Veteran Christian rockers STRYPER has postponed most of its previously announced shows in September to next year for “economic” and “other reasons.” The announcement of the postponement came via a statement on the band social media channels earlier today. The band wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that we are postponing most of our September tour dates to the Spring / Summer of 2023. Refunds will be automatically issued. If you have purchased a meet and greet through STRYPER‘s Etix page, those will be refunded as well. New dates for next year are being rescheduled now. We will be able to keep several of the 2022 tour dates as scheduled, including the Texas dates, the International and destination dates. (Details in the Tour section of Stryper.com)”
“Unfortunately there were some economic cards stacked against us. Anyone in the music business will tell you about the Tour Bus and Labor shortage out there. We’re feeling it first hand. The Tour Bus business is like the housing market right now with 10 times more bands trying to rent buses than are available. And you’ve seen the cost of gas lately. When you’re putting 10,000+ miles on a bus, as we were planning to do, gas prices absolutely matter for a tour like ours. There are some other issues at hand as well that played a part in our decision to postpone the tour.”
“As you all can imagine, we’re very disappointed to have to make this decision. At the same time, we’re excited about what’s to come. We have a new album being released in October. We’d like the opportunity to play several songs from that album, and give it a proper tour to support it. So Spring of next year makes more sense to do that. You will have had more time to consume the album and let us know which songs from it you’d like to hear live. We can tour MORE markets in the Spring. Due to the oversaturation of the touring industry right now, we honestly had a tough time hitting some of the cities we wanted to play this year. But by moving this to the Spring it will allow us to play MORE cities.”
“We could go down the line with half-a-dozen other reasons that played into this decision. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and make the best decisions you can given the information at hand. And that’s what we’ve done. We didn’t come to this decision lightly, but we are positive that moving this tour to the Spring and early Summer of 2023 will make for a better experience for everyone. Thank you all for sticking by us. (Tour dates starting 9/27/22 and through the rest of the year will remain as scheduled. The dates that are moving are from 9/8/22 to 9/25/22). We will be live-streaming our show in Dallas TX on 9/29. Stay tuned for details on that.”
“God Bless you all. Much love, Michael, Robert, Oz, and Perry“.
STRYPER recently revealed a new single, “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”, which you can stream below. The song will appear on their upcoming studio album “The Final Battle”, which is due in October via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2020’s “Even The Devil Believes” was produced by vocalist/guitarist Michael Sweet and was once again recorded at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Michael Sweet stated about the track: “‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil’ was, believe it or not, inspired by the health issues that Oz [Fox, guitar] and I have been faced with. Despite our limitations, we were able to deliver an album that is powerful and relevant and ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil’ is the perfect track to showcase that. We could not be more excited about this album! The best is yet to come.”
“See No Evil, Hear No Evil” follows last month’s successful release of another new single, “Rise To The Call”, which has been receiving praise from press and fans alike in the buildup to STRYPER‘s new LP. The effort firmly continues the trend established over the band’s last few albums, with STRYPER growing heavier while also maintaining their trademark melodies, virtuoso guitar playing, and air-tight rhythms.
Stream/Download “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” HERE.
When the previous single “Rise To The Call” was first released, Sweet commented: “Although we have faced many obstacles over the past few years, we were somehow able to rise above everything that stood in our way and deliver (what I believe to be) our strongest release to date. Our new album encompasses everything that defines who we are: faith, guitar power, melodies and harmonies, consistency and longevity. We still have so much left to say musically and lyrically and this album showcases that. We couldn’t do it without the fans worldwide. Those who have stood by us through it all, for almost 40 years! We’re so honored and blessed to be able to release our 14th studio album and to be making the best music of our lives/careers. Against all odds, we’re still here.”
Formed 39 years ago, STRYPER‘s name comes 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.” After being on a hiatus for much of the ’90s, STRYPER returned stronger than ever in the early 21st century. Musically, the band has progressed and grown their fan base steadily and continuously, being one of the few “classic” metal bands of the ’80s that managed to keep themselves front and center thanks to the consistency of their musical output.
STRYPER‘s albums include “To Hell With The Devil”, “Second Coming”, “No More Hell To Pay”, “Fallen”, “God Damn Evil” and the band’s latest effort, the aforementioned “Even The Devil Believes”.
Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums),Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).
