Hi! Fans have been waiting for a Christmas album since ‘85. Finally doing it now – what was it like getting there after all these years?
It’s an amazing feeling to finally have a Christmas album. We’ve been talking about it for 40 years and we finally decided to just make it reality. It took some work, but we got on the studio very quickly and put it together very quickly and all things considered, it turned out great.
You picked five classics and five originals. What made some songs feel right for this record and others not?
I’ve been doing some of these songs out, live with my solo band and we stuck to the same arrangement/songs for this album. And then I wrote four new songs and added those to the other original, reason for the season. It just felt right doing that. Making it a combination of five traditional and five originals.
‘Reason for the Season’ again after all this time – listening back, anything stand out that you wanted to do differently?
We actually went out of our way to make it exactly like the original. The only difference is we are 40 years older and we are tuned down a half step. Other than that every little thing that you heard on the original is in this new version as well.
Winter Wonderland isn’t exactly metal. Did it feel strange at first, or was it easy to make it your own?
Again, we basically stuck to the same version we did in the 80s. We just left out the banter/talk in the beginning. But I think the crunchy Guitar is in the double kick make it metal. Even though it has some more melodic/pot melody to it. It’s still a metal track at least to my ear.
When you tackle a classic, how do you know it still feels like STRYPER and not just a holiday tune?
It was important for me to write songs that could be listened to year-round. I did not just sound like Christmas songs. I wanted people to be able to put this album on in March or July or September and listen without feeling awkward.
For the originals, did you start with a riff, a lyric, or just see where the jam went?
I always start with the riff. And then once I have a riff, I find a good drum pattern in my easy (Drummer) software and then it comes along very quickly. Usually about 2 to 3 hours. And as I’m writing the music and arranging the song, the lyrics are already starting to flow in my head and I’m usually singing the title of the song after that process. And then I work on lyrics once the music is done.
Any songs take a completely unexpected turn while recording?
Not really. On this album, we stuck to staying fairly straight ahead and we didn’t try to break any rules or stretch too much. We wanted to stay true to our classic sound and that’s what we did. One thing that is different about this album is the fact that every guitar solo is harmonized. We’ve never done that before on an album, but we did on this one. And I think that’s very cool.
Were there ideas that didn’t make it onto the album? Any you wish had?
No. I don’t like to spend my wheels or waste my time. If I know the song is good and I’m tapping my foot then I run with it. If I’m not tapping my foot and I’m feeling as though it’s not good enough, I will move onto a different song. But there are no leftover songs and we did not go and record extra songs. I know a lot of bands do that but to me that’s just a waste of energy and a waste of time.
Do you ever think about how fans will react while making a song, or just follow what feels right?
I just go with my gut and follow what feels right. I think after 40 years we know and I know by now what works and what doesn’t. I know what the fans will like and I know what they won’t like. So I just go with my gut as I’m working on material and it seems to always work out.
Only releasing it physically – was that more for the old-school fans or just how you wanted it?
We did that so the album could have a little life breathed into it down the road. I releasing a few songs digitally next year. It’ll feel fresh and it won’t be saturated all over Spotify and streaming. So that’s why we did that. And it’s a little more old-school and we like that and we missed that.
Perry’s been in the band a few years now. How did he affect the feel of this record?
He’s actually been in the band longer than Tim ever was. We’re going on nine years now with Perry so he is an amazing player and (Singer) and every album we’ve done with Perry feels great. He’s solid as could be and we’re very happy to have them.
Ever think about playing a full Christmas set live? Or mixing these with regular hits?
Absolutely. One of these days I think we will do a Christmas tour and it would be great to be able to play all these songs during a set period. I’m not sure if that will happen next year, but we will work on that and make that become reality.
After forty years of making music, did creating a Christmas album feel like a milestone in a different way?
It really did. We’ve been talking about it for so long and to think that it took us 40 years to make and create is astonishing to me. I think the fans really appreciate the fact that we finally did it and I think it’s an album that holds up to any other album we’ve ever made. So far people seem to really love it
If someone heard this first without knowing STRYPER, what would you hope they take away about the band?
Well, I think because it is classic striper I would be very proud of the fact that if they heard this first, they would refer to it as classic stripper or their favorite album. I think that’s amazing and I think it’s a great album. And I say that humbly. I think it turned out really great and it has a great sound and feel to it and it is an album that people can listen to a year after year And that’s really exciting.
Looking back on everything, where does ‘The Greatest Gift of All’ fit in for you personally? Cheers!
I would put the album high on the list of my favorites to be honest. I would certainly put it in my top 10 list if not, my top five less. My favorite classic album always will be soldiers under command. And one of my favorite more recent/modern albums would be when we were Kingsand of course no more hell to pay. But I would put this right up there certainly and easily.
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