STRYPER Frontman Discusses ROCKLAHOMA Appearance

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet recently spoke with RockMusicStar.com about the band's recent headlining appearance at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. He said, "Well, Rocklahoma was a good experience. Unfortunately, the numbers (attendance) that saw us play seemed a little low. I'm not sure if it is the economy, but I heard that the numbers were low all weekend long. But other than that, it was a one-off for us and it was the first time in a long time that we had played.

He continued, "We don't do very well with one-offs. We are a band that needs to get together, rehearse two to three weeks and then get into the groove. It takes a couple weeks to do that. Then we are locked in and solid and hopefully somewhat tight. But as far as Rocklahoma, there were some bloopers in there and we were a little rusty and rough around the edges. But we did have a good time. We always enjoy every opportunity we get to go out and play and give people hope and encouragement through our lyrics. But it was a tough gig with the low numbers and the heat. I don't do well in high extreme humidity. It's tough on you when you're trying to run around and put on a show."

"Murder By Pride", the new album from STRYPER, will be released in Europe on August 28 via Frontiers Records. The CD was made available in the U.S. on July 21 through Big 3 Records.

"Murder By Pride" track listing:

01. Eclipse Of The Son (4:04)
02. 4 Leaf Clover (3:42)
03. Peace Of Mind (3:58)
04. Alive (3:36)
05. The Plan (3:10)
06. Murder By Pride ((3:18)
07. I Believe (3:43)
08. Run In You (4:15)
09. Love Is Why (4:07)
10. Mercy Over Blame (4:07)
11. Everything (4:26)
12. My Love (I'll Always Show) (3:14)
13. My Love, My Life, My Flame (exclusive bonus track for Europe)

Commented Michael Sweet: "After years of speaking to fans and hearing comments like 'more guitars,' 'more solos' and 'more screams,' I decided to keep those comments in mind as I wrote each song. It was important to me to try to get back to that early sound of STRYPER yet at the same time, to remain relevant today. It's certainly not an easy thing to do but as I listen to 'Murder By Pride', I think that was accomplished.

"I got the idea of the title 'Murder By Pride' from seeing pride consume dreams, goals and many times, lives. We all deal with pride and it can be crippling, so I wanted to write a lyric and a theme that would be a constant reminder of that. This record has been in the works for a long, long time and I can only hope that it was worth the wait!"

STRYPER will embark on a tour of the United States in September, hitting approximately 50 cities across America. This will be followed by international tour dates in January and February of 2010. The bands's 25th-anniversary tour will be a two-set show. The first set will be new STRYPER material and include bassist Tracy Ferrie, along with original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, and Oz Fox. The second set will be classic STRYPER hits and will be all four original members, including original bassist Tim Gaines. Michael Sweet Jr.'s band will be the opening band on the tour.

25 years ago (1984),STRYPER broke onto the scene with its debut EP, "Yellow And Black Attack", and has since gone on to sell 8 million records worldwide and tour the world spreading an inspirational message through their branded sound of rock songs, heavy guitars, and pristine harmony vocals.

Michael Sweet was interviewed by the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma radio station KATT-FM 100.5 on Saturday, July 11 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. Watch the chat below.