The yellow and black attack is back! The 80s Christian metal band Stryper announced last month that the band is back and plans to release a new studio album entitled Reborn. It will be the band’s first studio album since 1990′s Against the Law.

It has not always been easy for the righteous metal rockers. In an article in the August 2005 Guitar World singer Michael Sweet recalls:

I remember back in ’85, we played a death metal festival in Holland. Before we went on we could hear the audience chanting ‘F- Stryper!’ over and over. One guy even superimposed a photo of my brother’s [Stryper dummer Robert Sweet] head onto a girl’s body and nailed it to an upside-down cross. He held it up and the crowd ripped it to shreds.”

Say isn’t European intolerance for religious expression one of the reasons why the United States of America came to be? Hundreds of years later we see the same narrow-minded behavior overseas.

The Reborn album embraces subjects like forgiveness, God’s patience and true enlightenment. “The power of God is alive, but we often miss it,” Sweet asserts. “We see opportunities to share the gospel, but we are so caught up in other things of life that we get sidetracked.” Guitarist Oz Fox says, “It is a strong statement about our faith, and also about us as a band. This is a fresh start of us – we have been reborn. And we’re telling people that if they choose to believe in Christ and follow Him, that can be reborn as well.”

Original Stryper members Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (lead guitar), Robert Sweet (drums) are pleased to announce the addition of Tracy Ferrie (bass) to the band. Stryper will embark on a North American tour this fall.

In fact they will be the in St Louis area at Pops on Thursday, October 6th. The tickets are $20. Tickets went on sale starting yesterday at all Ticketmaster locations.