Michael Sweet Interview: Stryper’s Throne of Thorns (2026)

Sep 23, 2026

Three days before the release of Throne of Thorns, Stryper’s eighteenth studio album, Michael Sweet sat down with Lots of Muzik for a conversation that went a lot further than the usual album promo.

For the first time in the band’s 43-year history, Sweet played every guitar on a Stryper record. He explains exactly how that happened, what it was like to watch Oz Fox unable to get from one chord to the next in the studio, why the sessions couldn’t be pushed back, and the one regret he carries from the album. He compares himself and Oz to Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, and makes the case that he has always done more guitar work on Stryper albums than most fans realize.

He also talks openly about his health: the thyroid tumor that is now under active surveillance, the tremors he only recently found out about, and what he would do the day he decides he can no longer sing at the level Stryper demands. That leads into the plan to record three albums in January 2027, the reason behind the number 21, and how Frontiers reacted when he pitched the idea.

Along the way: the two other titles the album almost had, the songs he wrote for people who feel broken, the bands on the Sunset Strip he thought would make it and didn’t, Faith In Music Foundation, and a promise to bring Stryper back to Latin America in 2027.

Watch the full interview below.

Prefer to read?

If you’d rather read than watch, here is the full transcript of the conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

Michael Sweet: Hello everybody, Michael Sweet of Stryper here. How are you? You are watching Lots of Muzik.

Lots of Muzik: Thank you very much, Michael. Let’s start. We’re about to get album number eighteen from Stryper, and I wanted to ask you: what does release week actually look like for you now? Is there still a nervous moment, or is it just routine?

Michael Sweet: Yeah, it’s bittersweet. If you were me, I’m excited about the fact that we’re releasing new music, obviously, and even more excited over the fact that it’s number eighteen. That’s a lot, and we’ve accomplished it. It’s very, very cool to be able to say that, and very exciting. But I’m also a little nervous over what fans are going to think, if they’re going to like it, because we have a very particular style and we try to stay true to that and not change it so much. So some fans say, “Ah, it just sounds like the same thing over and over again” with certain releases. Hopefully not with this one. Also, everybody knows that Oz is not on this album, so I’m hoping fans still appreciate all the guitar work and the approach to that. So yeah, there’s a little nervousness that goes along with the excitement, for sure.

Lots of Muzik: And when you finish a Stryper record, at what point do you know whether it’s a good one? Is it while you’re in the studio, when you listen to the record in the car, or when the fans react to the album once it’s out?

Michael Sweet: It’s when I’m writing the album, before we ever step foot into the studio. I know with each release that it’s going to be a good one. I’m just a very confident person. I know what’s good and what’s bad, and if something’s bad, I won’t work on it. I won’t waste my time. I’ll move on to a better song if I’m working on a song that doesn’t do it for me. So by the time I get through with all the music and send it to the guys, I know it’s going to be good at that stage. Otherwise, as I said, I wouldn’t continue down the road of working on the music and finishing it. I would write different stuff that was better and try to make it better. So I’m always confident with every release that it’s going to be good.

Lots of Muzik: Throne of Thorns, the upcoming album, puts two opposite images together: the throne and the crown of thorns. Which came first, the phrase or the song?

Michael Sweet: The music definitely came first. The riff, the loop, the groove, and the song itself. But the title Throne of Thorns was kind of swimming around in my head. It’s always something I’ve wanted to do, because I like it when you hear that title, the visual that goes along with it is different. A lot of people think, “What does he mean by that? A throne of thorns?” They don’t envision or imagine Jesus sitting on a throne of thorns. But the way I imagine it is, He wore the thorns to get to the throne. That’s why I’m saying “throne of thorns,” what He had to go through to get there. But the title came after the fact, for sure. The music came first.

Lots of Muzik: Was there ever another title in the running for this album, or did you know from the start that this was going to be it?

Michael Sweet: There were a few others. There’s a song on the album called “Carry the Flame.” That was a potential title. And also “Shadowbreaker.” That was another potential title.

Lots of Muzik: The closer of the album.

