Stryper’s Sweet wants Van Halen studio role

Stryper frontman Michael Sweet says he’d love to hit the studio with Van Halen to help them emulate past successes.

Sweet feels 2012’s A Different Kind Of Truth – their first with David Lee Roth on vocals since 1984 – was a let down. He thinks they have it in them to produce material of a similar quality to their first two albums – and he wants to be the one to help.

Sweet tells The Metal Voice: “I’m a huge Van Halen fan – about as big as they come. You know when you feel a band is just going through the motions and just not giving it their best? That’s what I felt with that album.

“It got some really good reviews and I’m sitting reading them thinking, ‘I’m hearing something completely different.’ I just didn’t get it.”

He continues: “I’d love to get a hold of those guys and take them in the studio and take them back to the old school days and help them make an album that’s comparable with Van Halen I and Van Halen II. They’d probably have a platinum-selling album if they did that.”

Stryper will release their eighth studio album entitled Fallen on October 16 via Frontiers Records, while Sweet will begin laying down tracks for what will be his seventh solo album in the coming weeks.

He says: “It’s going to come out in May or June – and it’s going to be a metal album. There’s not going to be any poppy stuff. It’s going to blow people away and I’m going to try to steer clear of the Stryper sound.”

Fallen tracklist

Yahweh
Fallen
Pride
Big Screen Lies
Heaven
Love You Like I Do
All Over Again
After Forever
Till I Get What I Need
Let There Be Light
The Calling
King Of Kings

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.