Stryper frontman Michael Sweet is putting the finishing touches on his autobiography, Honestly, to be made available later in the year. There is also a 12-song solo record to go hand in hand with the release of the book.

According to Sweet, his “friend and brother,” Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine was “kind enough” to write the following blurb/quote for the book:

“Sometimes you see someone or something and you think you got it all figured out, just to find you were pretty far off base. That’s a sucky feeling. I learned a long time ago not to judge a book by its cover, and as much as I used to think that I am nothing like Michael Sweet, I have come to realize that we both have had a lot of hardships in common; the same trials and tribulations, the same band problems, and some of the same relationship issues. Fortunately for us, we both believe in the same Jesus, and serve the same amazing, loving creator, so it’s no wonder that we would both be standing on the same victorious side of life, once all the smoke clears at the end of the fight. I hope you will enjoy his memoirs and come to a new understanding and a new appreciation of Michael Sweet.”

Sweet previously stated about his upcoming book: “Writing and finishing my autobiography has gone WAY beyond my expectations, good and bad. It’s been much more difficult than I could ever imagine yet it’s been somewhat therapeutic being able to talk about my life and the past 30+ years of all things Stryper. I get into everything and share things that may surprise you. I talk about the disfunction in this band, the pain and heartache of being so close to each other that we sometimes hurt each other the most, the ups and downs from our highest point [1987-1988] to our lowest point [1991-1992] and why we were driven to bankruptcy and how we climbed our way back from complete loss and despair. I share my personal pain from considering to give up music altogether to the day I broke the news to the guys that I would be leaving the band and why. From that day forward, I had everything a man could ask for and then, in what seemed like an instant, it was all taken away.

“I’m almost 50 yet I feel like I’ve lived the life of a man who is almost 90. I look back on everything and all I can say is thank you God for allowing me to serve you and for giving me my gift, my life!

‘Honestly’ will be available soon and I can say from the bottom of my heart, it is brutally honest and my hopes and prayers are that it touches you in some way.”Michael‘s new solo album will be issued via Big3 Records. Guest musicians set to appear on the CD include Chickenfoot drummer Kenny Aronoff, Fozzy singer Chris Jericho, Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich; Tony Harnell of TNT, and Michael‘s brother Robert Sweet and Stryper‘s Timothy Gaines.

Regarding Harnell‘s appearance on the CD, Sweet previously stated, “I think Tony is truly one of the most underrated singers of all time. He’s always been one of my favorites and is an incredibly nice, humble guy to boot. I’ve always wanted to work with Tony and I knew this would be the perfect song and opportunity to do so. ‘Taking On The World Tonight’ is very heavy with a combination of old-school riffs and solos yet it’s got a very modern, relevant sound as well. It’s the best of both worlds!”

Writing on Facebook, Sweet stated about reaction to his previously released solo album samples, “To the handful of people who think it sounds like Stryper — well, earth to moon, I am the singer/guitarist/songwriter for Stryper so there is the remote chance that their will be similarities right? Maybe you can’t comprehend that but I think most people here do.

“For those of you who wonder why it isn’t a Stryper record, the truth is that I had the opportunity to make a record and I took it. It’s been almost 12 years since my last solo release and I felt it was long overdue. There is a lot of down time with Stryper and life goes on, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do … We all have done solo projects over the years and it’s a great way for all of us to be artistic and express our musical ideas individually.”

Sweet‘s last solo album, Touched, was released in December 2007 exclusively through Michael‘s official web site, MichaelSweet.com. The CD, which included reworked versions of four Stryper songs, was not made available in stores