Michael Sweet: The closer of the album. Because I like titles that make you think, that make you wonder what they mean, and it gets the creative juices flowing. I like that, versus just a standard title like “Here in Your Heart.” That doesn’t sound like an album title to me. Certain titles just kind of jump out at you, and I’m glad we went with Throne of Thorns. I think that’s the winner for the title, for sure.

Lots of Muzik: “Here in Your Heart,” which is one of the songs on the album, is about God being there when we aren’t. Was there a specific moment in the last couple of years where you felt that?

Michael Sweet: Oh yeah. I feel it often. When I’m going through tough times, or we’re going through some sort of experience that makes us question God. For example, when my wife passed back in 2009, my first wife, I questioned God a lot. I didn’t feel like God was here in my heart, or that I was there in His heart. I felt the disconnect. And I think that’s just human nature, man. I think we all go through that as believers, as Christians, and I think that’s okay. I think it makes us stronger eventually. We learn from our valleys, we learn from our storms, we learn from that darkness that we all experience. So I’m okay with that. And there’s another song for you that says so: “I’m Alright (I’m Okay).” No matter what you’re going through, you’re going to be okay, you’re going to be alright. You put your faith in God. You may experience some tough days and you might have some questions for God, but that’s okay. That’s alright.

Lots of Muzik: You mentioned at the beginning that Oz is not on the album, and I wanted to ask about that, because it’s rare. I think it’s the first time in the band’s history that you’re the only guitar player on a Stryper album. Could you walk me through the day you realized that was going to happen? I know you always write the music and send the files to the guys to rehearse and all that, but what was this process like?

Michael Sweet: Well, for the most part, I think it was more of a stressful moment for Oz. Ultimately, he was very stressed out, and rightfully so, because he didn’t know what was going on. He was having trouble with pitch and hearing properly, and coordinating that and being able to play. He wasn’t able to do it. It started in rehearsals. Robert told me about it in rehearsals and kind of warned me about it. And then when he got out to the studio, sure enough, I could see what was happening, and it got worse and worse. It got to a point where it was his turn to play his part, his rhythm part, and he couldn’t play.

Lots of Muzik: Sorry, was there any point where you considered pushing the sessions back, or not at all?

Michael Sweet: No. We’re not in a position to do that, because you’re talking about everyone flying in, we put everybody up, we’ve already paid the studio. It’s not as simple as that. It’s just not reality. And that applies to a tour as well. If we’re out there on a tour and I can’t perform, or Oz can’t perform, the show must go on. We had to perform without Oz in Phoenix, Arizona, and some people say, “Why didn’t you just cancel the show?” Well, yeah, that would be great in fantasy land, but not in the real world, because we would lose fifteen, twenty thousand dollars just like that. So these are the things we’re faced with. Not only are we a ministry, and not only are we a brotherhood, we’re a business as well, and we have to consider the business side.

But that being said, no. We were in the studio, everything was on a tight schedule, Oz was ready to perform, he couldn’t. So I just suggested it. I said, “Dude, I know the stuff, I wrote it, I just tracked my guitars. If you want, I’ll just bang these guitars out.” That was the rhythm guitars. And he was relieved to hear that. He said, “Yes, absolutely, that would be great.” So I did.

And I just want you to know, too, that has happened before on other albums. Not meaning that Oz didn’t play on other albums, but that I’ve had to play other parts in certain places because Oz couldn’t get it. Nothing to do with his surgeries. This is going way back. Oz couldn’t get the parts right and couldn’t perform the parts properly as they should be, and I played those parts. But not to this extent. So I wound up playing all of his rhythms. Usually I do two rhythms and he does one rhythm. So I played his one rhythm on all the songs, and I knew the parts. And then I figured, okay, we got through that, he was relieved, we did it, and we all went home.

At home, he does his solos and I do my solos. And when it came time for that, he wasn’t able to do his solo parts at the level they needed to be at. So at that stage I had to take on fifty percent more of the solos, because usually it’s split right down the middle. I just had to take on a different mentality and think, okay, I’ve got to try to make it sound like two guitar players, and I’ve got a lot more work to do in a very little amount of time. I didn’t have the time I wanted, because I had vocals to do and all this other stuff. That’s when it was very stressful for me. It was a little overwhelming, because I couldn’t change the schedule. I wish I could have taken some more time with it, just to revamp and rethink. But I couldn’t. The show must go on. We had to push through because we were on a tight schedule, we had deadlines, and we had dates set.

