ROBERT SWEET On STRYPER's Upcoming 'Unplugged' Tour: Fans Will Get To See 'Another Side Of The Band'

STRYPER drummer Robert Sweet spoke to Waste Some Time With Jason Green about the band's upcoming "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour", which will kick off in late May. For the first time ever, the Christian rockers will stage a full tour where they will perform their hits and fan favorites acoustically.

Robert said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, actually, we've done it before [where we played acoustically], but probably not to this extent. We have — I'm gonna say maybe 20, 30 times gone out and done shows where it was like 'Unplugged' on MTV. They were acoustic shows, and I really had a fun time doing it. I mean, I didn't have to come off stage with my hair knotted and my clothes ripped and stuck to my body from sweat, exhausted with my fingers bleeding. It's actually kind of a nice thing. But it's still fun. So I really do like it."

He continued: "I think a lot of people, when they hear that right off the bat, they go, 'No, man, I wanna see STRYPER in the way that I've seen them in their videos or seen them in the past.' But it's a new thing. I mean, not a new thing, but it's something that I think when fans see it, they go, 'Wow, I really like it. I'm really surprised,' only because I've heard this said before. And I still play a little tiny drum set… But it really is a lot of fun. And we've had a lot of people say, 'Well, I was really surprised. I didn't think I'd like it. But I came and I realized, wow, this is great. This is seeing another side of the band I never got to see.'"

When "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour" was first announced earlier this month, Robert's brother, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet, said: "We'll be announcing many more acoustic dates over the next few months (in support of our new acoustic album coming this year) and an electric tour (in support of our new electric album coming later this year).

"We're celebrating our 40 year anniversary as a band!

"The acoustic album has been in the works for a while and we're so excited to announce that it's finally getting released! I can assure you, this is unlike any other acoustic album that you've ever heard before. It has fire, energy and a feel that is so unique.
The new electric album will be our best studio effort to date. No filler, all killer.

"Thank you all for 40 years of support and for being a part of the STRYPER Army".

Less than a year ago, Michael shot down speculation that STRYPER's latest album, "The Final Battle" marked the swan song for the veteran Christian hard rock band.

"A lot of people assume that because of the title of the album that it's our last album and that this is our last tour," Sweet told The Spokesman-Review in May 2023. "But it's not our final anything."

"The Final Battle", released in October 2022 via Frontiers Music Srl, is about Armageddon. "The material is about something much bigger than our band," Sweet explained. "We don't plan to hang it up. When the time comes, we'll announce that it's our last tour and when we announce that, it will be our final tour. We won't be like other bands who claim it's their last tour when it's not."

The follow-up to 2020's "Even The Devil Believes", "The Final Battle" was produced by Sweet and was once again recorded at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts.

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 albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil" and the aforementioned "Even The Devil Believes" and "The Final Battle".

Robert and Michael are joined in STRYPER by Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).