STRYPER Singer Says New Album Will be 'Much More Melodic' Than 'Reborn'

Marko Syrjälä of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with Christian hard rockers STRYPER. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal-Rules.com: Would you tell some more details about upcoming album? When is it going to be released?

Michael Sweet (vocals): We don't know when it's going to be actually released but we are shooting for probably summer. Hopefully it's out in second quarter, maybe in May or in June? I'm halfway through with the lead vocals right now so when I go home I'll finish that up. We'll do photos in January and then we'll start to market it and maybe go on tour in September?

Metal-Rules.com: What kind of musical direction will the new album represent? The latest album "Reborn" was your heaviest album to date, are you going to continue that kind of direction on your new album too?

Michael: No, the new album will be much more into a melodic direction. There will be lots of melodies, guitar solos, stacked vocal harmonies and high screams it does sound a lot like the stuff what we used to do in the past. I'm sure that old fans will be pleased when they hear it.

Metal-Rules.com: Speaking more about "Reborn", how did that album actually sell?

Michael: It did fairly well. Not as good as we expected and I feel like it could have been accepted better than it was but that's because it didn't receive the proper promotion or marketing. I think it's a good record and those who have it seem to like it but unfortunately not a lot people have it.

Metal-Rules.com: It was around 2003 when you guys did a reunion with all original line-up. What made you decide to get back together after those years?

Michael: It just felt like the right time. I was doing things, other guys were doing things and I felt like it was something that needed to be done. When we officially reunited with STRYPER, and started touring again it just felt right. It was like God's hand was upon us and we felt that it was what God wanted us to do. We all agreed to it but it didn't feel that way back in the early Nineties and it just didn't feel right. Something either feels right or right and it's just that simple.

Metal-Rules.com: "The Best Of Stryper" came out in 2003 and that's about the time that you guys started seriously getting back together. On the album, there are two new unreleased songs "Something" and "For You". Were those songs written at that time or were they some leftovers from some earlier sessions?

Michael: Those were new songs that I had written that we went in and recorded as STRYPER. What happened was that the label called us and asked if we could do a best of and I suggested doing a few new songs. They were hesitant but I told them that the songs are ready to go and I submitted a budget and they said it was alright. Once that album was released you did your first tour as a band in more than ten years. Now afterwards, what was the biggest difference between that tour and tours you had done in the past?

Oz Fox (guitar): Obviously it was different and we were more or less just playing the music. We were asked to play 36 dates across the US and I would have to say it was more focused on the music and us just being together. I took it as us just testing the waters and seeing how it would go. We did these shows and some of us felt different than others and we weren't sure if we were gonna continue and it just turned into a situation where we didn't know what was going to happen. But it certainly like the 1980s where we played arenas and 8,000-10,000 people coming to see us; It was much smaller venues like House of Blues with about 1,200 people. It was more focused on that and celebrating the band and being back together and that's where it ended. It wasn't the same as it was in the eighties. We were older and no longer wearing spandex and it just wasn't the same except for the fact that it was the same people. And we still felt like we needed to speak about Christ in our music because that was the most important thing for all of us. If that is any answer to the question?

Metal-Rules.com: At that point was it clear that you will continue your career and start recording a new album?

Michael: Not at the end of 2003. We weren't sure that we were going to reunite permanently. I think it was more of, we thought it would be the only tour. It was kind of a celebration and we all thought we would just go our separate ways. But then it began to flourish and we felt like there was more to be done with this band.

Metal-Rules.com: One of the strangest shows you have played must have been the one you did on last April in Atlanta. I'm talking about event which was organized by XXXchurch.com (the #1 Christian porn website) and World Impact Wrestling… They even had Ron Jeremy (adult star) there, want to tell some more about the event?

Michael: It was different, it was very different. There was a wrestling ring right in front of us and we could just reach out and touch the ropes. We had never done anything like that before and the church that put it on, I think, it's amazing. They are going after the porn industry. They are going after the people are in porn and the directors and producers. I don't know how porn is accepted here but it's probably just as bad as it is in the States. Porn is just something that is just everywhere; you turn on your TV in your hotel and it's there and it's all over the Internet, it's just so accessible. It's a terrible thing because kids can see it and it's just despicable.

Oz: The Bible says that sex is for two people are married. Once you get exposed to this kind of thing it veers away from God's plan for sex. When a little kid sees this kind of thing, even by accident, they absorb it and you can never take that back. It is really just a terrible thing and this church is reaching out to people. A lot of people are caught up in it, people are addicting to watching it and they can't stop. It's something they can't let got of and hopefully this church will help people get out of that. It's a pretty cool thing.

Tracy Ferrie (bass): The event was very clean and I thought there would be scantily clad women and things like that, but just scantily clad wrestlers! Old men in their underwear… There was a mock debate where each side knew what the other one was going to say so it would be fair. They each knew what they were going to say so people could hear the church's view and Ron Jeremy's view.

Michael: It was kind of strange, the church people had people dressed up in bunny costumes and it was almost like a performance because it was all planned and rehearsed. It was strange.

Read the entire interview at Metal-Rules.com.

Fan-filmed video footage of STRYPER's November 12, 2007 concert in Bilbao, Spain can be viewed below.