So that’s one regret I have. I wish I’d had a little more time with the solos. Some of them feel a little rushed to me. But hey, whatever, it doesn’t matter. I’m just happy so far to hear that people seem to really like the guitar work and the guitar tones. I’m very happy about that. I really am.

Lots of Muzik: I was reading some of the reviews, and some of them mention that your solos are more “direct” than Oz’s. Is that a fair read, or does it bother you at all?

Michael Sweet: I’m sorry, say that again so I totally understand.

Lots of Muzik: Some of the reviews that are out about the album mention that your solos are more direct than Oz’s.

Michael Sweet: More direct. What does that mean, do you think, exactly? I don’t know what that means.

Lots of Muzik: Yeah, me neither. That’s why I’m asking. I don’t know how to explain it.

Michael Sweet: Well, look, here’s the thing. Everyone has a different opinion about my guitar playing, and everyone has a different opinion about Oz’s guitar playing. I can tell you what I think, and you guys can take that for what it’s worth. Oz and I are very different players. We’re not the same. In other words, if you came to the studio and you watched Oz track his solos, and then you watched me track my solos, you would leave there with a different idea of both of us. Does that make sense?

Lots of Muzik: It does.

Michael Sweet: He’s just a different style. Oz is more technical. Well, I don’t even know if “technical” is the right word. Maybe a little more flashy. He does more tricks and things like that, and I’m a very straight-ahead player. So maybe that’s what they meant by “direct,” I don’t know. I’m a very straight-ahead player. Not many tricks. I just kind of use vibrato, with the right tone. It’s all about tone for me. I have my own style, and I don’t do a lot of different things. I just do what I do, and hopefully it’s good and people like it. And Oz is a little more flashy.

I compare this a lot, personally, to Maiden. I would say that Oz is Dave Murray, one hundred percent, and I’m Adrian Smith, one hundred percent. They’re a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Adrian has more vibrato and feel, and Dave is a little more technical and does some interesting things. They’re two totally different players, but they play very well together. Oz and I play very well together as well.

Not to take anything away from Oz. Oz is a great player and he’s revered as that. But I think sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, people think it might be Oz playing when in reality it’s me playing a certain part, or a solo, or a lead line in an intro of a song, or an outro. And again, not to take anything away from Oz, but my point is, and I say this humbly, I do a lot more guitar work on Stryper albums than people may realize. It’s always been like that, from the very first album to now. I’m a guitar player. I’m a guitar player first. And for some reason, I think a lot of people look at me as the singer, and kind of like, “Yeah, yeah, he holds a guitar in videos, but Oz is the guitar player.” Well, that’s just not the truth. It’s not reality. But again, I think Oz and I really complement each other the way we play together. When we play together, I think it’s a really cool thing, and it’s a big part of Stryper and the Stryper sound, for sure.

Lots of Muzik: I also learned through one of the reviews that the album was tracked backwards, guitars before drums. Did that change how Robert approached his parts, or not at all?

Michael Sweet: Well, it was very different for us, for all of us. I went in and I mapped everything out. We printed a click track and decided upon the tempos. And then I tracked my keeper rhythm guitars to a drum machine, basically, that I programmed. I used EZdrummer and I programmed the drums almost like a final track. So it’s not just kick, snare, simple groove. It’s very similar to what you hear on the album. If I released all the drum tracks that I programmed, you’d say, “Oh my gosh, that’s very close to what I’m hearing on the album.” But it’s Robert playing. That’s really how I like to write and how I like to do things. All the pushes and pulls are there, and the feel is there, and then Robert takes it to a whole new level. Once he came out and tracked, he was tracking to my guitar and Perry’s bass, which was a first. But it was kind of cool. We kind of liked it. It was really interesting and different, but very cool, and we’ll probably do it again like that next time around.

Lots of Muzik: There are eleven songs on the album, “Shadowbreaker” being my favorite. Was anything left off, and do we ever get to hear it?

