Michael Sweet recently addressed a long-standing misunderstanding about the lyrics to Stryper’s 2018 song ‘Take It To The Cross’ in a post on Instagram.
“Some folks think I’m singing: ‘Kick ’em in the crotch’ or ‘Chicken in the crust.’ I assure you, it’s ‘Take It To The Cross.’ Or is it?” he captioned a snippet from the track. “Still, one of my favorite modern day Stryper songs.”
The song was released in 2018 as a single from Stryper’s album ‘God Damn Evil,’ which expanded on the heavy rock and metal sound that brought them fame in the 1980s.
“‘Take It To The Cross’ is our answer to many fans asking us to do something a little heavier and even bordering on thrash,” Sweet explained in a 2018 interview with Loudwire.
“The verses are heavy with a vocal and lyric delivery that’s bold and relevant yet the chorus kicks in with a fast, thrashy vibe. We brought in Matt Bachand [Act of Defiance / Shadows Fall] to handle the vocal growl on the choruses and the end vamp. This song is 100% high octane.”
More recently, Stryper released their fifteenth studio album, ‘When We Were Kings,’ through Frontiers. In an August interview on the ‘What Else? With Corey Mann’ podcast, Sweet described the album’s sound as ‘more poppy’ compared to previous ones.
He said, “We’ve definitely gotten heavier as we’ve gotten older, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It’s not forced. We’re not trying to do it. It’s just a natural progression. And we’re really happy with where we’re at as a band. But no, we have not changed our sound, other than just trying to still be relevant in 2024 and not sound like 1986.”
‘When We Were Kings’ came out on September 13, 2024.
