To Hell with the Devil
Encyclopedia
To Hell with the Devil is the Grammy Award
nominated third release, and second full-length album, by the Christian metal
and glam metal
band Stryper
, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music
). It was both the first Contemporary Christian
and Christian metal
album to achieve Platinum
status, selling over one million copies. It remains the best-selling Christian metal album of all time.
The album was listed at #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.
Throughout 1987, both music videos for "Free" and "Honestly" ranked #1 on Dial MTV
, the nightly MTV
list of most requested videos. The video for "Calling on You" also reached #5 on the show.
The original cover of To Hell with the Devil caused a torrent of controversy, and was soon changed to an all-black design. The original artwork
depicted four long haired angels 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.
As the band started to record the album, Tim Gaines left the band. He was replaced by bassist Matt Hurich. That failed, so session bassist Brad Cobb took Tim's place while recording this album. However, before the tour for it began, Tim Gaines rejoined the band.
In 2010, HM Magazine listed To Hell with the Devil #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." Heaven's Metal fanzine ranked it #6 on its Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time list.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominated third release, and second full-length album, by 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...
and glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
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 in 1986 (see 1986 in music
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
). It was both the first Contemporary Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
and 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...
album to achieve Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status, selling over one million copies. It remains the best-selling Christian metal album of all time.
The album was listed at #88 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music is the title of a book, edited by Thom Granger and published in 2001 by Harvest House Publishers....
. The album was the only heavy metal album on the list. Ian Christe
Ian Christe
Ian Christe is an author, disc jockey and publisher. He attended The Clarkson School's Bridging Year and Indiana University....
, 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
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
movement.
Throughout 1987, both music videos for "Free" and "Honestly" ranked #1 on Dial MTV
Dial MTV
Dial MTV was a television series on MTV that played music videos. It premiered February 17,1986. Much like Total Request Live, Dial MTV played the top five or top ten most requested videos of the day, as requested by viewers who dialed in to vote for their favorite video...
, the nightly MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
list of most requested videos. The video for "Calling on You" also reached #5 on the show.
The original cover of To Hell with the Devil caused a torrent of controversy, and was soon changed to an all-black design. The original artwork
depicted four long haired angels 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.
As the band started to record the album, Tim Gaines left the band. He was replaced by bassist Matt Hurich. That failed, so session bassist Brad Cobb took Tim's place while recording this album. However, before the tour for it began, Tim Gaines rejoined the band.
In 2010, HM Magazine listed To Hell with the Devil #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." Heaven's Metal fanzine ranked it #6 on its Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time list.
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
- "FreeFree (Stryper song)"Free" is a song by the band Stryper. Written by Robert & Michael Sweet, it was released as the first single from Stryper's third album To Hell with the Devil on February 10, 1987....
" (M. Sweet, R. Sweet) – 3:44 - "HonestlyHonestly"Honestly" is the American Christian metal band Stryper's fifth single and their highest charting on the Billboard Hot 100. "Honestly" became one of the most requested songs on MTV. "Honestly" is one of Stryper's best-known songs, peaking at #23 on the Hot 100...
" – 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
Stryper
- Michael SweetMichael SweetMichael 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 - Robert SweetRobert 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 - Oz FoxOz FoxRichard 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 GainesTim GainesTimothy 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
Singles
- FreeFree (Stryper song)"Free" is a song by the band Stryper. Written by Robert & Michael Sweet, it was released as the first single from Stryper's third album To Hell with the Devil on February 10, 1987....
/ Calling on You - Released February 10, 1987 (Enigma Records 75001) - Honestly / Sing-Along Song - Released August 10, 1987 (Enigma 75009)
Production
- Stephan Galfas and Stryper - Producers
- Stephan Galfas and Dan Nebanzal - Engineers
- Stephan and Michael Sweet - Arrangers
- Eddy Schreyer - Mastering
- Robert Sweet - Cover design
- Brian Ayuso - Art direction
- Ray Brown - Costume design