Honestly : My Life and Stryper Revealed

The author offers a candid view of his life, from his early days and the founding of the Christian rock band Stryper, to his split with them, subsequent solo career, and eventual reunion with the band.

When you've fronted one of the most trailblazing groups of the MTV generation, written a stable of Billboard charting singles, filled arenas all the world over, said goodbye at the peak of it all, took stock in a thriving solo career, got the band back together for yet another record breaking run and even took a stint co-leading one of the most legendary classic rock acts ever, then you undoubtedly have a story to share. But there's still much more to Michael Sweet than selling over eight million albums in Stryper or singing and guitar slinging for Boston, including an equally riveting behind the scenes story packed to the brim with triumph, heartbreak and redemption that's finally being told with unvarnished candor through not only the musical means of the solo CD I'm Not Your Suicide, but also the immensely anticipated autobiography Honestly (both hitting streets May 6 on Big3 Records)."The album is the story of the book and the book is the story of the album," says the Grammy nominee and Dove Award winner. "It makes a powerful statement to have them both come out at the same time, especially since both have played such an important role in the full circle journey I've taken as of late." Musically speaking, Sweet is coming off yet another creative high in the Stryper camp thanks to its 2013's return to form record No More Hell To Pay. Besides making an instantaneous Top 40 debut on the Billboard 200, it landed at #2 on the Top Christian Albums charts, #3 on Top Hard Rock Albums and #6 on Top Rock Albums. It's certainly a testament to the band's perseverance, whetting the public's appetite all the more for Sweet's I'm Not Your Suicide, which may technically be the follow-up to 2007's individual offering Touched, but is actually the singer/songwriter's first full-length original album since 2000's Truth."I think sometimes my different musical influences come out in Stryper, but to a much larger degree, they come out in my solo career," observes Sweet. "We've established a certain style and sound people expect to hear and that's what we want to play and give. Putting a steel guitar or a country vibe onto a Stryper record probably wouldn't fit, but my solo albums give me an opportunity to do just that. My self-titled album was arena rock, Real was acoustic rock, Truth was super electric, then Touched was a vocal and symphonic piano album. I'm Not Your Suicide is more in line with Truth, but there's really something for everyone, from the edgier side you might hear in Stryper, to the lighter side of a piano ballad." In other words, get ready to rock out to "Anybody Else," which benefits from the muscular accompaniment of Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich and Fozzy front man/World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Chris Jericho as it primes itself to be the latest in Sweet's canon of classics. There's also the Beatles-esque contagiousness of "This Time," featuring unmistakable harmonies from Kevin Max (of dc talk and Audio Adrenaline fame), alongside a rock n' country cover of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold," which plays out as an endearing duet between Sweet and Electra Mustaine (daughter of Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and a burgeoning country artist in her own right).Lyrically, there's also plenty of potency across I'm Not Your Suicide, which is anchored in the title track co-written with Blair Daly (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sixx:A.M., Rascal Flatts). The affirming anthem chronicles Sweet's frequent encounters with childhood bullying and even criticism later in life as Stryper was caught between the seemingly divergent worlds of mainstream heavy metal and the Christian faith."The title is about multiple subjects tied together, basically going out to anyone who's been bullied or abused in any sense and serving as a rallying point for not letting someone or a group of people beat you down or take away your value," he relates.