Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from The Metal Voice recently spoke to Stryper singer/guitarist Michael Sweet
An excerpt of the chat below:
When asked why Stryper is not asked to open for Area acts in North America:
"When you ask a question like that man there's so many answers to that question. I don't have to be the one to give you those answers. I think you know anyone who has the smarts can figure it. I mean one is the fact that we are who we sing about. (Jesus) I don't know why? I don't understand it but people fear what we sing about and the way they react to that is through mockery or you know poking the bear poking fun at us or whatever you want to call it. It's just constant disrespect because of what we sing about and who we sing about. I find it so interesting and odd because you know you got all these other bands that sing about Satan which is stupid in my opinion. You want to talk about ridiculous that's about as ridiculous as it gets but I don't go around telling people that I can't listen to that band cause the lyrics are ridiculous. I still listen to the bands and I love the music but why can't people do that with Stryper. I have no I clue and no clue why? But then when people say that we suck it's really laughable, Stryper does not suck in any universe and when people say that it's just absolute ignorance is all it is.
“When you come and see Stryper play you're going to get a rock show and I think most people will leave satisfied. It's really disheartening that we don't ever get those calls and you know. I just scratch my head and I just kind of say, I have no clue. I mean, I do know why but I don't know why if that makes any sense. It's just a mystery to me because we deserve the opportunity to go out and play with these bands just like any other band. And not only deserve the opportunity but you know I think surprisingly it would shock a lot of fans. I think most people that would go to a show like that say Judas Priests or Scorpions and if Stryper came out and opened the show I think most people would say wow it was awesome. I think most of it is about Jesus not all of it but most of it is unfortunately. "
When asked about the title of the new album:
"I'm saying a lot of things, there was even a little implication in my mind about this could be the last Stryper album and people got worked up over that but it was in the back of my mind I'm not gonna lie. And the reason why is because we've had our health concerns and things going on and you just never know. I don't take any day for granted this certainly could be our last album. I hope it's not, I don't want it to be, that aside, that was a small little thing I was thinking about. The large part of what was in play in my mind with the title and the artwork is obviously the biblical stories about the battle of Armageddon. Which is in my opinion the final battle in terms of where if you believe in the bible Christ will come back and basically Satan will be cast into the pit and it'll be that'll be the final battle and that's on the artwork. That's supposed to be the Lord returning and the four of us returning with the lord and we kind of purposely did a throwback to the original To Hell With The Devil album artwork. It's got a similar vibe to that but just the 2022 look."
When asked about the musical direction of the new album:
"The album was is really broad album when you listen to the whole album from start to finish. You're gonna see that there's some really aggressive metal tracks on there, there's some straight-up uh mid-tempo songs, there's a few songs that are a little more modern. We've got a couple songs that are a little bit more pop metal, so there's quite a broad spectrum in terms of how this album is laid out and sequenced. When I was writing the album is really important for me and the guys too of course that we're all on the same page with this but really important as I'm sitting here in this room putting the songs together to stick to our roots and not wander off that path too much. But at the same time try to incorporate little differences here and there, just to give it its own special signature that was important for me to do.
“We wanted to come out strong out of the box (first single) but not with our strongest out of the box and that's what 'Transgressor' will prove. I sent to our agent the whole album and he called me right after listening to 'Transgressor' and he said I mean this in a great way but I feel like I've just been violated he said. I feel like it's beaten the crap out of me. Just wait to see what's coming that's the calm before the storm, the storm's going to come and it's going to shake things up and when you hear 'Transgressor' I think you're gonna go ‘whoa’ because it's gonna say that we're serious and it's gonna say that we haven't gone anywhere and that this is our most powerful album, I really believe that.”
Stryper recently announced the postponement of most of their dates in September to spring / summer 2023. The band said in a message:
"It is with a heavy heart that we are postponing most of our September tour dates to the Spring / Summer of 2023. Refunds will be automatically issued. If you have purchased a meet and greet through Stryper's Etix page, those will be refunded as well. New dates for next year are being rescheduled now. We will be able to keep several of the 2022 tour dates as scheduled, including the Texas dates, the International and destination dates. (Details in the Tour section of Stryper.com)
"Unfortunately there were some economic cards stacked against us. Anyone in the music business will tell you about the Tour Bus and Labor shortage out there. We're feeling it first hand. The Tour Bus business is like the housing market right now with 10 times more bands trying to rent buses than are available. And you've seen the cost of gas lately. When you're putting 10,000+ miles on a bus, as we were planning to do, gas prices absolutely matter for a tour like ours.
"There are some other issues at hand as well that played a part in our decision to postpone the tour. As you all can imagine, we're very disappointed to have to make this decision. At the same time, we're excited about what's to come.
"We have a new album being released in October. We'd like the opportunity to play several songs from that album, and give it a proper tour to support it. So Spring of next year makes more sense to do that. You will have had more time to consume the album and let us know which songs from it you'd like to hear live.
"We can tour MORE markets in the spring. Due to the over-saturation of the touring industry right now, we honestly had a tough time hitting some of the cities we wanted to play this year. But by moving this to the spring it will allow us to play MORE cities.
"We could go down the line with half-a-dozen other reasons that played into this decision. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and make the best decisions you can given the information at hand. And that's what we've done.
"We didn't come to this decision lightly, but we are positive that moving this tour to the spring and early summer of 2023 will make for a better experience for everyone. Thank you all for sticking by us.
"(Tour dates starting 9/27/22 and through the rest of the year will remain as scheduled. The dates that are moving are from 9/8/22 to 9/25/22). We will be live-streaming our show in Dallas TX on 9/29. Stay tuned for details on that.
"God Bless you all. Much love, Michael, Robert, Oz, and Perry."
Stryper recently unveiled the cover artwork for their new album, The Final Battle. Check it out below.
Meanwhile, the band's label, Frontiers Music, has issued the following update:
"Well, since in the internet age there is always someone who has to spoil the surprise, here's the album cover for the new Stryper album, The Final Battle. The album is an ABSOLUTE BEAST of a record, as indicated by this beautiful Stan W Decker artwork.
Pre-orders (including a variety of color vinyl and new t-shirt designs), another single, and the first music video will all be unveiled next month. Stay tuned. Album out October 21st."
Stryper have released a new single, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil". The song will appear on The Final Battle. More details on the album will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, enjoy "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" here, and/or below.
Says Michael Sweet: "'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' was, believe it or not, inspired by the health issues that Oz and I have been faced with. Despite our limitations, we were able to deliver an album that is powerful and relevant and 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' is the perfect track to showcase that. We could not be more excited about this album! The best is yet to come."
