Noizegate magazine conducted an interview with vocalist/guitarist Michael Sweet of Christian hard rockers Stryper before the band’s July 6 performance at Gullbrannafestivalen in Sweden. You can watch the chat below.
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Michael Sweet stated about Stryper‘s plans for the immediate future, “Right now, we’re finishing up a re-record album of our classic hits. Then we’re going to begin work on a brand-new, all-original Stryper studio album, most likely coming out next summer. We’re really excited about that. . . We’re going into this new record with the mentality and thinking of making it like a ‘To Hell With The Devil 2’. That’s not to say it will actually sound like that album, but we really want it to be as great as ‘To Hell With The Devil’, which was our biggest album. We want people to put on this record and go; ‘Whoa! Wow! This is as good as or better than ‘To Hell With The Devil’!’ We want the new album to be a powerhouse and we’re going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Earlier this year Michael announced tour dates in the Holy Land January 13 – 22, 2013. The tour package consists of a tour of Tel Aviv, Israel along with meet and greet opportunities with Sweet.
Cost for the package is 3,395 with registration costing $300. To pay by credit card, call Ari Bauer at 1-877-999-8868 ext. 415. To pay by check or money order, print and mail the registration form found here. The entire tour itinerary can also be found at the link.
Michael Sweet will perform with his faith-based “storytellers” solo acoustic show in churches around the world this year. The performances are a combination of Stryper classics, new solo material, and notable praise and worship songs. If you are interested in Michael Sweet performing at your church, please have your church leaders contact Dave Rose at Dave [at] DeepSouthEntertainment.com. View the promotional video below.
Sweet entered the studio in Februari to begin recording his new solo album. He is also writing his first “book/autobiography,” which he promises “will outline my life and give you a page-by-page layout of the early years, the ups and downs of being in a Christian rock band, behind-the-scenes stories of what really goes on ‘behind the scenes’ of a successful Christian rock band (good and bad), getting through the toughest battle of all, joining the legendary classic rock band Boston, and much much more.”
Sweet‘s last solo album, Touched, was released on December 3, 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.
Stryper Tour Dates
08/26/12 Madison, WI Orpheum Theatre Free Show! NEW!
09/19/12 Kohima, India Indira Gandhi Stadium
09/22/12 Dimapur, India Dimapur District Sports Council Stadium
10/06/12 San Juan, Puerto Rico Roberto Clemente Coliseum w/ Bret Michaels and Tesla NEW!
11/16/12 Caracas, Venezuela Poliedro de Caracas
11/17/12 Barqusimeto, Lara Venezuela Complejo Ferial Bicentenario
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]
New Video Interview With ‘Michael Sweet’ [March 2012]
Online Guitar Lessons By ‘Stryper’s’ ‘Oz Fox’ [March 2012]