Stryper's Lead Singer Rejects Christian Rock Band Label: It Limits What You Are Put on This Earth to Do
Michael Sweet, lead vocalist for the rock band Stryper, is distancing the group from all labels, including Christian rock band, despite being a Christian himself.
During a recent interview, the musician addressed stereotypes in the music industry while answering questions about the Christian metal and rock scene. Sweet said he doesn't follow Christian rock and asserted that he's opposed to Stryper being grouped in with that genre.
"I come from a different school of thought and I do not like all the labels," the singer told CrypticRock.com. "I do not like being referred to as a Christian rock band."
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Although Stryper, pronounced striper, is described by many sources as a Christian rock band, Sweet went on to clarify that the band is simply comprised of Christians.
"We are not a Christian rock band; we are a rock band comprised of Christians," he said. "Just like any other rock band out there, you have rock bands that are comprised on drug addicts, you have rock bands that are comprised of Satanists, and you have rock bands that are comprised of Catholics, like SLAYER."
Sweet also drew comparisons between Stryper and rock bands such as Black Sabbath and U2, protesting the unfair use of labels and how it affects the group.
"I do not know where the label 'Christian rock band' came from," he said. "It is hard for me to wrap my mind around it. … It instantly puts you in a box. When they put you in a box, it limits what you are put on this Earth to do."
Despite avoiding the term Christian rock band, Sweet asserted that Stryper members do not shy away from their faith.
"Some people misinterpret that as saying that I am ashamed of my faith or I am running from my faith," he said. "People certainly cannot say that we deny Christ and our faith, but I just do not like being called a Christian rock band."
According to the band's website, "Stryper" can be traced back to the King James Version of the Bible, and the name represents the backronym "salvation through redemption, yielding peace, encouragement and righteousness," created by Styper's drummer Robert Sweet.
Meanwhile, Stryper achieved platinum status with The Hell with the Devil in the mid-1980s, and the band is in the process of recording their new album Fallen, scheduled for release later this year.
Watch a video of Stryper's "Always There For You" below.
