *

Derek Kerswill M. Kerswill (born April 5, 1973 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American musician best known for his drumming in the bands Unearth, Seemless, Kingdom of Sorrow, and multiple fill-ins/studio projects. He was also invited to play in the heavy meta ...

– drums, drum loops * Alan Magnus – additional backing vocals

Production

* Bill Edwards – executive producer * Michael Sweet – producer, arrangements, mixing, tracking * Kenny Lewis – producer, mixing, tracking, Pro Tools engineer * Will Sandals – tracking * Peter Vantine – tracking *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering * Doug Circle – art direction * Richie "Britley" Hughes – art direction * Stephen Stickler – photography * Deep South Entertainment – management Studios * Recorded at Blue Jay Studios (Carlisle, Massachusetts); Mixed Emotions (Middleton, Massachusetts); Vantine Studios (Stoneham, Massachusetts). * Pro Tools engineering at MSP Studios (Bourne, Massachusetts). * Mixed at Mixed Emotions * Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).

References

{{Authority control 2005 albums Stryper albums