In a recent interview with The Pick’s Shaggy, Michael Sweet shared insights about Stryper’s 40th anniversary tour and a possible show with Slayer. When asked about a planned 2006 performance alongside Slayer, known for their Satanic themes contrasted with Stryper’s positive message, Sweet revealed his enthusiasm.
“No, it was the exact opposite. I was really excited about scheduling it. I couldn’t schedule it quick enough,” he stated. “We had the opportunity and I said, ‘Yeah do it, boom, book it,’ and the way I always look at that is it’s an opportunity for us to go and play before a crowd that we’ve never played to, and to maybe win some of those people over, maybe win them all over. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. And we were excited about that. And then what happened was Slayer pulled out. And when Slayer pulled out it made no sense to me to go and do the show, because it was kind of defeating the purpose of doing the show, so we pulled out as well.”
Sweet expressed his belief that a show with Slayer could be surprisingly successful. “I bet you if we did a show with Slayer, or even a small tour with Slayer, I bet you both bands and both audiences would be very surprised, pleasantly. I think it would be fun, and I think it would work in a very odd way, but I think it would work,” he added.
He also reflected on Stryper’s unique position in the music scene. “We’ve been mocked from the very beginning,” Sweet noted. “If we sang about girls or Satan, we would have been the cool kids. But we’re not, because we sing about Jesus.”
Addressing comparisons to other bands, he said, “Metallica and Slayer — no disrespect to those guys, I would never wanna be like those guys. 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.”
Stryper has recently released a new track titled “Betrayed By Love” from their twelfth studio album, When We Were Kings, accompanied by a music video.
