Michael Sweet , lead singer of Stryper , used social media to defend his Christian heavy metal band from online criticism. The artist said that he and his bandmates “have nothing to prove,” and added that he “has come to the conclusion that the hate for this band comes from hate for God.”
On June 5th, Michael Sweet posted a lengthy text on Facebook with his opinion on the criticism the band receives, briefly recounting his history in music:
"I'm just thinking out loud here. I grew up in a musical family. Everyone (and I mean everyone) plays an instrument and/or sings. Not just reasonably well, but very well. My father is a great singer/songwriter. He co-wrote a number one country song in 1976. My mother too. She was part of the trio that sang in the touring show Gunsmoke ( James Arness ) in the late 50s."
“My aunt Reba and my grandmother ( Maxine ) were the other two who made up this trio. My sister is also an incredible singer! I grew up in studios as a child. My father (and my mother) were always recording. Local and large studios. They were managed by Mike Curb in the 60s and participated in some Beach/Dune Buggy . Always doing shows, always making music.”
Hatred for Christian metal bands
Then, he commented on the criticism: “So, when people say we’re bad, I just laugh lately. What an ignorant thing to say. Music is in our blood. In our DNA. Composing is in my blood, in my DNA. We may not be groundbreaking or flashy musicians, but to be honest, I’m glad we’re not. However, we have our own unique sound and style.”
“Some people just love to hate. They hate us. Jealousy, envy? Who knows. Who cares? I’ve come to the conclusion that the hatred for this band comes from hatred of God. It’s deep, sad. It’s pathetic, superficial, and useless. We have nothing to prove. We’ve broken all limits, all rules, and all statistics. And that only irritates the haters even more. Sometimes we win over the closed-minded. Sometimes we don’t. Regardless, we’ve achieved more than we could have imagined. We are blessed, we are chosen, and we are grateful. And we’re not finished yet.”
Stryper in Brazil
Stryper, Narnia, and Bride will be touring Brazil together in July and August of 2025.
The shows will take place in São Paulo, at VIP Station, on July 27th; Curitiba at Tork n' Roll, on July 28th; Porto Alegre at Teatro AMRIGS, on July 30th; Belo Horizonte at Mister Rock, on August 1st; and Rio de Janeiro at Sacadura 154, on August 2nd.
The tour is a production of En Hakkore Records , and tickets for all shows are now available on the Clube do Ingresso website.
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