Editing To Hell with the Devil

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2012}}
{{About|the Stryper album|Hong Kong film|To Hell with the Devil (film)}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = To Hell with the Devil
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Stryper]]
| cover      = Stryper-THWTD-1st.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = October 24, 1986
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     = Master Control (Burbank, California)
| genre      = [[Glam metal]],<ref name="rs">{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-hair-metal-albums-of-all-time-162362/stryper-to-hell-with-the-devil-1986-165629/|title=50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time|date=October 13, 2015|website=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> [[Christian metal]]<ref name="rs"/>
| length     = 41:10
| label      = [[Enigma Records|Enigma]]
| producer   = [[Stephan Galfas]] and Stryper
| prev_title = [[Soldiers Under Command]]
| prev_year  = 1985
| next_title = [[In God We Trust (Stryper album)|In God We Trust]]
| next_year  = 1988
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative Cover
 | type    = studio
 | cover   = Stryper-THWTD.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption =
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r91255/review}}</ref>
|rev2 = Jesus Freak Hideout
|rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Keel|first=Fred|title=Stryper, "To Hell with the Devil" Review|url=http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/ToHellWithTheDevil.asp|work=Jesus Freak Hideout|publisher=John DiBiase|accessdate=February 27, 2013|date=March 1, 2009}}</ref>
}}

'''''To Hell with the Devil''''' is the third studio album by the [[Christian metal]] band [[Stryper]], released in 1986.<ref>[[John J. Thompson|Thompson, John J.]] (2000), Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll (First printing ed.), Ottawa, Ontario Canada: ECW Press, {{ISBN|1-55022-421-2}}  Pages 152-155.</ref> It was the first [[Christian metal]] album to achieve [[Music recording sales certification|platinum]] status, selling over one million copies. It remained the best-selling Christian metal album until [[P.O.D.]]'s ''[[Satellite (P.O.D. album)|Satellite]]'' in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=64125 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201081418/http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=64125 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |title=BLABBERMOUTH.NET - P.O.D. Rejoined By Guitarist MARCOS CURIEL; First Photo Available |publisher=Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com |accessdate=August 25, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/74154/eminem-nelly-lavigne-notch-new-platinum-marks |title=Eminem, Nelly, Lavigne Notch New Platinum Marks |publisher=Billboard.com |date= |accessdate=August 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2627 |title=Jesus Climbs the Charts: The business of Contemporary Christian Music |publisher=Religion-online.org |accessdate=August 25, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108235815/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2627 |archivedate=January 8, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The album was listed at No. 88 in the 2001 book, ''[[CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music]]''. The album was the only heavy metal album on the list. [[Ian Christe]], author of the heavy metal history book ''Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal'' (2003), mentions ''To Hell with the Devil'' in his book as one of the landmarks of the [[glam metal]] movement.<ref>Christe, Ian (2003), Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (First printing ed.), "10: Glambangers of Hollywood", p. 154. HarperCollins., {{ISBN|0-380-81127-8}}</ref>
Throughout 1987, both [[music videos]] for "Free" and "Honestly" ranked No. 1 on ''[[Dial MTV]]'', the daily [[MTV]] list of most requested videos.  The first single/video video for "Calling on You" also reached No. 2 on the show. "Honestly" was the biggest single from the record peaking at #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart.

The original artwork depicted four long haired angels (closely resembling the band members) throwing the devil into a fiery pit. The cover was then changed on later pressings to a basic black cover with the Stryper logo and the album title in the center.<ref name="Enigma">{{cite web |author=Brett Christensen |title=Enigma Vinyl Pressing |url=http://www.stryper.com/articles-enigma.html |publisher=stryper.com |accessdate=January 18, 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080107193033/http://www.stryper.com/articles-enigma.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = January 7, 2008}}</ref>

According to Michael Sweet's autobiography, as the band started to record the album, Michael felt Tim Gaines wasn't the right bassist for the record. He was replaced by bassist Matt Hurich, who eventually ended up not working out. So session bassist Brad Cobb took Gaines' place while recording the album. However, before the tour began, Sweet asked Gaines to rejoin as he felt it wasn't right performing as "Stryper" without him.

