STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet recently spoke with RockMusicStar.com about the band's new album, Murder By Pride. The interview will be issued in stages over the next couple weeks; an excerpt is available below.

Sweet: "We went back to our roots. That was the focus of making this record. We went into the studio and said, let's get back to what people want to hear from us. That is guitar-harmony-solos, high pitched vocals and back ground vocals.All the things that people missed on our last CD, Reborn, we gave to them on this new album. We went out of our way, yet at the same time we didn't want to repeat ourselves or go through the motions and just put something out that Stryper 's already put out or redone. We wanted something fresh, something new. We went into the studio and experimented a little with some of the tones. We tried to combine the old with the the new. And I hope and pray, that we accomplished that. So far, from the reaction of the people that have heard the CD, I think we did. That's really encouraging."

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As previously reported, on July 21st Stryper marked their 25th anniversary with the release of their new album, Murder By Pride. The have issued the following press release with regards to the upcoming tour in support of the record:

"Stryper will embark on a tour of the United States in September, hitting approximately 50 cities across America. This will be followed by international tour dates in January and February of 2010. The bands's 25th-anniversary tour will be a two-set show. The first set will be new Stryper material and include bassist Tracy Ferrie, along with original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, and Oz Fox. The second set will be classic Stryper hits and will be all four original members, including original bassist Tim Gaines. Michael Sweet Jr.'s band will be the opening band on the tour."

The band now have the following dates scheduled for their 25th Anniversary tour in support of Murder By Pride:

September

11 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
12 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
13 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
16 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
18 - New York, NY - The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
19 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
20 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock
23 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
24 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues Cleveland
25 - Mt. Clemens, MI - The Hayloft

October

1 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theatre
4 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
15 - Falls Church, VA - The State Theatre
17 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre
21 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade - Heaven
22 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
24 - Saint Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
25 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Culture Room
28 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
30 - Nashville, TN - Wildhorse Saloon

November

4 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
5 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
6 - San Antonio, TX - Scoutbar
10 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Ballroom
14 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia LA Live
16 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues - Anaheim
19 - Santa Clara, CA - Avalon Nightclub

January

15 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Apolo
16 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
20 - Biel, Switzerland - Kongresshaus
22 - Prague, Czech - Retro Music Hall
23 - Utrecht Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht