Even casual admirers of this pioneering Christian metal group can tell you that the name stands for Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace, Encouragement, and Righteousness. But what you may not know is that the band, originally called Roxx Regime, initially did not change its moniker for the sake of acronym accommodation; it was because Stryper rhymed with hyper. Well, hyper-excited is what fans should be now that Stryper's latest release, a collection of cover tunes plus one new original, has hit the streets. Far from being a cheap, soulless, gimmicky cash grab, Stryper reverentially pays homage to the late '70s/early '80s rock and metal legends that inspired them, and they do so with earnest grace and class. Adopting an if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach, the band maintains the well-known song structures, but they apply their trademark vocal harmonies and layered guitar attack so that it unmistakably sounds like Stryper, while devoutly respecting the original recordings. A little tweaking with the arrangements might have breathed fresh life into some of the staler songs, but Stryper treats each one like a sacred artifact