Stryper’s Michael Sweet recently had a conversation with Metal Edge about the band’s 2022 album ‘The Final Battle’. In the interview, Sweet also revealed why Rob Halford of Judas Priest was his favourite metal vocalist, and talked about how Halford influenced his vocal career. He said:
“Well, Halford is my favourite metal vocalist of all time, as he is I’m sure most people who like metal. He’s the biggest influence on me. I mean, Rob Halford really changed me as a vocalist. I didn’t use to scream, I didn’t use to hit high notes until I heard Rob.”
Michael also told the first time he heard of Judas Priest’s Joan Baez cover, ‘Diamond and Rust’:
“And the first song I heard was ‘Diamonds and Rust’ from [1979 Priest live album] ‘Unleashed in The East’ on the radio. My sister was taking me to school and dropped me off and I heard that and I’m like, ‘What in the world is this?’”
The vocalist continued talking about the process he went through and his practices to enhance his vocal skills:
“After school, I went out and found the album bought it, listened to it. And it changed me as a vocalist. I started practicing high notes. I developed my upper register on my own. I didn’t go to a vocal coach for that. And I used to do techniques and try different things and I eventually built up and developed my lung capacity.”
Michael also added:
“And that was based on Halford, and I have him to thank for that. Eventually, I took a few vocal lessons with Elizabeth Sabine but for the most part Rob Halford really shaped me as a singer. And I don’t know if he would want to hear that or not, although Rob’s always been gracious to us.”
You can check out Judas Priest’s ‘Diamonds Rust’ cover below.