Stryper have been at this for 43 years, and the question that follows any band that old is whether they’re still moving or just collecting the check. This summer the evidence tips toward the former: Throne of Thorns, their 18th studio album, drops September 25 on Frontiers Music, and the Texas run — Arlington on Thursday, Houston on Friday, San Antonio on Sunday — is a preview leg before the fall cycle starts in earnest.
The Aztec Theatre is a sensible fit. The 1,477-cap theater on St. Mary’s has the bones for a band whose whole presentation — the black-and-yellow, the Bible throws into the crowd, Michael Sweet’s ear-splitting upper register — was always theatrical before it was anything else. Clubs are too small now; a big arena would swallow the specificity. The Aztec sits in the right range.
The lineup has been stable through the post-reunion years: Michael Sweet on lead vocals and guitar, Robert Sweet on drums, Oz Fox on guitar, Perry Richardson on bass. Sweet, on the title track: “Heavy yet melodic, classic yet modern, and 100% Stryper.” That’s the pitch. Eleven tracks are recorded; how many preview cuts they work into the setlist before the album drops is the live question for anyone turning up Sunday.
Support is Hedras Ramos, which is worth noting. The Guatemalan-born guitarist has built a reputation around a head-spinning combination of shred metal, jazz, trap, and EDM — the kind of player who gets cited by other musicians before the general public catches up. He’s performed with Steve Vai and was personally selected by Axl Rose to open Guns N’ Roses in Guatemala. Arrive early.
Doors for an 8:00 PM start. Tickets run from approximately $39. VIP meet-and-greet packages — soundcheck access, individual band photo, autographed 8×10, exclusive gift item — are $127.77 plus fees, with concert tickets sold separately.