Against the Law is the fifth release, and fourth full-length album, from the Christian metal

Christian metal

Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...

 band Stryper

Stryper

Stryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...

, released on August 21, 1990 (see 1990 in music

1990 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze...

).

This album marked a radical change in the musical and visual direction of the band. Gone were the yellow and black spandex

Spandex

Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...

 outfits, the bold evangelical lyrics and the familiar yellow-and-black band logo with Isaiah 53:5. In their place were leather outfits, and lyrics more focused on rock n' roll and relationships, although arguably from a Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 worldview. The album was praised by many critics as the band's strongest work to date, but a large percentage of Stryper's Christian fanbase felt betrayed by this unannounced creative metamorphosis, and many of them accused Stryper of selling out their image and message for greater mainstream acceptance. As a result, Against the Law sold poorly compared to the band's previous gold and platinum releases.

"Shining Star" is a heavy metal cover of the classic Earth, Wind and Fire song.

Track listing

All songs by Michael Sweet except where noted

1. "Against the Law" – 3:49
2. "Two Time Woman" – 3:40
3. "Rock the People" – 3:34
4. "Two Bodies (One Mind, One Soul)" – 5:17
5. "Not That Kind of Guy" – 3:59
6. "Shining Star" (Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White) – 4:22
7. "Ordinary Man" – 3:51
8. "Lady" – 4:53
9. "Caught in the Middle" – 3:48
10. "All for One" – 4:31
11. "Rock the Hell Out of You" – 3:35

Stryper

• Michael Sweet
  Michael Sweet
  Michael Sweet is a singer from Whittier, California, United States. Sweet is best known as co-founder, writer and frontman of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. He was also one of the two lead vocalists and one of three guitarists for Boston until August 2011.-Youth:He began his musical career...
  
   – Lead vocals, guitar
• Oz Fox
  Oz Fox
  Richard Alfonso Martinez , better known by the stage name Oz Fox, is the lead guitarist of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. Martinez's high school friends called him Oz in honor of Ozzy Osbourne due to his ability to emulate the vocals of Osbourne while playing Black Sabbath covers in his...
  
   – Lead guitar, background vocals
• Tim Gaines
  Tim Gaines
  Timothy Gaines is bass guitar player of the Christian metal band Stryper.-With Stryper:Being a Sunset Strip regular, Tim joined the band in 1983, and quickly rounded out the quartet's sound with his bass, background vocals and keyboard skills...
  
   – Bass
• Robert Sweet
  Robert Sweet (musician)
  Robert Lee Sweet is the drummer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He and his brother Michael originally founded the band as Roxx or Roxx Regime. Robert became known as the "Visual Time Keeper" for his wild drumming and captivating drum kits...
  
   – Drums

Additional musicians

• Randy "The Emperor" Jackson
  Randy Jackson
  Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
  
   – Bass on "Shining Star"
• John Purcell – Keyboards
• Jeff Scott Soto
  Jeff Scott Soto
  Jeff Scott Soto is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the lead singer for the group Talisman from 1990 till the end of Talisman in 2007, the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and for stepping up to the job of lead vocalist for Journey on...
  
   – Background vocals
• Brent Jeffers – Drums, keyboards
• Tom Werman – Percussion

Production

• Tom Werman – Producer
• Eddie Delena – Engineer, Mixer
• Michael Bosley – Assistant engineer
• Lawrence Ethan – Assistant engineer
• Buzz Morrows – Assistant engineer, mixing assistant
• Rudy Tuesday – Art direction, design
• Patrick Pending – Art direction
• David Perry – Photography, photo printing
• Ed Colver – Photography
• Neil Zlozower – Photography
• Jeannine Pinkerton – Typesetting
• Kyle Tucy Sweet – Make-Up
• Fleur Thiemeyer – Clothing/Wardrobe

Alternative versions

A limited edition version of the album was also released. It included a 14-minute interview with the band, presumably to explain their radical change in appearance and musical direction.