Michael Sweet: No. The way I write for an album is always exactly what the album needs. Eleven songs, eleven songs. If the label wants an extra track, a bonus track, it’ll be twelve songs. But I just write for the album. I don’t write songs for a year and then we pick ten out of thirty. I feel that’s a complete waste of energy and a waste of time. And quite often you can’t recapture the magic of that first demo. You lose it, and it’s hard to get that back on the master. So I save it all for the real deal.

Lots of Muzik: You mentioned on your social media that this album is your favorite, that this is the best Stryper has ever recorded, and I agree. I know you might say all of them, but is there any particular song that you consider your favorite on the album, and if so, why?

Michael Sweet: Well, first of all, man, can I get you to repeat that for all the people in the back, so they can hear you? So it’s not just me saying it, because people think I’m crazy and they think, “Ah, he always says that.” But coming from you makes it a little different. What did you say?

Lots of Muzik: That you’re right, this is your best album. I don’t always agree with that statement when you say it, but this time around I definitely agree, one hundred percent. This is your best record ever.

Michael Sweet: Well, look at that. That gives it even more weight when you say, “I don’t always agree with you.” That tells me that you’re being honest and upfront about it, and that’s really awesome to hear, man. I really think it is our best, for many reasons. Sadly, feeling that way and Oz not being on the album is a bummer. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Oz isn’t or is on the album. It’s just that I feel it’s our best because I love the flow of the album, I love the musical direction of the album, and I love what it says. I love the message. There’s just something very special about this one, and that’s all I can say.

Now, will it be my favorite in a year or two? I don’t know. But it is now, for sure. My favorite modern-era Stryper. My favorite classic will always be Soldiers Under Command. But I think there are quite a few really strong songs on this album. It’s hard to pick one song, because you’ve got a song like “Hollywood” that’s tuned down and kind of chuggy, and then you’ve got a song like “Here in Your Heart” that’s tuned down and very chuggy, and then you’ve got a song like “Falling,” which takes you back to the eighties. It’s got that melodic rock, eighties vibe to it. So this album is all over the map in the best of ways, and I’m really, really happy about that.

Lots of Muzik: Talking about the message of the album, was there any line on this record that was hard to sing? I mean emotionally, not technically.

Michael Sweet: There are, on occasion, certain lyrics that are hard to sing. They pull at the heartstrings and it gets very emotional. On this album, I don’t recall that specifically happening. But I do recall, on every song, being overjoyed as I was singing each song, and smiling and thinking, “Wow, this is really something special. This is really cool.” I recall that on every single song. I was excited to sing them. Absolutely, one hundred percent.

Lots of Muzik: You mentioned “Hollywood” a few moments ago. Looking back at the early days, who were the bands on the Strip that you thought were going to be huge and weren’t?

Michael Sweet: Oh, that’s a good question. There was a band I saw a few times back in the day called Quiet Riot. I mean way back, right? And I thought, “Man, these guys are going to be huge with that lineup.” And they wound up becoming huge with a different lineup. So I don’t view it as the same band. I don’t know if that applies to what you’re asking, but that was something I always thought. There were a few other bands that I thought were incredible that never really broke. There was a band called Smile. They were fantastic and they never really did anything, but they were huge in the L.A. club scene back in the late seventies, early eighties. Amazing. But a lot of the bands that I loved, I knew they were going to break out, and they did. Ratt. We played with Ratt back in the day. We were a house band with Ratt at Gazzarri’s, and I knew they were going to break, and they did. W.A.S.P. Although I wasn’t a huge W.A.S.P. fan, just being honest. I respect them. I think they’re great. Blackie is a legend. I just wasn’t a big fan. But I knew they were going to break. I did.

Lots of Muzik: “Beautifully Broken” and “Alone Again” feel to me like the darkest corner of the record. Is there a story connecting them?

Michael Sweet: Not really. I’m all about inspiring people, and the song “Beautifully Broken” is about believing in yourself. We’re all flawed. We all have imperfections. We’re not perfect and we never will be, not one of us. TikTok and Instagram would like you to believe that we are, with all the filters, people putting up AI, and it’s not really them. You see them in person and you’re like, “Wait a minute, are you the same person?” But the real people are flawed. The AI versions, maybe not. The real people are, inside and out. And I wanted to inspire people and make them aware of the fact that no matter what you think of yourself, or how down you are on yourself, you’re beautifully broken. But God is the redeemer, and He made you that way. He made you unique and original and one of a kind. So take that and run with that, and believe in yourself.