In 2010, ''[[HM (magazine)|HM Magazine]]'' listed ''To Hell with the Devil'' No. 3 on its Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All Time list stating that "when this album broke, it went multi-platinum, forever raising the ceiling of what heavy Christian music could do."<ref name="HM-Top100">{{cite web |author=HM Staff |title=Top 100 Christian rock albums |publisher=Open Publishing |work=HM Magazine |url=http://www.hmmagazine.com/2010/07/top-100-christian-rock-albums-of-all-time/ |accessdate=July 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720055904/http://www.hmmagazine.com/2010/07/top-100-christian-rock-albums-of-all-time |archivedate=July 20, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Heaven's Metal fanzine ranked it No. 6 on its Top 100 Christian metal albums of all-time list.<ref name="Top100CM">{{cite web |author=Heaven's Metal Staff |title=Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time |publisher= Noise Creep |date=|work= HM Magazine |url= http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/09/06/hm-magazine-top-christian-metal-albums/ |accessdate=July 17, 2010 }}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline      = Side A
| total_length  =
| all_writing   = [[Michael Sweet]], except where noted.
| title1        = Abyss (To Hell with the Devil)
| length1       = 1:21
| title2        = To Hell with the Devil
| writer2       = {{hlist|M. Sweet|[[Robert Sweet (musician)|Robert Sweet]]}}
| length2       = 4:08
| title3        = Calling on You
| length3       = 3:59
| title4        = Free
| writer4       = {{hlist|M. Sweet|R. Sweet}}
| length4       = 3:44
| title5        = [[Honestly (Stryper song)|Honestly]]
| length5       = 4:20
| title6        = The Way
| writer6       = [[Oz Fox]]
| length6       = 3:37
}}
{{Track listing
| headline      = Side B
| total_length  =
| title1        = Sing-Along Song
| length1       = 4:21
| title2        = Holding On
| length2       = 4:16
| title3        = Rockin' the World
| length3       = 3:30
| title4        = All of Me
| length4       = 3:11
| title5        = More Than a Man
| length5       = 4:35
}}

== Personnel ==

'''Stryper'''
* [[Michael Sweet]] – lead vocals, backing vocals, lead guitars, acoustic guitar, arrangements
* [[Oz Fox]] – guitars, backing vocals
* [[Robert Sweet (musician)|Robert Sweet]] – drums

'''Additional musicians'''
* [[John Van Tongeren]] – keyboards
* Brad Cobb – bass guitar

== Production ==
* Oz Fox – producer
* Michael Sweet – producer 
* Robert Sweet – producer, cover concept 
* Stephan Galfas – producer, arrangements, engineer 
* Dan Nebanzal – engineer
* Gary Myerberg – technical assistant 
* Eddy Schreyer – mastering at [[Capitol Studios|Capitol Mastering]] (Hollywood, California)
* Brian Ayuso – art direction, design 
* [[Ray Brown (designer)|Ray Brown]] – costume design
* Annamaria DiSanto – photography
* Anna Revenge – photography
* Neil Zlozower – photography
* Suzan Carson – photography assistant 
* Kyle Rae Sweet – make-up artist 
* Janice Sweet – management

== Singles ==
*"Free"/"Calling on You" - released February 10, 1987 (Enigma Records 75001)
*"Honestly"/"Sing-Along Song" - released August 10, 1987 (Enigma 75009)

== Videos ==
* "Calling On You"
* "Free"
* "Honestly"
* "All of Me" (on the documentary ''Stryper: In the Beginning')

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1986-1987)
! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
{{album chart|Canada|89|artist=Stryper|album=To Hell with the Devil|chartid=0789|rowheader=true|access-date=1 May 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|43|artist=Stryper|album=To Hell with the Devil|rowheader=true|access-date=1 May 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|32|artist=Stryper|rowheader=true|access-date=1 May 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardChristian|3|artist=Stryper|rowheader=true|access-date=1 May 2023}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''To Hell with the Devil''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Stryper|title=To Hell with the Devil|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1988|access-date=August 23, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Stryper|title=To Hell with the Devil|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1988|access-date=August 23, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Stryper}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Stryper albums]]
[[Category:1986 albums]]
[[Category:Enigma Records albums]]