Legendary christian glam metal band from Orange County, California Stryper announced the last 2011 dates for North America. Tour dates below.
Their latest album The Covering is released on February 15th 2011 via Big3 Records
The album includes twelve rocking covers, as well as an all-new original tune, “God.” And most significantly, the album marks the return of original bassist Tim Gaines back into the Stryper fold, setting up the first Stryper release in years to feature the definitive line-up of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Tim Gaines (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums).
According to Michael Sweet, the impetus for putting out a mostly covers set was a simple one. “Every Stryper album is pretty serious and pretty bold in the lyrical faith sense of the word. We just wanted to roll our sleeves up, cut loose, and have some fun.” And when it came time to pick out a listing of tunes to cover, all the band had to do was look back upon their club days. “Growing up, before Stryper was even Stryper, we were a cover band. We played Gazzarri’s on the Strip for years – we would do originals but also do covers, as well. We always did Priest covers and Maiden covers, all those bands that we grew up on and influenced us.”
What fans get is a CD that runs the gamut from 1970’s era classic rock (Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” Deep Purple’s “Highway Star,” Kiss’ “Shout It Out Loud,” etc.) to 1980’s era heavy metal (Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell,” the Scorpions’ “Blackout,” “Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper,” etc.). “A few things we set out to do on this album was to stay true to the original – we didn’t want to disrespect the original versions,” explains Michael. “I’m never going to sound like Bruce Dickinson or Ronnie James Dio, nor would I ever try to. And having me sing the song puts our own spin on it. We just all did our own thing and with our own touches and feel – Robert, Tim, Oz, and myself – it has that Stryper feel to it as well.”
Big3 Records Chairman Bill Edwards adds, “We are excited to allow Stryper the creative freedom to do what they do best, and take this album to the next level. We are very excited about working with the band and helping make ‘The Covering’ a widespread success.”
Stryper will be offering “VIP MEET & GREET PACKAGES” to fans at all shows on the 2011 Tour!
VIP Meet & Greet Package includes:
* Exclusive Meet & Greet with the members of Stryper
* Personal Photograph with the band
* Autograph session (includes 8X10 photograph)
* Limited Edition Hard Cover Book “Stryper: By His Strypes”
* Collectible Tour Lithograph (numbered)
* Official Meet & Greet Laminate
“VIP Meet & Greet Package” Cost: $100 Per Person
Please note: This package does not include a ticket to the concert. Fans will need to purchase a ticket to attend the Meet & Greet. Only (30) “VIP Meet & Greet Packages” are available per venue.
Stryper ‘The Covering’ (CD review)
Stryper is working on new material (June 2011)
Stryper Quality Multi-Camera Video Footage Of ‘Zoetermeer’ Performance (June 2011)