Lots of Muzik: Amen. Amen to that.

Lots of Muzik: “Shadowbreaker,” which I already mentioned is my favorite on the album, closes the record at full speed instead of a ballad. Who pushed for that?

Michael Sweet: I love showing all the different corners and different sections of this band, and we have many. That’s why you hear a song like “Ashes to Roses” and then you hear “Shadowbreaker.” Two completely different styles of music. It almost sounds like it should be done by two different bands. But that’s the beauty of Stryper. We do that. We’ve done that on every album, because we grew up with bands like Journey and then Judas Priest, Loverboy and Iron Maiden. We listen to everything, we appreciate everything, and that comes out in our music and our style.

Lots of Muzik: On a personal level, how are you doing right now? Where are things with the treatment?

Michael Sweet: I’m just being looked at every six months. I go in again in February. They’re doing what’s called active surveillance, and they’re going to check me out again. This side right here, literally right under that finger, I have a tumor. It’s self-contained within healthy tissue, and it’s slow-growing, non-aggressive, and they’re just going to keep an eye on it. If it grows and starts to become a problem, I’ll deal with it, either surgery or maybe a few other things. There’s something called RFA, where they hit it with heat. I really don’t know. And I’m praying that a miracle happens and I’ll walk in there and they’ll say, “Your tumor’s gone.” That would be the ultimate. And I believe that could happen. Why not? It’s happened for many people throughout history. So I’ll keep believing in that, and of course keep getting checked, take care of myself, and stay proactive. But I feel okay. I don’t feel sick. I don’t feel like I have anything going on, except for the fact that I’m just tired all the time from working so hard. But other than that, I feel great.

Lots of Muzik: And do you think the cancer has changed anything technical about how you sing? How you warm up, or your pacing?

Michael Sweet: Oh yeah. It definitely changes your faith and your perspective and outlook on life. You realize in an instant that you’re going to die. I think sometimes we get caught up in this fast-paced world and we don’t think about our own mortality. We’re all going there. We’ll all be faced with that. And it makes you think about that a lot more, and it makes you want to be a better person and treat others with kindness and respect. Although it’s a tough world to live in right now. There’s a lot of hate out there, but I don’t want to dive into that pool. I want to try to stay free from that and stay positive. I just keep a positive attitude. I’m blessed to be here, blessed to be doing what I love to do, and I’m going to run with that.

Lots of Muzik: You mentioned in a recent interview, and you literally said, “Get me while I can still sing.” That was very honest to say. What did you mean?

Michael Sweet: Well, look, my voice has changed. I think to some degree due to age, and to some degree due to illness and things going on. I get it checked all the time. My doctor, a voice specialist, tells me he’s amazed that I have the vocal cords that I have at my age, considering my track record. He says I have very youthful vocal cords. But I have an issue with post-nasal drip, and I’m always clearing my voice. That doesn’t help me at all. And if I take something to dry that up, that doesn’t help me either. It makes it even worse. So it’s this constant tug of war for me as a vocalist. And then I’ve got some rigidness in my vocal folds. And I also just found out I have tremors. So my hands shake a little bit. My vocal cords shake a little bit. That doesn’t help me vocally. So I’ve got things working against me, and then the thyroid cancer and the surgery.

But you know what? I can still sing at a level that I feel is worthy of continuing on as a singer. The day comes that I don’t, I won’t sing. I’ll just stop singing. It’s not a big deal. That’ll be easy for me to do. I’m not going to go into depression or think that my world is over, because it’s not. I’ve got a lot more to offer. I’m a writer, I’m a guitar player, I’m an artist, and I’ve got a calling on my life. So it’s not just about singing.

And at that point, we’d bring in someone else, if we were still going. We’d bring in some young guy, who knows who, that can hit the notes. The problem is with the Stryper catalog. You go back to the old days, it’s not an easy catalog to sing. Especially In God We Trust. It takes a very unique individual, maybe even a woman, maybe even a woman, to hit those notes and hit them properly. There are a few people out there that I know instantly can do it, can nail it, but not very many. So that would be the tricky part. And I’m not putting myself on a pedestal. I’m just saying that’s some high singing, man. Not a lot of bands did that. It would be tricky, but I know we could find somebody if we had to go that route. But for now, I’m singing, and I’ll take what I have.

