STRYPER Frontman Releases Solo Track As Tribute To Those Affected By Hurricane Sandy

Vocalist/guitarist Michael Sweet of Christian hard rockers STRYPER has posted "an unmastered, full-length version" of the song "Strong" from his forthcoming solo album as a tribute to millions people on the East Coast of the United States still affected by Hurricane Sandy's wrath.

Says Sweet: "I was watching CNN this morning and it truly was heartbreaking to see what those affected by Hurricane Sandy are facing. I want to encourage everyone to help, even if it's in the smallest of ways. Donate whatever you can afford to the Red Cross and continue to pray for the people of the Northeast."

He adds, "I hope that it's in some way a light in the dark. We ARE strong and no matter what we're faced with, we WILL rise above it through faith and determination. Much love and respect to all of you."

"Strong" audio stream:

Michael's new solo album will be issued via Big3 Records along with his new autobiography. Guest musicians set to appear on the CD include CHICKENFOOT drummer Kenny Aronoff, FOZZY singer Chris Jericho, WHITESNAKE guitarist Doug Aldrich; Tony Harnell of TNT, and Michael's brother Robert Sweet and STRYPER's Timothy Gaines.

Regarding Harnell's appearance on the CD, Sweet previously stated, "I think Tony is truly one of the most underrated singers of all time. He's always been one of my favorites and is an incredibly nice, humble guy to boot. I've always wanted to work with Tony and I knew this would be the perfect song and opportunity to do so. 'Taking On The World Tonight' is very heavy with a combination of old-school riffs and solos yet it's got a very modern, relevant sound as well. It's the best of both worlds!"

Writing on Facebook, Sweet stated about reaction to his previously released solo album sampes, "To the handful of people who think it sounds like STRYPER — well, earth to moon, I am the singer/guitarist/songwriter for STRYPER so there is the remote chance that their will be similarities right? Maybe you can't comprehend that but I think most people here do.

"For those of you who wonder why it isn't a STRYPER record, the truth is that I had the opportunity to make a record and I took it. It's been almost 12 years since my last solo release and I felt it was long overdue. There is a lot of down time with STRYPER and life goes on, you've got to do what you've got to do … We all have done solo projects over the years and it's a great way for all of us to be artistic and express our musical ideas individually."

Sweet's last solo album, "Touched", was released in December 2007 exclusively through Michael's official web site, MichaelSweet.com. The CD, which included reworked versions of four STRYPER songs, was not made available in stores.