Stryper’s Michael Sweet – Unlike Slayer, ‘We Practice What We Preach’
Over the years, Michael Sweet has stood firmly by his belief that Stryper are not a Christian band, but rather, a band made up of Christians. However, he claims they've remained true to their identity, and unlike bands such as Slayer, they practice what they preach.
"I recently, in the past few yeas, said quite a few times, and it's really caused a stir, that we're not a Christian band. And people say, 'What?' But we're Christians in a rock band. And there's a difference," Sweet said during an episode of Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast.
"We weren't brought up in the church; we were brought up on the streets of L.A. playing Gazzarri's, Troubadour, Whisky, and we became Christians. And we just continued doing what we always did, but with a different message," he continued. "We're really not a Christian band. But if people wanna call us a Christian band, that's okay. But I view us as just a rock band that decided to take a different path."
The frontman went on to compare the essence of Stryper to that of Slayer in order to show that his band genuinely lives the lifestyle that they discuss in their songs. The members read the Bible, believe in what it says and go to church.
"So by doing so, so to speak, we practice what we preach. We're not perfect — in any sense of the word, we're not perfect — but we really do our best to represent Christ, represent God and all that God stands for," Sweet explained.
"But it's funny when you hear about Slayer, and you think Satanic band, pentagram, evil, and then Tom [Araya] is going to church every Sunday with his kids. Which is great. But my point is it's a polar opposite of what they represent themselves as. Stryper, on the other hand, you get what you get. We are what we are on stage and off stage."
Listen to the full episode below.
Stryper are heading out on a tour later this year. The 11-date U.S. run will take place throughout the month of May, kicking off in Derry, N.H. See the whole itinerary here.