Lots of Muzik: And if that time comes, then you can focus on your guitar playing and all that.

Michael Sweet: Yeah. And then everybody will say to me what they say now after every show, which is, “I had no idea you played guitar,” or “I had no idea you played that much guitar,” or Lord knows what else about guitar playing.

Lots of Muzik: To me, you’re a fantastic singer. I love you on all the records. But I think you’re a better guitarist than a singer.

Michael Sweet: Man, that’s saying a lot, dude. That means the world. I wish more people noticed. And it’s not about me getting a pat on the back or a boost to my ego. Some people think it is. It’s really not. I couldn’t care less. But it’s about when you put a lot of work into something, blood, sweat and tears, and you literally work your butt off for forty-three years on a particular thing, that being guitar for me, and a lot of people don’t know or notice. Man, I can’t even describe how that feels.

Lots of Muzik: It must be frustrating.

Michael Sweet: It is. And people probably get sick of hearing me talk about it. Well, that’s fine too. Whatever. But all I can say is, come walk in my shoes for a year, work as hard as I work, and then have people say they never knew you played, and see what your response is.

Lots of Muzik: Yeah, I feel you, man.

Lots of Muzik: Michael, what are the plans? I read that you’re going back into the studio in January with Stryper. Or is that solo? What’s the deal?

Michael Sweet: Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about doing. We’re trying to work out all the details right now, but if it works out, we’re going to go into the studio in January and track three albums of music. The reason being is to reach that twenty-one album goal. This one’s number eighteen, so three more would be twenty-one. And I suggested to the label, “Get us while you can.” Get us at this stage of our lives, while we can still perform at this level, because in a year, or two, or four, we might not be able to. Oz, or me. It’s possible. For example, if I have to have another surgery, the doctor said it’s more high-risk in terms of damage to the vocal cords, my vocal folds. So there’s always the “what if.” If I have to have that and I can’t sing, or whatever. I put my faith in God, but things happen. That’s reality.

So I suggested this to the label, and they didn’t know what to think at first. They were a little thrown off by it and thought, “Okay, this is interesting. Wow.” And then by the end of the meeting, they really liked the idea. They thought it was a great idea, and I do too. I think more bands might want to take note and try it as well.

Lots of Muzik: Will those three albums be released over a span of several years, or all at once?

Michael Sweet: In a span, like they normally are. So if we record the albums next year, the first album would come out the following year, roughly two years from this album, and then the next album a few years after that, and then the next album a few years after that. But they would be done. And we wouldn’t be concerned, in four or five years, about whether Oz can play, or whether I can sing, or if Perry is going to retire, or Robert. All these things.

Lots of Muzik: I also wanted to talk about Faith In Music Foundation, which is your foundation with your wife. It’s about helping other musicians, right? How would Faith In Music Foundation have helped the Michael of several years ago?

Michael Sweet: Well, with Faith In Music, I’m already seeing the benefits and seeing what it’s doing. Some of the bands have gone out and toured with us. They’re able to go in and record an album, they’re able to tour, they’re able to purchase equipment. This is what it’s all about: helping musicians achieve their dreams, their goals, and their calling. A lot of times, finances keep musicians from doing that. So through grants, and money that’s donated to build up those grants and cover them, we’re able to help musicians achieve their goals financially. That’s what it’s all about, man. It’s really cool. To be a part of something like this, for me, Michael Sweet, is such an honor. It brings me so much joy to see the end results and see what it’s doing in the lives of these young musicians. I love it, and it blows my mind. My wife Lisa, it was really her idea. Once she explained it to me, I said, “Wow, this is incredible.” My daughter is involved, I’m involved, we have a board of directors. It’s so cool to see it starting to really take off and take shape. Very cool.

Lots of Muzik: The tour hits Puerto Rico in December. Is there any chance you get to Latin America again?

Michael Sweet: Probably not this year. I would say definitely not this year, unless something… Oh yeah, look at that!

