News began circulating this morning that Stryper‘s Oz Fox suffered a medical emergency on stage in Las Vegas overnight. In order to provide accurate information and dispel any rumors, the band has issued an official statement:
Our dear friend and lead-guitarist Oz Fox fell ill Saturday night (Aug. 11th) while performing in Las Vegas with a side project (Sin City Sinners) that he sometimes plays in when not touring with Stryper. Oz suffered a seizure causing a fall on stage. After performing an MRI, doctors discovered an area of concern near his brain which they are now running a biopsy on. The doctors have instructed him not to drive or fly for 90 days. No additional information is available at this time. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and we will communicate additional information as it becomes available.
The logistics and options for current tour dates are being discussed with the respective promoters. U.S. tour dates will play as scheduled and in anticipation of a full recovery will include Oz Fox. The upcoming Australian tour will be performed as a trio (with the blessing of Oz), and will include Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, and Perry Richardson. For our fans in Japan, please await an announcement from the concert promoter there as to the plans for the Japan tour.
Stryper‘s tour of Australia is scheduled to begin this Friday (August 17). The band will then play two shows in Tokyo, Japan before returning to the States in September for a number of scattered dates that run through November.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
AUG 17 – MAX WATTS, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
AUG 18 – MAX WATTS, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
AUG 19 – THE GOV, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
AUG 21 – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
AUG 25 – KAWASAKI CLUB CITTA, TOKYO, JAPAN
AUG 26 – KAWASAKI CLUB CITTA, TOKYO, JAPAN
SEPT 7 – GRAND ROCK TEMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL, HINCKLEY, MN
SEPT 8 – THE ARCADA THEATRE, ST. CHARLES, IL
SEPT 13 – HOUSE OF BLUES, ORLANDO, FL
SEPT 15 – “ROCK IN VIVO FEST” @ VIVO BEACH CLUB, ISLA VERDE, PUERTO RICO
OCT 12 – THE VOGUE, INDIANAPOLIS, IN (NEW DATE)
OCT 18 – STAMPEDE, AURORA, CO (NEW DATE)
OCT 20 – LEATHERHEADS SPORTS BAR, DRAPER, UT
OCT 25 – THE MARQUEE, TEMPE, AZ
OCT 26 – RIALTO THEATRE, TUCSON, AZ
OCT 27 – CANNERY HOTEL & CASINO, LAS VEGAS, NV (NEW DATE)
OCT 31 – WHISKY A GO GO, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
NOV 3 – THE CANYON THEATRE, SANTA CLARITA, CA (NEW DATE)
NOV 4 – ACE OF SPADES, SACRAMENTO, CA
The band’s latest album “God Damn Evil” has been released on April 20 via Frontiers Music Srl. Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, it is Stryper‘s most powerful album to date,
“God Damn Evil” debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Christian Album Sales, #2 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums, #3 on Billboard’s Top Current Hard Music Albums, #5 on Billboard’s Top Independent Current Albums, #7 on Billboard’s Top Current Rock Albums, #12 on Billboard’s Top Current Physical Albums, #14 on Billboard’s Top Current Albums, #21 on Billboard’s Top Current Digital Albums and #77 on Billboard Top 200. In addition, “God Damn Evil” soared to #1 on the iTunes and Amazon Hard Rock charts immediately upon release.
The follow-up to 2015’s “Fallen” marks Stryper‘s first effort since the addition of former Firehouse bassist Perry Richardson. Perry joined the band as the replacement for Stryper‘s longtime bassist Tim Gaines, who was fired from the group last year.
Perry did not play bass on Stryper‘s new album due to scheduling constraints. The bass tracks on “God Damn Evil”were laid down by John O’Boyle, who played bass on Sweet‘s last two solo albums.
Our review of “God Damn Evil” can be found here.
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter
Video for ‘The Valley’
Video for ‘Sorry’