Stryper will release a collection of re-recorded versions of the band’s classic songs on March 22 via Frontiers Records. Entitled Second Coming, 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 two new tracks, Bleeding From Inside Out and Blackened. A promo can be seen below.
Commented Stryper frontman Michel Sweet: “[The re-recorded songs are] sounding awesome! Better than the originals in many ways!! One word to describe the record? Heavier.”
Stryper will enter the studio in March to begin work on their next all-new original album for a late 2013 release.
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Michael Sweet stated about the band’s plans for the next studio album, “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.”
Frontiers Records recently announces the signing of iconic rockers Stryper to a multi-album deal. The first CD to be made available the agreement will be a collection of re-recorded versions of the band’s classic songs, due in North America on March 26. Entitled Second Coming and produced by frontman Michael Sweet, 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 two new tracks, Bleeding From Inside Out and Blackened.
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 Zeppel, Kansas and many others. The Covering will also include God, a new original recording from Stryper. [Listen below].
Stryper‘s Live In Indonesia At Java Rockin’ Land DVD was released in October 2012 via MVD Visual. The set was recorded in front of an enthusiastic crowd in 2010.
“Second Coming” Track list :
* Soldiers Under Command
* Makes Me Wanna Sing
* Reach Out
* Loving You
* Loud ‘N’ Clear
* The Rock That Makes Me Roll
* Calling On You
* First Love
* Surrender
* To Hell With The Devil
* Free
* Sing Along Song
* More Than A Man
* The Way
* Bleeding From Inside Out [new]
* Blackened [new]
Michael Sweet Solo:
January 19, 2013 Ramona, CA at Ramona Main Stage [more info]
Stryper Tour Dates:
January 26, 2013 – House of Blues, Anaheim, CA NEW
February 16, 2013 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Teatro Flores NEW
February 17, 2013 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Carioca Club NEW
March 16 – 20, 2013 – Monsters Of Rock Cruise , FT Lauderdale
Band members:
Michael Sweet- Lead Vocals / Guitar
Robert Sweet- Drums
Oz Fox- Guitar / Vocals
Timothy Gaines- Bass/Vocals
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter
‘Michael Sweet’ [Stryper] To Tour Israel Jan. 2013 [March 2012]
‘Michael Sweet’ Talks About Upcoming Solo Album, Autobiography [Sept. 2012]
‘Robert Sweet’ Interviewed By His Mother ‘Janice Sweet’, Video [Oct. 2012]
‘Stryper’ ‘South American’ 2013 Tour Dates Announced [Nov. 2012]
‘Michael Sweet’ Releases Solo Track As Tribute To Those Affected By Hurricane Sandy [Nov. 2012]
‘Michael Sweet’ Joins Ex ‘Dokken’ Members On Tour In 2013‘ [Dec. 2012]
‘Stryper’ ‘Upcoming Anaheim Show To Feature Special Guests ‘Todd La Torre’ & ‘Jeff Scott Soto’ [Dec. 2012]
‘Stryper’ To Release ‘Second Coming’ On March 22 [Jan. 2013]
‘Michael Sweet’ Says People Who Liked ‘The Covering’ Will Love ‘Second Coming’ [Jan. 2013]
’Stryper’ Announce New Multi-Album Deal With ‘Frontiers Records’ [Jan. 2013]
Too bad there only two new songs.I hoped for a new album, now it sounds like a milk cow.
@Smithy: Stryper will enter the studio in March to begin work on their next all-new original album for a late 2013 release.
Michael Sweet: “We did this for ourselves; we didn’t do it for the fans. We set out to re-record these songs because we wanted to own the masters. We have a label that owns the catalogue, which is Disney/Hollywood. We signed a publishing deal with Songspub and, you know, the middle man is Disney. So, whenever Songspub pitches a song for a movie or television, they gotta get approval from Disney. Most of the time that’s a very difficult task. They don’t return calls, or if they do, they want more money, or if they don’t want more money, they want this or that. A lot of times it makes the deal go south. So we grew tired of that and said ‘OK we’re going to re-record these songs and then there will be no middleman, ‘cause we’ll own the masters’. And that’s what we did.”
If they did it for themselves and not for the fans, then why not make a gesture to your fans and make those re-recordings available as a free download or add them as a bonus disc to the new album that is to be released later this year instead of asking the full price (17 Euro) for a standalone album?