STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET Had Difficulty Covering IRON MAIDEN Classic

In February, Christian hard rockers STRYPER released "The Covering", a tribute album to the classic rock and metal bands they cherished growing up.

Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, "The Covering" was unlike any previous STRYPER recording in that it was a collection of cover songs from bands that inspired them and helped to shape their sound and musical identity, including hits from JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, LED ZEPPELIN, KANSAS and many others. "The Covering" also included "God", a new original recording from STRYPER.

One of the standout tracks on "The Covering" is STRYPER's barnstorming version of IRON MAIDEN's 1983 single "The Trooper".

"I grew up on IRON MAIDEN and they were equally as important to me as JUDAS PRIEST was back in the day," Michael Sweet tells AOL's Noisecreep.

"I remember the first time I heard MAIDEN with [singer Bruce] Dickinson like it was yesterday. 'Run To The Hills' came on the radio and I was in my garage and I for a split-second I thought it was JUDAS PRIEST. I had never heard anyone else sing like Rob Halford up 'till then.

"I had heard MAIDEN's first two records, when they had Paul Di'Anno on vocals, but this was something much different to me. Dickinson had that wide vibrato, operatic thing that definitely reminded me of Halford. I was floored!

"Anyway, I went out and bought 'Number Of The Beast' that same day and was hooked."

Sweet told Noisecreep that while it was his idea to cover "The Trooper", he "didn't take into consideration how difficult that would actually be for me as a singer. We covered bands like SCORPIONS, DEEP PURPLE, and LED ZEPPELIN on 'The Covering', but the song that kicked my butt the hardest was 'The Trooper'.

"It's not just the technical side of Bruce Dickinson's approach, but also the tone and uniqueness of his voice. He's a guy that just has it all when it comes to being a metal and hard rock singer. You have vocalists like David Lee Roth who have more character to their voices than technique and then vocalists who are the opposite. Well, Dickinson has both. Once I said to myself, 'Just sing this song like Michael Sweet would sing it,' then it clicked. But trust me, it wasn't easy at first."

Photo credit: Glen LaFerman