Eddie Trunk, co-host of VH1 Classic‘s “That Metal Show”, conducted an interview guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet of legendary hard rockers Stryper during the new metal cruise Monsters Of Rock – The Voyage, which set sail on February 25 and returned three days later via Ft. Lauderdale / Bahamas / Key West. You can now watch the chat below.
Stryper recently released short audio clips of Bleeding From Inside Out and Blackened, the two new tracks which will be included on a collection of re-recorded versions of the band’s classic songs, to be released in the summer of 2012. The CD will contain a total of 16 cuts — two from The Yellow And Black Attack, six from Soldiers Under Command, six from To Hell With The Devil, as well as the two aforementioned new tracks.
Stryper‘s covers album, The Covering, sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 175 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band’s previous CD, 2009’s Murder By Pride, opened with 5,900 units to land at No. 73.
Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, The Covering is unlike any previous Stryper recording in that it’s a collection of cover songs from bands that inspired them and helped to shape their sound and musical identity, including hits from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Kansas and many others. The Covering also includes God, a new original recording from Stryper.
Stryper Tour Dates
USA
5/12/12 Merriweather Post Pavilion, M3 Rock Festival [Info]
5/17/12 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
5/18/12 Houston, TX @House Of Blues
5/19/12 Las Vegas, NV Chrome Showroom @ Santa Fe Station Casino
5/24/12 New York, NY B.B. Kings
5/25/12 Foxboro, MA Showcase Live
05/26/12 West Greenwich, RI Rock Junction NEW
06/01/12 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater NEW
06/02/12 Casper, WY Oasis Venue NEW
06/03/12 Seattle, WA El Corazon NEW
07/28/12 Royalton, MN HalfWay Jam[Info] NEW
Europe
7/ 06/12 Risoya, Norway Seaside Festival [Info]
7/07/12 Halmstad, Sweden Gullbranna Festival [Info]
***
09/19/12 Kohima, India Indira Gandhi Stadium NEW
09/22/12 Dimapur, India Dimapur District Sports Council Stadium NEW
Michael Sweet Solo Dates
3/24/2012 East Gate Alliance Church Marshfield, WI
4/14/2012 Our Place Christian Church Hillsboro, OR
Related articles:
‘Stryper’ Frontman Performs Acoustically In Rhode Island [Video] [Oct. 2011]
‘Stryper’ Frontman Working On New Solo Album [Nov. 2011]
‘Michael Sweet’ Acoustic-Performance Footage From ‘Arizona’ [Nov. 2011]
‘Stryper’ To Play ‘Seaside Festival July 2012′ Norway [Jan. 2012]
‘M3 Rock Festival’ Line Up Announced [With Stryper & Many Others] [Feb. 2012]
‘Stryper’ To Play ‘India’ [More New Confirmed Tour Dates] [March 2012]
‘Michael Sweet’ [Stryper] To Tour Israel Jan. 2013 [March 2012]