After a summer break, STRYPER is back on the road this fall for the second half of their God Damn Evil World Tour. As previously announced, guitarist Oz Fox is back on the road following a health scare earlier this year.
On August 11th, Oz suffered a medical emergency while performing with a side project in Las Vegas. An on-stage seizure led to the discovery of some previously unknown “spots” on the brain, which forced him to sit out the Australia tour dates as well as several U.S. dates in September. While additional testing and treatment will be necessary, Oz has been released to work… Read more
Chart-topping rock band STRYPER has released the official music video for “Sorry” – the first video from their upcoming 10th studio album, God Damn Evil, due April 20, 2018 from Frontiers Music SRL. Stryper reunited with director Jamie Brown of Smoking Gun Productions for the “Sorry” video, which was shot on location in the open desert outside of Las Vegas.
“’Sorry’ is a song with a groove that chugs right along,” says frontman Michael Sweet who also produced the album. “It’s got a heavy feel yet it also has a melodic sense and a chorus that may have you singing along. We’ve always been drawn to harmonies and melodies and this one doesn’t fall short. Lyrically it speaks of a volatile relationship and it gives hope to anyone who has been involved in one. Every song is unique in its own way on God Damn Evil and there’s something for everyone. We’re counting the days to April 20th!”
Watch STRYPER’s official music video for “Sorry” here:
With God Damn Evil, the band returns with their most powerful album to date, doubling down on the hard rock/heavy metal sound that earned them a worldwide fan base. Following the album’s announcement and pre-order launch on February 9th, God Damn Evil rocketed to #1 on the Hard Rock Chart at Amazon.com, where it remains in the Top 10 more than a month later.
God Damn Evil is the first release since the recent addition of bass player Perry Richardson, who joins original members Michael Sweet (vocals and guitar), Robert Sweet (drums) and Oz Fox (guitar). Perry is best known as a founding member of the multi-platinum band Firehouse.
Rocking since 1984, STRYPER is responsible for such classic ’80s metal albums as Soldiers Under Command, To Hell with the Devil and In God We Trust. In fact, STRYPER is the first band to ever have two songs in MTV’s Top 10 simultaneously with their hits “Free” and “Honestly.” After a sabbatical for much of the 1990’s, STRYPER returned strong in the early 21st century. To date, the Dove Award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated band has sold over 10 million records worldwide.
God Damn Evil is the follow-up to STRYPER’s ninth studio album, Fallen (Frontiers Music SRL), which released in 2015 and debuted at the top of the Billboard charts. 2016’s 30th Anniversary To Hell With The Devil Tour saw record crowds and featured the band’s largest sound and lighting production in nearly two decades.
STRYPER will return to the road this year, kicking off the God Damn Evil World Tour at the at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy on April 28th. Tour dates will be posted as confirmed at http://www.stryper.com/Tour/tour.html.
God Damn Evil is available now for pre-order at all major retailers including Amazon and iTunes. The following limited edition pre-order offers are also available:
Stryper Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE yellow colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide), autographed vinyl test pressings, EXCLUSIVE t-shirt design (Stryper store ONLY), autographed CDs and more! Pre-order HERE: https://stores.portmerch.com/stryper/
Frontiers U.S. Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE gold colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide), autographed vinyl test pressings, EXCLUSIVE t-shirt design (Frontiers store ONLY), autographed CDs and more! Pre-order HERE: http://pmusic.co/34WWZE
Frontiers EU Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE silver colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide) and more! Pre-order HERE: http://bit.ly/2nSs5ey
Iconic rock band STRYPER will celebrate their 35th anniversary with the upcoming release of their 10th studio album, God Damn Evil, due April 20, 2018 from Frontiers Music SRL. Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, the band returns with their most powerful album to date, doubling down on the hard rock/heavy metal sound that earned them a worldwide fan base.
God Damn Evil is available now for pre-order at all major retailers including Amazon and iTunes. Limited edition pre-order offers are also available (see below).
Fans were initially introduced to the new album title and cover art via a social media post on February 5th, which quickly went viral causing a significant amount of conversation from STRYPER fans.
“We thought long and hard about this title,” says Michael in response to thousands of fan comments. “It was actually considered quite a few years ago and it just didn’t feel like the right time. Now, with all the evil in the world that we see around us on a daily basis, it made perfect sense. It’s a very bold statement yet a prayer asking God to damn/condemn evil. Nothing more, nothing less.”
God Damn Evil is the first release since the recent addition of bass player Perry Richardson, who joins original members Michael Sweet (vocals and guitar), Robert Sweet (drums) and Oz Fox (guitar). Perry is best known as a founding member of the multi-platinum band Firehouse.
