STRYPER Shares New Single 'End Of Days', Announces 40th-Anniversary Tour Dates

Pioneering Christian metal band STRYPER has released a new single, "End Of Days". Accompanied by a new lyric video, the track also helps announce the band's 40th-anniversary tour dates, which begin this fall. After an appearance at the Alive Music Festival in July, tour dates kick off September 11 in Greenville, Tennessee and conclude November 16 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A full list of dates is below.

About the new track, STRYPER said: "'End Of Days' is a heavy track musically and lyrically. It has a classic sound with a few modern twists and turns along the way. Lyrically, it's probably the most fitting message according to the times we are living in. It really does feel like the 'End Of Days' in many ways. We're not only a divided nation, we're a divided world. It's time to make things right."

STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour will be a celebration of both classic hits and new-era fan favorites, including outfit changes and an exciting new show production. In most cities, this will be a two-set "evening with"-style show.

STRYPER 2024 tour dates:

Jul. 18 - Mineral City, OH @ Alive Music Festival
Sep. 11 - Greeneville, TN @ Niswonger PAC
Sep. 17 - Columbus, OH @ TempleLive at the Columbus Athenaeum
Sep. 19 - Anderson, IN @ Paramount Theatre
Sep. 20 - St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre
Sep. 21 - Shipshewana, IN @ Blue Gate PAC
Sep. 23 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
Sep. 25 - San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theatre
Sep. 26 - Midland, TX @ Wagner Noel PAC
Sep. 28 - Arlington, TX @ Arlington Music Hall
Sep. 29 - Fort Smith, AR @ TempleLive
Oct. 19 - Wichita, KS @ TempleLive at Wichita Scottish Rite Center
Oct. 21 - Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
Oct. 25 - Stateline, NV @ Harrah's Lake Tahoe @ South Shore
Oct. 29 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
Oct. 20 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
Nov. 03 - Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
Nov. 07 - Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 08 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Nov. 09 - Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theater
Nov. 10 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live!
Nov. 13 - Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
Nov. 14 - Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre
Nov. 15 - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Nov. 16 - North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues

In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet spoke about the musical direction of the band's recently completed follow-up to 2022's "The Final Battle" album, tentatively due in September. He said: "I think what it's always been in the past 10 years, 12 years. It's kind of similar to the last album and the album prior to that. But this album has some different twists and turns to it. And you have to hear it to understand that. When I was writing the songs, I wanted to make sure the choruses kind of went from — the verses might be in a minor chord, a little more on the darker side, and the choruses go to a major chord, a little bit more on the lighter side. Not lighter, but happier side— more major, melodic, more of an anthem, sing-along kind of thing. Then when it comes back to the verse, boom, it darkens up a little bit. You hear more of that kind of stuff."

Regarding the lyrical content on the upcoming STRYPER LP, Sweet, who is responsible for almost all of the songwriting in the band, said: "[There are] a couple of twists and turns. There's a song called 'Betrayed By Love'. It's a dark song, musically and lyrically. It's not a happy, typical STRYPER song that people might expect, like 'Honestly'. It's a song about being betrayed by someone you loved or love. And I think people will hear that and think, 'Oh, wow. This is different.' It's a great song. It's really cool. But there's little twists and turns here with the lyrics. The lyrics are a little different. And really cool. I can't wait for people to hear it."

This past March, Sweet wrote in an online post that he was "a little nervous" about his voice prior to the recording sessions for the new STRYPER album, "but in all sincerity, it seems fine to me," he said. "I didn't have any trouble tracking vocals and if anything, it seemed a little easier this time around.

"I have to say that this album has a very special signature," he added. "It has a heaviness yet at the same time, a very melodic approach and a bit more of a 'sing-along' style when it comes to the choruses. I'm really pleased with the results and I truly believe it will be at the top of everyone's 'best of' list. There are some stand out tracks to my ears already but I won't go into details quite yet. Bottom line, a KILLER new STRYPER album is coming!"

Last September, Michael said that he wanted "to branch out a bit" on the next STRYPER album "and try some new things and I also want to get back to some 'pop metal' on a few tracks as well."

In December, Sweet underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. It is the most common surgery for thyroid cancer.

The follow-up to 2020's "Even The Devil Believes", "The Final Battle" was produced by Sweet and was once again recorded at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Formed 41 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil" and the aforementioned "Even The Devil Believes" and "The Final Battle".

Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums),Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).

STRYPER's "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour" kicked off in late May. For the first time ever, the Christian rockers staged a full tour where they performed their hits and fan favorites acoustically.

Photo credit: Alex Solca Photography