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Christian rock band STRYPER will head into the studio at the end of April to start work on their first full-length Christmas album. The upcoming 10-track release will feature five original Christmas songs alongside five traditional classics, including reinterpretations of “Reason For The Season” and “Winter Wonderland”, both of which were previously featured on a 1985 single and the 1986 re-release of STRYPER‘s debut EP, “The Yellow And Black Attack”.
In a recent interview with Jorge Pozo from LotsOfMuzik, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet shared about the forthcoming album (as reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We just completed the music and all the tracking. The music’s done, and the background vocals are complete. Now, it’s time for me to record the vocals. I aimed to start today, but that didn’t pan out, so I’ll likely begin tomorrow. My plan is to sing one song each day, and I anticipate wrapping it up in the next few weeks. Following that, I’m off to Sweden for the [Sweden Rock Festival in early June]. When I’m back home, we’ll mix the album and finalize everything. I can tell you, it’s going to be fantastic. We are incredibly excited about this release.”
When asked about the album’s tracklist, Michael revealed: “We have five traditional Christmas tunes on the album. We’re remaking ‘Winter Wonderland’ and also doing our rendition of ‘Silent Night’, ‘The Little Drummer Boy’, ‘Go Tell It On The Mountain’—which isn’t covered often, making it a nice addition as it’s recognized as a Christmas hymn—and ‘Joy To The World’. So, those are the five classics we’ve included. We also reimagined ‘Reason For The Season’, giving it a more contemporary feel while maintaining the same arrangement but enhancing it with new tones, making it sound fuller and heavier. Additionally, we wrote four new original Christmas songs: ‘Greatest Gift Of All’, ‘On This Holy Night’, ‘Still The Light’, and—let me think—a fourth that’s just slipped my mind. Regardless, we couldn’t be happier with the outcome; it’s genuinely cool. This is shaping up to be a great album.”
When discussing which songs resonate with him the most, Sweet noted: “It’s probably the new tracks. While I enjoy the traditional pieces and had fun recording them, I often feel a stronger connection to the new material because it’s fresh and uncharted territory.”
When asked about a comment he made on social media regarding the album’s “unique signature”, Michael elaborated: “It indeed boasts a very unique signature. We didn’t plan it this way, but it perfectly blends the classic STRYPER sound with a modern edge since we’re now tuned down to D. This gives the guitars a denser feel and overall, a heavier sound. The album achieves an ideal fusion of classic and contemporary. An additional aspect we incorporated—every solo is recorded in harmony, which is a first for us. You will notice that distinctive STRYPER signature sound throughout the album. I’m thrilled for everyone to hear it! One of our new songs, ‘On This Holy Night’, is particularly heavy—dark, almost akin to [BLACK] SABBATH. It embodies the need for Christmas to focus back on Jesus, which is such a vital message. Then there’s an upbeat track titled ‘The Greatest Gift Of All’, which has hints of GREEN DAY and BLINK-182—it’s a power-pop metal song with a slight punk vibe, showcasing some fresh elements that I believe fans will appreciate.”
On whether there were challenges in merging the STRYPER sound with the traditional songs, Michael replied: “Not at all. Everything came together seamlessly. As you know, we revisited ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Reason For The Season’. We aimed to honor the original versions, with the main change being a down-tuning by half a step. For ‘Winter Wonderland’, we chose not to include the playful banter from the original since that was a charming moment with Tim [Gaines, the original bassist] that we wanted to preserve. Mimicking that could have felt cheesy. Beyond that, the arrangements remain faithful, and the other traditional songs are powerful, including ‘The Little Drummer Boy’. All in all, we’re super excited. We’ve been talking about a Christmas record since 1985.”
Regarding the anticipated release date of the STRYPER Christmas album, Michael indicated: “Definitely this year. I expect the first single may drop in September, followed by another track, and the entire album could be out by October or at the latest, November. Frontiers [Music Srl] will handle the global release, and it’s set to be fantastic!”
He added: “As I mentioned, it’s thrilling for us, considering we’ve been discussing it for such a long time. The delay was due to our busy schedules, with no suitable time previously. I finally brought it up in a Zoom meeting and everyone felt it was a great idea, so we moved forward. We said, ‘Let’s do this now,’ and we got into the studio promptly to make it happen this year. Now it’s not just talk; it’s truly becoming a reality.”
When asked which track might be the first single, Michael suggested: “We’ll likely go with one of the original songs first. I could see us starting with ‘The Greatest Gift Of All’, due to its energetic tempo. Or perhaps ‘On This Holy Night’, which is also powerful. Then there’s ‘Heaven Came On Christmas Day’, another standout. Tough choice ahead!”
STRYPER’s most recent studio album, “When We Were Kings”, was released in September 2024.
The band recently concluded the U.S. leg of its 40th-anniversary tour, heralded as “a tribute to both classic hits and modern fan favorites, complete with outfit changes and an exciting new production.”
In December 2023, Michael underwent a partial thyroidectomy, a surgical procedure to remove part of his thyroid gland, commonly performed due to thyroid cancer.
Established 41 years ago, STRYPER takes its name 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 discography includes titles such as “To Hell With The Devil”, “Second Coming”, “No More Hell To Pay”, “Fallen”, “God Damn Evil”, “Even The Devil Believes”, and “The Final Battle”.
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