Stryper’s Micahel Sweet shared on his official Facebook page a status where he thinks that grunge didn’t kill hair metal, but grunge ”killed” the hair metal movement in the early 90s.
Read below what Sweet shared:
“I don’t believe that Grunge killed hair metal. I think that many hair metal bands stopped trying to some degree and because of that, they started releasing mediocre music. Stryper included.
”When “hair metal” exploded on the scene in the early 80’s it was incredibly powerful, fresh and exciting. A movement that changed the times. As the ’80s came to an end, “hair metal” was for the most part cliche, some what redundant and for the most part, recycled. I want to be fair and say not all bands but certainly many. Also, this is my personal opinion.
”I think fans were looking for something new and exciting again. Enter grunge. If was a movement as well. It wasn’t really as intricate musically speaking but it was raw and passionate and that’s what makes music appealing. No matter what genre.
”Originality and passion builds the foundation of any great artist/band.
”I’ll never forget when I first heard Nirvana. I actually loved it and immediately went out and bought the record. I played it for the guys and they didn’t seem quite as excited about it as I was but I thought to myself – times definitely changing, and they did very quickly!
”Personally, the grunge movement helped me to work harder and try harder. I dug a lot deeper within myself from that time forward to be a better writer, performer, musician and producer. So, I say thank you to Grunge for turning things around”