Stryper

Orange County rockers who formed the vanguard of Christian metal, Stryper (which stands for "Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace, Encouragement, and Righteousness") emerged in the mid-'80s with a sound and style that mirrored the melodic hard rock of the era. Dressed in all black-and-yellow outfits, and spreading their religious message even further by tossing bibles out into the crowd at their shows, the band broke into the mainstream in 1986 with the release of their platinum-selling sophomore effort To Hell with the Devil, which found favor in both secular and non-s...