Stryken

Often referred to as the "fundamentalists in armor" and playing what it describes as "thunder rock", 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 two proceeded to place a want ad for a drummer, which led them to a talented timekeeper by the name of Joey Knight. A move to Austin, Texas came about in late 1982, and by the spring of the following year the band recorded a nine song cassette only release entitled Blitzkrieg that sold very well in the Southwest. 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 that is symbolic of the Armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:11. Stryken soon formed its own label, Chrystal Records, which it used to release a 12" single that included the tracks "Rock On" and "Surprise" in addition to its 1987 full length debut, appropriately entitled, First Strike (which came out only on cassette and red transparent vinyl).
Often characterized as a mere clone of Stryper (another more prominent Christian metal band popular at the time), Stryken issued several releases on their own private label, Crystal Records, including the 1986 12" single with the tracks, "Rock On" and "Surprise", and the 1987 full-length album, First Strike (which has since been reissued with previously unreleased material).
The band's lyrics made prominent use of Biblical verses such as the anthemic song, "Crush the Head of Satan", which was a reference to the Old Testament prophetical verse of Genesis 3:15 and the New Testament verse of Romans 16:20. Many believed that the song's figuratively violent lyrics promoted actual physical violence which the band did not deny but rather affirmed with the statement that any such violence was "well directed".
In June 1987, the members of Stryken were detained by police after disrupting a Mötley Crüe concert in San Antonio, Texas. Carrying a large wooden cross and clad in full body armor (inspired by the theological teaching of the "Armor of God" as found in the sixth chapter of the New Testament book, Ephesians), Stryken first proselytized concertgoers outside of the venue and then proceeded inside to the front of the stage. After being detained by police, the band was released without charges.
The members of Stryken all used stage names to conceal their true identities. One of the members of Stryken, stage name, Stephen Streiker, (birth name, Stephen Hopkins) has gone on to "repent" of his career in "Christian rock", which he now refers to as, "a contradiction of terms". Today Hopkins serves as an elder and pastor of a "family-integrated" reformed Baptist church in Burnet, Texas, and is the father of sixteen children. He also authored the book, The Cult of Jabez, and the falling away of the church in America.