Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke with Stryper front man Michael Sweet. Sweet spoke about the New Stryper album, a new song that will feature Death Metal growls, new bassist Perry Richardson‘s faith and the shooting of the upcoming Stryper Documentary. Listen to the chat in the video below.
Stryper will return to SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts on January 10 to begin mixing its new album for a tentative April release via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2015’s “Fallen”, which will be mastered on January 15, will mark 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 earlier this year.
In a new post on Stryper‘s Facebook page, guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet writes: “Some people like heavy, some people like semi-heavy, some people like not so heavy. We’ve done it all over the years — really heavy to really light.
“As much as I respect the past and the music of the past, I think if I wasn’t a member of Stryper and I was a fan listening and watching, I’d like the new stuff equally as much as the old stuff, maybe even more.
“This new album is very different and has a whole new ‘groove’ to it,” he continues. “It is heavy but it’s also hooky and melodic. There’s qualities similar to ‘Soldiers Under Command’ [1985], ‘To Hell With The Devil’ [1986], ‘In God We Trust’ [1988], ‘Against The Law’ [1990], ‘No More Hell To Pay’ [2013] and ‘Fallen’ yet it’s all its own.
“As I finish singing over the next week I’m really excited as I hear these songs and know that soon enough, you’ll will be hearing them too.
“The tracks are killer!!!!” Sweet adds. “Tight, punchy, groovy and memorable. Everyone did an outstanding job on this album. Oz [Fox] is working on his guitar solos at his home and I’m working on mine here at my studio.
“We’re so humbled and honored to still be able to do this and we hope that you all are ready. This one is really special.”
Sweet recently told ListenIowa that both the title and the lyrics of the title track of Stryper‘s new album will be “shocking” to Stryper fans — “moreso than with ‘To Hell With The Devil’. When people hear it, they’re going to go, ‘What? Can you tell me that again?'” he said. “A lot of the lyrics on the album have been kind of therapeutic, coming from the last two or three years.” As for the music, he described it as “straight-up Stryper and a little AC/DC and a little [Judas] Priest in a blender… It’s an anthem with a straight-ahead, memorable, sing-along chorus, and people will be like, ‘Yes!'”
Stryper‘s ninth and latest album, “Fallen”, has been released on October 16th. 2015 via Frontiers Records, the album entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 43 with first-week sales of just over 10,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales.
Our review of “Fallen” can be found here.
UPCOMING SHOWS
MAY 10, 2018 – JERGLE’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WARRENDALE, PA
MAY 13, 2018 – FISH HEAD CANTINA, HALETHORPE, MD
MAY 18, 2018 – GREEN BAY DISTILLERY, GREEN BAY, WI
MAY 31, 2018 – PROOF BAR ROOFTOP LOUNGE, HOUSTON, TX
SEPT 8, 2018 – THE ARCADA THEATRE, ST. CHARLES, IL
OCT 25, 2018 – THE MARQUEE, TEMPE, AZ
OCT 31, 2018 – WHISKEY A GO GO, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
NOV 4, 2018 – ACE OF SPADES, SACRAMENTO, CA
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