Stryken – Once Lost Now Found 2023, MP3+FLAC, Retroactive Records

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STRYKEN was put together in Arizona in the late Seventies by founding members Dale and Steve Streiker initially under the moniker Stryker. After releasing a single and a four song demo, the band move to Austin in late 1982, and by the spring of the following year the band recorded their first album entitled Blitzkrieg that sold very well.

By the mid-Eighties, however, Stryker started to receive pressure from the Stryper camp about changing its name. Yes, Stryker rhythms with Stryper, but one important thing to keep in mind is that the name Stryker was trademarked by the band after it formed in the late seventies- a time when the boys in yellow and black were more than likely still in junior high school.
Needless to say, cooler heads prevailed and the band agreed to make a change by switching the last letter in its name from an “r” to an “n”. Hence, STRYKEN was officially born. With a permanent name in place and its line up finalized with the addition of bassist Ezekiel Vade, Stryken went through a complete makeover in its image which saw each member of the group don body armor and in 1987 released ”First Strike”.
This CD “Once Lost… Now Found” includes the ‘First Strike’ album remixed & remastered plus bonus material previously unreleased. The group called their brand of hard rock / glam as “thunder rock”. According to the band, “thunder rock” is a slower, powerful, driving beat, highlighting on guitars and drums. I might describe it as a combination of Eighties influenced metal and straightforward hard rock certain to appeal to fans of Stryper, Bloodgood, Motley Crue, KISS, etc.

This record, upon listen, actually proves itself quite the consistent effort in that its tracks, for the most part, are well constructed and hold up under repeated play.
The album, for example, delivers its share of anthemic hard rockers (“Crush The Head Of Satan” & “Rock On”), a couple of upbeat melodic metal tracks (“One Way” & “State Of Emergency’), a slower, more driving number (“The Young Men have A Vision”) and a pair of ballads (“The Answer” & “Surprise”). And the band pulls it off without a hitch, which is a credit to the strength of the songwriting here.

This release feature 14 songs with 7 new releases and 4 new songs that were “once lost” but “now found.” Never released songs like “A Man,” “Momma,” and the up-tempo, bass guitar centric version of “I Need Your Love” which begins with a synthesizer intro.
Additionally, 3 “Live” audio recordings “now found” enhance the album with one track that covers the band member introductions. The album closes with “I’ll Be Home,” which Dale Streiker wrote for his daughter when she was very young and recorded as a wedding gift for her.
Cool ’80s stuff.

01 - A Man
02 - I Need Your Love (Extended Version)
03 - Rock On (Extended Version)
04 - The Answer (Story of Jesus)
05 - One Way
06 - Momma
07 - STRYKEN Show Intro (Live)
08 - Crush The Head Of Satan
09 - Surprise
10 - The Young Men Have A Vision (Live Intro)
11 - State Of Emergency
12 - Riot
13 - I'll Be Home
14 - STRYKEN Band Intros and Message

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