‘Stryper’ Performs without ‘Oz Fox’ at Australian Tour Kick-Off (Video)

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Stryper kicked off its Australian tour Friday, August 17 at Max Watts in Melbourne. Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below.

The band is touring without its guitarist Oz Fox, who was forced to stay home after collapsing onstage during a Las Vegas performance. Doctors who have been treating him have found two tumors in his head — one by his ear and the other in the back of his brain.

Oz‘s wife, Annie Lobért, wrote in a Facebook post that he “cannot drive, fly or work for three months because of the potential seizures.” Furthermore, Stryper has had to cancel its Japanese shows because Oz cannot perform due to his medical condition.

The band’s frontman, Michael Sweet, said in a Facebook post that he’s been friends with Oz since he was “almost 13 years old. We’ve been a ‘duo’ for almost our entire lives and I love him,” he wrote. “He’s family and a brother to me… We’re all waiting to hear good news and we’re all praying deeply for that.

“The important thing right now is Oz‘s health and well being,” Sweet added. “Please continue to pray for him at this time. Pray for Annie and his family as well.” [read more]

UPCOMING SHOWS:
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
OCTOBER 14 – DIAMOND BALLROOM, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (NEW DATE)

OCT 18 – STAMPEDE, AURORA, CO
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
OCT 31 – WHISKY A GO GO, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
NOV 2 – SAN MANUEL CASINO, HIGHLAND, CA (NEW DATE)
NOV 3 – THE CANYON THEATRE, SANTA CLARITA, CA
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 RichardsonPerry 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.

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