STRYPER fans are getting their first look into the upcoming album with today’s release of the epic lyric video for the song, “Take It To The Cross.” View the Lyric video here:
“’Take It To The Cross’ is our answer to many fans asking us to do something a little heavier and even bordering on thrash,” says Michael. “The verses are heavy with a vocal and lyric delivery that’s bold and relevant yet the chorus kicks in with a fast, thrashy vibe. We brought in Matt Blanchard (Act of Defiance / Shadows Fall) to handle the vocal growl on the choruses and the end vamp. This song is 100% high octane.”
“Take It To The Cross” can be streamed at Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, etc. Those links available HERE: http://radi.al/GodDamnEvil.
Rocking since 1984, STRYPER is responsible for such classic ’80s metal albums as Soldiers Under Command, To Hell with the Devil and In God We Trust. In fact, STRYPER is the first band to ever have two songs in MTV’s Top 10 simultaneously with their hits “Free” and “Honestly.” After a sabbatical for much of the 1990’s, STRYPER returned strong in the early 21st century. To date, the Dove Award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated band has sold over 10 million records worldwide.
God Damn Evil is the follow-up to STRYPER’s ninth studio album, Fallen (Frontiers Music SRL), which released in 2015 and debuted at the top of the Billboard charts. 2016’s 30th Anniversary To Hell With The Devil Tour saw record crowds and featured the band’s largest sound and lighting production in nearly two decades.
STRYPER will return to the road this year, kicking off the God Damn Evil World Tour at the at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy on April 28th. Tour dates will be posted as confirmed at http://www.stryper.com/Tour/tour.html.
“We all see and hear the darkness that surrounds us in our society but with faith and love, we’ll always have hope,” says Michael. “That’s what STRYPER is all about – powerful music and a message that builds foundations, not walls. We couldn’t be more excited about God Damn Evil as it showcases our undying love for what we do and why we do it.”
Track Listing for God Damn Evil:
1. Take It To The Cross
2. Sorry
3. Lost
4. God Damn Evil
5. You Don’t Even Know Me
6. The Valley
7. Sea Of Thieves
8. Beautiful
9. Can’t Live Without Your Love
10. Own Up
11. The Devil Doesn’t Live Here
God Damn Evil Limited Edition Pre-Order Offers:
Stryper Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE yellow colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide), autographed vinyl test pressings, EXCLUSIVE t-shirt design (Stryper store ONLY), autographed CDs and more! Pre-order HERE: https://stores.portmerch.com/stryper/
Frontiers U.S. Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE gold colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide), autographed vinyl test pressings, EXCLUSIVE t-shirt design (Frontiers store ONLY), autographed CDs and more! Pre-order HERE: http://pmusic.co/34WWZE
Frontiers EU Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE silver colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide) and more! Pre-order HERE: http://bit.ly/2nSs5ey
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke with STRYPER front man Michael Sweet. Sweet spoke about the New Stryper album, a new song called Take it to the Cross that will feature Death Metal growls, new bassist Perry Richardson faith and the shooting of the upcoming Stryper Documentary
Watch the interview here:
When asked if he would consider doing a project with Dave Mustaine from Megadeth
“You got to talk to Dave about that. I mentioned it to Dave in multiple texts, let’s write, let’s co-write let’s do this let’s do that and he always invites me out to his place in Nashville. Dave has always been very gracious and I have never been able to get to Nashville or at least in the past few years to plan out an actual session with Dave to write. But Dave and I at some point I hope will collaborate and do something together. I love Dave I respect him I think he is a brilliant mind, brilliant musician and he is a friend of mine.”
When asked if being a Christan was part of the job description in hiring Perry Richardson
“It’s a valid question, to answer your question, NO and it might make people gasp, it might shock people, it might even lose a few fans by hearing Michael Sweet saying that. What is at the top of the priority list is that they are good people, that they are clean and sober and that they are really good musicians and for Stryper a really important piece is that they can sing. we are a vocal band. It’s not easy to find somebody that can sing and that can play and that is a great person. ”
“The Christan thing is that doesn’t always make you a great person. Some of the biggest idiots I know claim to be Christian and then vice versa. Is it something that would be really great to see and have of course, it’s funny cause Perry has said that he is a Christian. But we didn’t go there.”
When asked if Perry Richardson played bass on the New Stryper Album
“The situation with the new Stryper album Perry had a schedule to fulfill and we were on schedule to make the new album so there wasn’t anyway he could play on the album, so next time around we will see. So for the new album we hired called John O’ Boyle who played bass on my last two solo albums, his performances will speak for themselves.”
When asked about the musical direction of the new Stryper album
“The new album comes out in late April 2018. I can tell you this this is Stryper’s best album. There is a song that is close to Yahweh (song from Fallen album ) and it’s really different it will surprise a lot of people. The title of the album is very controversial and very shocking, it holds its own and perhaps surpasses To Hell with the Devil in terms of that catch phrase. There is a song called ‘Take it to the Cross and we brought in Matt Bachand who plays guitar in ‘Shadows Fall’ and also plays Bass in ‘Act of Defiance’. And Matt has a great growl voice. So we brought him in on ‘Take it to the Cross’ (new song) and on the chorus you will hear Matt growl and at the end of the song you will hear Matt growl.People are going to hear that and say that”s no way Stryper! More in line with Thrash, Death Metal but not over the top. People are going to hear it and say WHAT THE HELL? ”
When asked about the Stryper Documentary
“We started shooting it while making the album and we are going to continue filming and shooting throughout this year on tour and interviewing lots of people, from Pastors who have changed their lives who were alcoholics and drug addicts, to celebrities who grew up listening to Stryper, people unexpected. We are trying to show the side of the affect Stryper has had on people’s lives and of course the music, tons of home video footage too.”