Lots of Muzik: I had the chance to get you on the road in Colombia, in Bogotá. It was my first time, I must say.

Michael Sweet: Wow. The thing I’m noticing is Oz looks very different in that photo.

Lots of Muzik: Look at Oz! You’re so bad.

Michael Sweet: Anyway, we probably won’t be able to get to South America this year, but I would definitely say for sure next year. And I would say an extensive tour again. We’d probably be able to get back there and do at least ten cities, maybe more. It’d be nice to do fifteen, twenty cities. And man, I’ll tell you what, Latin America, South America, they’ve always been so supportive. We have so many fans there, and when we go there, it’s next-level passion. They’re so passionate about the music of Stryper, and through that passion comes that support, and it always blows our minds. It’s really cool. We love it.

Lots of Muzik: My son is a huge fan of the band too. He’s fourteen, and he wanted to come with me to Bogotá and catch the show. But unfortunately there was a restriction at the venue and they didn’t allow minors, which is a bummer, because I’ve seen minors at Metallica, Iron Maiden, and so on. Why not Stryper? I know it’s not up to you, but…

Michael Sweet: That’s a bummer, man. Definitely try next time. And just so you know, that never has anything to do with the band. It’s always the venue. It bums us out, because there are a lot of young people who want to come, and sometimes they can’t if the venue is serving alcohol and things like that.

Lots of Muzik: Michael, I want to start closing the interview, but I wanted to ask you: after eighteen albums and forty-three years, what’s the one thing Stryper still hasn’t done that you want to do?

Michael Sweet: Well, there are a lot of countries we haven’t played in. Russia, China. We’ve never been to Alaska. I would love to at least get to Alaska. China and Russia, I don’t know about right now. But we’d love to fulfill some of those places we haven’t been to. Also the documentary. That’s something we’ve always talked about, and it’s finally coming, so that’ll be reality soon. Can’t wait. And then I would say maybe being in a movie, a legitimate movie where I could do some acting. I’ve done a little bit in the past, but I wouldn’t call it acting, actually. That’s always something I’ve wanted to dabble in and try. I think I could pull it off, man, and it would be really cool. And I’d want to play a bad guy, for sure.

Lots of Muzik: That would be awesome.

Lots of Muzik: You mentioned the documentary, and I’m one of the backers on Kickstarter. This is a documentary from the fans, for all the fans. What’s the one thing you’ve learned from the fans?

Michael Sweet: My view of the fans is always, how in the world could someone be there for forty-three years? When I see some of the same people coming since 1984, all the way to 2026, it blows my mind. We wouldn’t be here without the fans. I know every band says that, but I mean it. The fans do so much for us, more than you will ever know, in public and in private. It’s a true blessing, and it’s allowed us to do what we do and to fulfill the calling that God’s placed on our lives and in our hearts. So God bless the fans. We love them. I wouldn’t be here talking to you without them, and I hope there are many more years to come, for sure.

Lots of Muzik: Amen.

Lots of Muzik: Any final thoughts? Anything else you want to share?

Michael Sweet: No, brother. God bless you. Thank you for having me, and we look forward to coming back to Colombia and all of South America. And when we do, I’ll be looking for you.

Lots of Muzik: Thank you very much, Michael. I appreciate your time.

Michael Sweet: And look, I want that quote about the best album to be made into a short and posted. I want that to go viral, man, because that, coming from you, says it all.

Lots of Muzik: I will. As soon as I finish the interview, I’m going to start processing it, and I’ll publish it probably tomorrow.

Michael Sweet: Instagram, I check that too. All those three ways. Okay, brother.

Lots of Muzik: Okay, I’ll do that, my friend. God bless you.

Michael Sweet: God bless you too. Thank you. See you later.

Lots of Muzik: Bye.

Throne of Thorns is out September 25

We also had the chance to review the album ahead of its release. You can read our full take on Throne of Thorns here:

👉 [Read our review of Throne of Thorns] https://lotsofmuzik.com/stryper-throne-of-thorns-album-review/

Throne of Thorns is out September 25, 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl.

👉 Pre-order Throne of Thorns

Album: Throne of Thorns
Artist: Stryper
Type: Eighteenth studio album
Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Release Date: September 25th, 2026