Soldiers Under Command

Soldiers Under Command
Soldiers Under Command
Studio album by Stryper
Released	August 23, 1985
Studio	Amigo Studios (Los Angeles, California); Smoketree Ranch (Chatsworth, California);
Genre	Christian metal; heavy metal;
Length	45:02
Label	Enigma
Producer	Michael Wagener
Stryper chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Kerrang!	^[3]
"Jesus Freak Hideout"	^[4]

Soldiers Under Command is the second release, and first full-length studio album from Christian metal band Stryper, released on August 23, 1985.^[5] It was the first Christian metal album to achieve Gold record status, selling more than half a million copies. The album was originally issued on white vinyl. The Live in Japan in-concert video, released in 1986, was filmed on July 8, 1985 during Stryper's tour in support of this album.

A music video of the title track was released.

The inspirational verse for this album is 2 Timothy 2:3-4.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

All songs written by Michael Sweet, except where noted.

"Soldiers Under Command" (Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet) – 5:03
"Makes Me Wanna Sing" – 2:51
"Together Forever" – 4:03
"First Love" – 5:43
"The Rock That Makes Me Roll" – 4:56
"Reach Out" (M. Sweet, R. Sweet) – 5:21
"(Waiting for) A Love That's Real" – 4:36
"Together as One" – 5:01
"Surrender" – 4:28
"Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Julia Ward Howe) – 2:36

Personnel

Stryper

Michael Sweet – lead vocals, backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, guitar solos (on tracks 4-7)
Oz Fox – lead and rhythm guitars, guitar solos (on tracks 2-6, 9), backing vocals
Tim Gaines – keyboards and bass (1-7, 9, 10), backing vocals (8)
Robert Sweet – drums

Additional musicians

John Van Tongeren – keyboards, acoustic piano and bass (8)
Christopher Currell – Synclavier programming (10)
Doris Castenada – backing vocals (10)
Linda Mullen – backing vocals (10)
Tammy Thomas – backing vocals (10)

Production

Michael Wagener – producer, engineer, mixing
Bryan Ayuso – album design
John Scarpati – photography
Anne Revenge – additional photography

Charts

Chart (1985)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[6]	78
US Billboard 200^[7]	84
US Christian Albums (Billboard)^[8]	5

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[9]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Christensen, Brett. "Stryper: 'Soldiers Under Command'". Official Stryper Website. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
^ Henderson, Alex. "Soldiers Under Command - Stryper". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
^ Johnson, Howard (October 17, 1985). "Heaven's on Fire". Kerrang!. Vol. 105. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. p. 22.
^ "Stryper, "Soldiers Under Command" Review". www.jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
^ Christensen, Brett (August 1, 2023). "August 23, 1985, Stryper releases the album "Soldiers under Command"". Official Stryper Website. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
^ "Stryper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
^ "Stryper Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
^ "American album certifications – Stryper – Soldiers Under Command". Recording Industry Association of America.

[1] Christensen, Brett. "Stryper: 'Soldiers Under Command'". Official Stryper Website. Retrieved August 1, 2023.

[2] Henderson, Alex. "Soldiers Under Command - Stryper". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 27, 2011.

[3] Johnson, Howard (October 17, 1985). "Heaven's on Fire". Kerrang!. Vol. 105. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. p. 22.

[4] "Stryper, "Soldiers Under Command" Review". www.jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.

[5] Christensen, Brett (August 1, 2023). "August 23, 1985, Stryper releases the album "Soldiers under Command"". Official Stryper Website. Retrieved August 1, 2023.

[JPN-6] Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.

[ac_Billboard200_Stryper-7] "Stryper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.

[ac_BillboardChristian_Stryper-8] "Stryper Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.

[United_StatesStryperSoldiers_Under_CommandalbumCertRef-9] "American album certifications – Stryper – Soldiers Under Command". Recording Industry Association of America.

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v t e Stryper
Michael Sweet Robert Sweet Oz Fox Perry Richardson Tim Gaines Tracy Ferrie
Studio albums	Soldiers Under Command (1985) To Hell with the Devil (1986) In God We Trust (1988) Against the Law (1990) Reborn (2005) Murder by Pride (2009) The Covering (2011) Second Coming (2013) No More Hell to Pay (2013) Fallen (2015) God Damn Evil (2018) Even the Devil Believes (2020) The Final Battle (2022) When We Were Kings (2024)
EPs	The Yellow and Black Attack (1984)
Live albums	7 Weeks: Live in America, 2003 Extended Versions
Compilations	Can't Stop the Rock 7: The Best of Stryper The Roxx Regime Demos
Related articles	Discography Guitar Praise: Stryper
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