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke with Michael Sweet (Stryper) about his new solo album One Sided War which will be released on August 26 2016 on Rat Pack Records.
During the interview Michael Sweet goes in depth about some of his new songs, production and inspirations on his new solo album.
When asked if his new solo album a very Christen oriented album similar to Stryper
“I’m a Christian so everything I do and say and portray is obviously going to be in line with my faith. So that being said this album is a little different than Stryper and lyrically it’s different, but still has a very strong message and musically its a little diffent but it still has similarities because I am the singer and one of the guitar players and the songwriters for the band. “
When asked about his production duties on this album
As a producer I really go for combining the old with the new. There are a lot of great sounding albums form the 80’s not just the way they sound but the spirit that they have and the energy that they have . There is nothing like that . Some of the best albums ever to come out are from the 80’s. But at the same time we live in 2016 and you want the production to be relevant and viable for today so I try to combine the two. And as a producer go into it with that mind set, with that thinking. I’m a big fan of Van Halen and I love the cymbals on the Van Halen albums that is why there are lots of cymbals. I just love drums. .So I come at it not only as guitar player but at it as closet drummer as well”
When asked about the Song ‘I AM’ which has a Ronnie James Dio Vibe
“I’m a huge Dio Fan, I always have been. I don’t sing or sound anything like Dio, I’m not even at the first level of the ten levels he was on as a singer. But that being said I love that style and the intensity that Dio sang with and that song. ‘I AM’ is right in line with that it’s got that Dio vibe to it. “
When asked if other members of Stryper worry that he might not continue Stryper and just keep going solo.
No, I don’t think so that would be a question for them, for Oz, Tim and Rob. I made it very clear of the past few years that I am not going anywhere. I don’t plan on leaving Stryper anytime soon. I think you can have both. I have the time I make the time to do both and I hope that the fans will support what I do as much as they support what Stryper does.”
STRYPER frontman MICHAEL SWEET joins Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon on Canada’s The Metal Voice to review LITA FORD‘s latest Album from the vault called ‘Time Capsule’ and review, comment on LITA FORD‘s new book “Living like a Runaway”.
Michael Sweet had this to say about the Time Capsule, “there were some points to the album and songs that I were really impressed with. “Where Will I find my heart tonight” duet with Jeff Scott Soto definitely one of the better songs out the 11 tracks. Number 2 (Killing kind) song and number 3 (War of the Angels) song were really cool too and then from that point on as we go from 4 to 11 obviously it began sound like B tracks lost tracks and therefore there was probably at some point a good reason they never release those tracks. They weren’t as strong as most of Lita’s other material. But that being said it still cool, its a nostalgic throwback it has that sound you can only capture during that time period. Lita sounded great I was impressed I never really sat and listened to every solo and focused on her tone and style before. I was impressed with her as a player.”
Lita Ford is ripping open the vault and sharing music no one has heard yet. Ford, a Grammy-nominated artist who recently accepted Guitar Player’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is one of the youngest living legends in rock ‘n’ roll, is celebrating four decades of music. She is releasing Living Like a Runaway: Lita Ford, A Memoir, documenting her journey from all-girl band The Runaways to major solo successes. Ford is also offering an audio complement in the form of Time Capsule. .
This “throwback” record boasts identifiable voices and brilliant players jamming without any planning or pressure. Some of the album’s highlights:
Billy Sheehan playing bass and Rodger Carter on drums; Dave Navarro playing a mandolin; Jeff Scott Soto singing a duet with Ford; Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander of Cheap Trick actually singing backing vocals; and KISS’ Gene Simmons ripping the bass.
The album is a time capsule of the fertile and whisky-soaked pre-grunge period that so many rock fans have continued affection for. Time Capsule is Ford’s gift to fans who love the ’80s, when thrilling vocal performances, raunchy riffs, and loud, growling guitars were as essential as oxygen.
Album will be released on Steamhammer / SPV
15 April 2016
DigiPak Version
1. Intro 1:35
2. Where Will I Find My Heart Tonight 04:47
3. Killing Kind 04:49
4. War Of The Angels 05:44
5. Black Leather Heart 03:33
6. Rotten To The Core 04:21
7. Little Wing 03:01
8. On The Fast Track 03:41
9. King Of The Wild Wind 05:04
10. Mr. Corruption 04:15
11. Anything For The Thrill 03:25
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