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Stryper

США

Christian Rock
Glam Metal
Heavy Metal
Hard 'n' Heavy

http://www.stryper.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/stryper
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stryper

8 июн 2025 :	STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET: 'I've Come To The Conclusion That The Hate For This Band Stems From Hatred For God'
5 июн 2025 :	STRYPER's Performance At SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL Canceled Due To Plane's 'Malfunctioning Smoke Detector System And Power Failure'
27 май 2025 :	MICHAEL SWEET Is 'So Excited' About STRYPER's Upcoming Christmas Album: 'It's Gonna Be Awesome'
18 май 2025 :
15 май 2025 :	STRYPER's Christmas Album Should Be Completed By Early July
30 апр 2025 :	STRYPER Is Preparing To Record Christmas Album
17 янв 2025 :	STRYPER's ROBERT SWEET: 'The Holy Spirit Gave Us The Courage To Go And Do This'
12 янв 2025 :	STRYPER Recap 2024, Share Plans For The New Year Including "The Release Of Some New Exclusive Music"
11 янв 2025 :	STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET Explains When Use Of Backing Tracks Becomes 'Too Much'
23 дек 2024 :	MICHAEL SWEET On Perception That He Runs STRYPER Like A Dictatorship: 'It's Just Not True'
17 дек 2024 :	How Close Did C.C. DEVILLE Come To Joining STRYPER? MICHAEL SWEET Responds
30 окт 2024 :	MICHAEL SWEET Would Like OZZY OSBOURNE To Give Induction Speech For STRYPER At ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
19 окт 2024 :	STRYPER Debut Music Video For New Track "Betrayed By Love"
26 сен 2024 :	STRYPER Is Working On A 'Really Different And Special' Official Band Documentary
15 сен 2024 :	STRYPER Share Visualizer For New Single "Rhyme Of Time"; When We Were Kings Album Out Now
3 сен 2024 :	OZ FOX Believes He Will Be Well Enough To Join STRYPER On 40th-Anniversary Tour: 'The Prayers Are Working'
17 авг 2024 :	STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET: 'We've Been Mocked From The Very Beginning'
16 авг 2024 :	STRYPER Shares Music Video For 'When We Were Kings' Title Track
7 авг 2024 :	STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET: 'We've Definitely Gotten Heavier As We've Gotten Older'
19 июл 2024 :	STRYPER Shares 'Loves Symphony' And 'Grateful' Singles From Upcoming 'When We Were Kings' Album
14 июл 2024 :	STRYPER Announces New Album, 'When We Were Kings'
9 июл 2024 :	STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET Says There Is 'A Huge Misconception That All Rock Stars Are Rich And Wealthy': 'We're Not Loaded'
4 июл 2024 :	STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET: 'As Long As You're Performing Live And Using' Backing 'Tracks Sparingly, It's Totally Fine'
27 июн 2024 :	STRYPER Shares New Single 'End Of Days', Announces 40th-Anniversary Tour Dates
12 июн 2024 :	See STRYPER Cover BON JOVI's 'Livin' On A Prayer' In Buffalo During 'To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour'
21 май 2024 :	MICHAEL SWEET Says Upcoming STRYPER Album Will Have 'Some Different Twists And Turns To It'

8 июн 2025

STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET: 'I've Come To The Conclusion That The Hate For This Band Stems From Hatred For God'

Michael Sweet of Christian metallers STRYPER has defended his group against online criticism, saying that he and his bandmates "have nothing to prove."

On Thursday (June 5),Michael took to his social media to write: "I'm just thinking out loud here. I grew up in a musical family. Everyone (and I mean everyone) plays an instrument and or sings. Not just okay but very well.

"My dad is a great singer/writer. He co-wrote a number one country song back in 1976. My mom is as well. My mom was part of the trio that sang for the traveling 'Gunsmoke' (James Arness) show back in the late 50's. My aunt Reba and my grandmother (Maxine) were the other two who made of that trio. My sister is also an amazing singer!

"I grew up in studios when I was a kid. My dad (and mom) were always recording. Local and major studios. They were managed by Mike Curb in the 60's and were in a few 'Beach/Dune buggy' movies. Always gigging, always music.

"So, when people say we suck I just laugh lately. Such an ignorant thing to say. Music is in our blood. Our DNA. Writing music is in my blood, my DNA. We may not be shredders or flashy players but to be honest, I'm glad we're not. We do however have our own, unique [sound] and style.

"Some people just love to hate. Hate us. Jealousy, envy? Who knows. Who cares. I've come to the conclusion that the hate for this band stems from hatred for God. It's deep. It's sad. It's pathetic. It's shallow. It's pointless.

"We have nothing to prove. We've broken all boundaries, all rules and all stats. And that just upsets the haters all the more. Sometimes we win over the closed minded. Sometimes we don't.
Regardless, we have accomplished more than we could ever imagine. We're blessed, we're chosen and we're thankful. And, we're not done".

Last August, Sweet was asked as part of the "1 Question With…" interview series if STRYPER's increasingly heavy and aggressive musical direction has been inspired by the fact that he and his bandmates have never fully embraced in heavy metal and hard rock circles, largely because of their Christian lyrics. He responded: "Well, it does upset me often when you see a band come out or a person come out and speak about openly their faith, their belief, whether it's they're a Muslim or they're an atheist or they're Satanist or whatever it is. And [they get applauded for it]. But often when a Christian comes out, a Christian band like STRYPER or what have you, they get [criticized for it]. And it's just the way it is. And people that don't agree with that, they're clueless. Because it's out there everywhere for the world to see. Anyone with eyes and ears can hear it and see it. So, continue to deny that. It's truth.

"We've been mocked from the very beginning," he continued. "If we sang about girls or Satan, we would have been the cool kids. But we're not, because we sing about Jesus.

"METALLICA and SLAYER — no disrespect to those guys, I would never wanna be like those guys," Sweet added. "Not in a million years. Yeah, [METALLICA are] playing stadiums. Who cares? I didn't get in this for the money. I didn't get in this to play stadiums. I mean, obviously, there's a rush that comes with that when you play to a big crowd and it's electrifying. But my point is that's not what we're doing this for. So we don't long to be METALLICA or SLAYER, and we're not that style. I grew up on [IRON] MAIDEN and [JUDAS] PRIEST. That's metal to me. Those are the true metal bands. Classic metal with a great singer and great melody — not the other stuff. Again, this is my opinion. People will disagree with me. Perfect. Totally, that's the way it works. But, man, we're gonna keep being who we are. We have been for 40 years. I don't know how much more time we have left in us or [how many] years we have left in us. It could be another 10 or 15. And we'll just keep doing what we do."

Three and a half years ago, Michael claimed that STRYPER was never a "Christian" band despite the fact that the lyrics in a number of STRYPER songs explicitly point to Christ. During an appearance on an episode of the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, he explained: "I recently, in the past few yeas, said quite a few times, and it's really caused a stir, that we're not a Christian band. And people say, 'What?' But we're Christians in a rock band. And there's a difference.

"I look at PETRA as a Christian band, I look at SWEET COMFORT, I look at REZ BAND as Christian bands, 'cause they were Christians in a rock band," the STRYPER frontman continued. "And they were brought up in the church, for the most part. We weren't brought up in the church; we were brought up on the streets of L.A. playing Gazzarri's, Troubadour, Whisky, and we became Christians. And we just continued doing what we always did, but with a different message.

"So we're a rock band that's comprised of Christians," Sweet added. "We're really not a Christian band. But if people wanna call us a Christian band, that's okay. But I view us as just a rock band that decided to take a different path."

Michael went on to say that STRYPER's lyrics come from the heart and are not meant to be a marketing gimmick, as is the case with some of the band's more extreme counterparts.

"With a band like SLAYER — not just SLAYER but a number of other black metal bands… What's interesting is STRYPER, we read the Bible, we pray, we go to church, we believe in what the Bible says," Michael said. "So by doing so, so to speak, we practice what we preach. We're not perfect — in any sense of the word, we're not perfect — but we really do our best to represent Christ, represent God and all that God stands for. But it's funny when you hear about SLAYER, and you think Satanic band, pentagram, evil, and then Tom [Araya, SLAYER frontman] is going to church every Sunday with his kids. Which is great. But my point is it's a polar opposite of what they represent themselves as. STRYPER, on the other hand, you get what you get. We are what we are on stage and off stage. It's not like we're going to the satanic church after we get off stage."

Even though STRYPER's third album, 1986's "To Hell With The Devil", made Sweet and his bandmates the first contemporary Christian act to score a platinum album, the group has often felt unwelcome in Christian circles, with some members of the church feeling that Christianity and heavy metal are incompatible.

In a 2018 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Michael said: "We've never been accepted by either side. The secular side, the mainstream, they've never accepted us to this day. We're probably that band that everyone's going to go to whenever there's a time to mock. We'll be the band used for that in most cases. Now on the Christian side, we've never really had the full support of the Christian side because we don't fit into their little club. We're not wearing suits and ties and going to every church and preaching."

Formed 42 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", "Even The Devil Believes", "The Final Battle" and the band's most recent effort, 2024's "When We Were Kings".

I’m just thinking out loud here. I grew up in a musical family. Everyone (and I mean everyone) plays an instrument and...

Posted by Michael Sweet on Thursday, June 5, 2025

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