In a new interview with Jay Heilman of the Kingdom Builder podcast, STRYPER guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet spoke about how his voice has changed in the four decades since he started singing professionally. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s not easy. It’s not an easy road as a singer. Every musician in a band has to work hard and practice and learn the parts and all that stuff and do their job. And it’s hard work. But I think singers have it a little tougher. And what I mean by that is their instrument is based on so many things other than just plugging into an amp and turning it up and playing. It’s based on what you eat. It’s affected by the weather outside, how dry it is, how humid it is. It’s affected by sleep, if you didn’t sleep well the night before. It’s affected by, obviously, sickness, if you get sick. There’s so many things that factor into how good you’re going to sing. So it’s a rollercoaster ride, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, because when you have to go out on stage and sing and you can’t, there’s no trip like that, man. That’s a mental mind warp that you can’t even explain, ’cause you’re out there just grinning and bearing it, trying to get through it and struggling, and everyone’s looking at you and you’re trying to lead the pack, ’cause you’re out in front as the vocalist, whatever, and you can’t — you can’t do it. And you know you’re not doing it. That’s hard. That is very hard. And I’ve been there and done that lots of times. So, it’s tough being a singer. And I’m not whining, I’m not crying. I’m just stating facts. It’s very tough.”
Asked by Heilman if he was aware, more than three decades ago, when he was working on STRYPER‘s early albums that he would have to sing some of that material more than 30 years later, Sweet said: “I was not even thinking that, but I wish I had. Had I done that, I might’ve chose my battles a little better. I went a little crazy ’cause I could. I could hit those notes, no problem. That was like breathing to me. It was so easy. But then, as you get older and your vocal cords and folds change from getting older and from wear and tear and from — you name it — I’ve got all kinds of issues with my thyroid and all kinds of stuff, and it affects your voice. So I’m not the singer I once was, but I am still able to, for the most part, pull off what I need to pull off, and it works and I’m very thankful for that. I’ll never sound like I did back in the ’80s, but that’s okay. I sound different now, but I’m still able to sing. And if that day comes when I can’t, I play guitar, man. And I’ll just play guitar. And then maybe I’ll get a little recognition as a guitar player if I’m just playing guitar. Who knows?”
After Heilman noted that many people who see STRYPER perform live are surprised by Sweet‘s abilities as a guitar player beyond his skills as a vocalist, Michael said: “Well, man, that’s awesome to hear, and I’m glad people realize that. And it’s not about getting recognition. Who cares? I mean, it’s just, whatever. But at the end of the day, it is about, like, if people only knew how hard I work, if they could come into my studio and spend a week with me and see how hard I work on guitar, working out parts, all the rhythms… I mean, Oz [Fox, STRYPER guitarist] is a great guitar player, but I invest a lot more time into these albums as a guitar player. And that’s not to take anything away from Oz at all. I’m just saying. And it’s always kind of been like that. And for some reason, I guess a lot of people don’t see me as a guitar player. That kind of gets blocked out. It’s really bizarre. And then I say to them, ‘But you’ve seen our videos, right?’ ‘Yeah, yeah.’ And I said, ‘Did I have a guitar on in those videos?’ And they say, ‘Oh, yeah, you did.’ I’m, like, ‘Yeah.’ It’s just weird. It makes no [sense]… And I’ve talked about it in almost every interview, and there’s old photos of us as a trio back in the day. I mean, I played guitar before I started singing for years. Guitar’s always been number one to me. But that aside, I’m not a shredder. I’m just a guy that kind of writes solos for the song and I try to write melodically and solos you can remember and kind of sing along to. And that’s always been my thing. But, man, look, does it matter? No. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter if I ever get recognition as a guitar player. It really doesn’t. But, man, I love to play. I love to play, and I play a lot. So I’ll leave it at that.”
STRYPER released its long-awaited Christmas album, “The Greatest Gift Of All”, on November 21 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 10-song effort includes five original Christmas tracks and five traditional Christmas cuts, including remakes of “Reason For The Season” and “Winter Wonderland”, both of which originally appeared on a 1985 single and were also made available on the 1986 re-release of STRYPER‘s debut EP, “The Yellow And Black Attack”.
This past July, STRYPER released the first single from the new Christmas LP, a song called “Still The Light”. Just in time for Christmas in July, the track also arrived alongside an official lyric video.
STRYPER guitarist Oz Fox recently sat out the band’s Latin American tour on advice of his doctor. The 64-year-old musician, who underwent a brain surgery in May 2024, was once again temporarily replaced by Howie Simon (JEFF SCOTT SOTO, GRAHAM BONNET),who previously filled in for Fox on several tours in the past.
STRYPER‘s latest all-original studio album, “When We Were Kings”, came out in September 2024.
The band recently completed the U.S. leg of its 40th-anniversary tour, which was described as “a celebration of both classic hits and new-era fan favorites, including outfit changes and an exciting new show production.”
In December 2023, Michael underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. It is the most common surgery for thyroid cancer.
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 other albums include “To Hell With The Devil”, “Second Coming”, “No More Hell To Pay”, “Fallen”, “God Damn Evil”, “Even The Devil Believes” and “The Final Battle”.
