STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has checked in with the following update in the wake of the news that he will be fronting T&N; - featuring DOKKEN alumni George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown - on tour in 2013:

"This wasn't officially announced but I guess if George is talking about it then it's official. Keep an eye out (and an ear open) for this! It should be a blast and a lot of fun singing those classic Dokken tunes :-) And to ease your mind, I WILL NOT be leaving Stryper, just having some side fun with George, Jeff and Mick when this actually takes place. 2013 looks to be a very busy year for me with two new Stryper records, a Stryper tour, a new solo record and book, a solo tour and possibly a T&N; tour!"

Following is an excerpt from the interview with Lynch that Sweet is referring to

LRI: Is it true that Michael Sweet of STRYPER will be the touring singer for T&N; when you tour?

George: "Yeah, that was the decision we all collectively came up with, we thought he was really the right choice. Lynch Mob has done quite a few dates with Stryper and we know Michael as a man and he’s just such a wonderful guy which is important at this stage in the game. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way over the years and now it’s to the point where you just wanna work with people who want to work with you and are dedicated, honest, transparent and have a good work ethic. Michael is obviously talented, we all knew that but he is also ust a good person who has all of those qualities and architecture and is a solid guy but more importantly his voice is really suited to what we are trying to accomplish live which is to recreate the Dokken stuff faithfully. Jeff’s voice is not necessarily ideal for all of that because he has a bit of a raspier, harder edge which is better suited to the original music that T&N; has done, Jeff will do some of the Dokken stuff but then Michael will come in and do some of the material that he’s better at. The other advantage we have with Michael Sweet other than him being just a great human being is that he’s a really good guitar player and really suited to playing the rhythm parts we have which is something we really need collectively in this band and for this material. There’s a lot of guitars on this record and we wanna reproduce the record faithfully. Plus, he’s not a bad lookin guy either!"

LRI: I was really hoping it was true because I am a huge fan but kind of got the feeling that Michael didn’t want me to formally announce it. His mother put it out there on Facebook (laughs). Is it formally announced? Is it alright for fans to officially plan on this?

George: "I guess we just announced it (laughs). It’s something that we held back on only because of the fact that the tour isn’t going to happen for a few months, like I said, we are going to finish this second album and then tour behind the both of them. We just have so many other touring commitments and Michael has Stryper so the timing has to be just right but we are looking to have that in place for summer of 2013."

Click here for the complete interview.

T&N;'s debut album, Slave To The Empire, "offers eight new original songs and four re-recorded classic Dokken songs that feature sensational vocal performances by Tim “Ripper” Owens (DIO DISCIPLES, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), Doug Pinnick (KING'S X), Sebastian Bach (ex-SKID ROW), and Robert Owens (WARRANT). Add to the mix the hard hitting, multi-talented drumming of Brian Tichy (ex-BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE, SLASH) and you’ve got yourself a major dose of awesome!"

“Mick, Jeff and I have been playing together for many years,” states Lynch. “When we go way back in time, we always had the most fun when we were just sitting in a room together or up on stage with the three of us playing.”
“Don't think of this as Dokken without Don – that's misleading,” adds Pilson. “Think of it as a band with great chemistry coming up with new music that excites them, and also paying tribute to Dokken music which the members all are heavily invested in emotionally. Don is, and will always be, the singer of Dokken and an invaluable part of the Dokken chemistry.”

Slave To The Empire is out now via Rat Pack Records. T&N;'s cover of the Dokken classic 'It's Not Love' with WARRANT's Robert Mason on vocals can be heard on SoundCould below:

Slave To The Empire tracklisting:

'Slave To The Empire'

'Sweet Unknown'

'Tooth And Nail' (featuring Doug Pinnick of King's X)

'It’s Not Love' (featuring Robert Mason of Warrant)

'Rhythm Of The Soul'

'When Eagles Die'

'Into The Fire' (Jeff Pilson)

'Alone Again' (featuring Sebastian Bach)

'Mind Control'

'Kiss Of Death' (featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens)

'Jesus Train'

'Access Denied'

Audio samples from the entire album are streaming at this location.