Sweet & Lynch "Only To Rise (Italy, Frontiers Records, FR CD 675)"

Only to Rise is the debut studio album by the duo Sweet & Lynch. Frontiers Records released the album on January 27, 2015.

Specifying in a four star review by CCM Magazine, Andy Argyrakis realizes, "Hard rock never sounded sweeter... there's mounds of melodic sensibility at every turn, alongside positive messages spanning several facets of love to the undeniably divine." Bert Gangl, indicating in a four star review at Jesus Freak Hideout, recognizes, "Impressive though it may be, Only To Rise isn't completely devoid of drawbacks. As probing and sincere as the majority of Sweet's lyrics are, a small portion of them find the ever-passionate front man employing language that is either awkward or overused... And even though it hardly seems destined to convince legions of dyed-in-the-wool pop or alt-rock lovers to wipe their mp3 players clean and start from scratch, fans of Sweet and Lynch's previous band-based work, those who appreciate powerhouse vocals and consummate guitar work - or, really, anyone who wants to pretend the '90s never happened - will undoubtedly discover that Only To Rise is just what the good doctor ordered. " In a four out of five review, The Phantom Tollbooth's Bert Saraco, responds, "Only To Rise is 'sweet' indeed – a collaboration by musicians that are masters at what they do, and what they do is produce heavy rock and roll with one foot in the here-and-now and the other foot on a stage somewhere in the heart of classic rock." Signaling in a nine out of ten review from Cross Rhythms, Rob Birtley replies, "Throughout Sweet's Christian sensibilities shine through in the lyrics and the unlikely union with Lynch, whose nickname is 'Scary', is a thorough success." Jay Heilman, rating the album 3.5 out of five for Christian Music Review, writes, "Only To Rise was a great album and it was great to see Sweet away from STRYPER for a project." Writing a review for Christian Review Magazine, Christian St. John rating the album five stars, states, "honestly, each and every track on Only To Rise is excellent".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Sweet & George Lynch

1. "The Wish" 3:38
2. "Dying Rose" 3:41
3. "Love Stays" 4:34
4. "Time Will Tell" 3:51
5. "Rescue Me" 4:13
6. "Me Without You" 4:02
7. "Recover" 3:42
8. "Divine" 4:18
9. "September" 4:17
10. "Strength in Numbers" 3:18
11. "Hero Zero" 4:11
12. "Only to Rise" 3:43

Total length: 49:28

Michael Sweet "I'm Not Your Suicide"

I'm Not Your Suicide is the sixth studio album from the Christian music musician and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, who helmed the production on the album. The album released on May 6, 2014 by Big3 Records. This album charted at No. 154 on the Billboard 200 and it was awarded a five star rating by CCM Magazine and a four star rating from HM.

The music video for "I'm Not Your Suicide" supports the Childhelp foundation. The "Heart of Gold" video features Electra Mustaine, the daughter of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine.

I'm Not Your Suicide garnered praise from the ratings and reviews of music critics. At CCM Magazine, Andy Argyrakis rated the album a perfect five stars, stating that the release "is a full-fledged foray into Sweet's songwriting soul, alongside sky-high vocals that only seem to improve with age" on "this modern-day melodic rock masterpiece". Jeff McCormack of HM rated the album four stars out of five, writing that "All in all, this is a great, well-rounded release that fans of both Stryper and Sweet’s past releases should love." At AllMusic, Mark Deming rated the album three stars out of five, calling this "a set of the powerful and deeply personal melodic hard rock that's long been his musical trademark."

At Jesus Freak Hideout, Bert Gangl rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "To be sure, even though I'm Not Your Suicide is neither his strongest band-based or solo effort, it may well prove to be his most interesting." Chad Bowar of About.com rated the album four stars out of five, stating that this release continues the great work begun on No More Hell to Pay. At Indie Vision Music, Lee Brown rated the album three stars out of five, cautioning that "As the musical portion of that one-two punch, this album has high musical quality that fans of Sweet's previous works will enjoy, though casual listeners may be tempted to dismiss."

At The Phantom Tollbooth, Bert Saraco rated the album four tocks out of five, writing how "some new colors are added to an already sweet palette." Jay Heilman of Christian Music Review rated the album 4.2 out of five, saying it is a "great record" that has "a little bit of something for everyone." At The Front Row Report, Reggie Edwards rated the album a perfect ten stars, stating "I'm Not Your Suicide is the most musically diverse record Michael Sweet has ever recorded and released" that "showcase[s] [h]is overall musical talent and it has never shown through clearer than on I'm Not Your Suicide." Jim Wilkerson of The Christian Music Review Blog rated the album four stars out of five, writing that the release "is really great work for the genre."

Track listing

1. "Taking on the World Tonight" (featuring Tony Harnell) 3:43
2. "All That's Left (For Me to Prove)" 3:47
3. "The Cause" 4:09
4. "This Time" (featuring Kevin Max) 4:10
5. "I'm Not Your Suicide" 3:52
6. "Coming Home" 3:58
7. "Miles Away" 3:32
8. "Strong" 3:59
9. "How to Live" (featuring Robert Sweet and Timothy Gaines) 4:13
10. "Heart of Gold" 3:10
11. "Anybody Else" (featuring Chris Jericho and Doug Aldrich) 4:02
12. "Unsuspecting" 4:08
13. "Heart of Gold" (featuring Electra Mustaine) 3:09

Total length: 49:52

Double-fold digipak with 12-page booklet.

Recording information:

Recorded at Spirit House.

Edited at Mixed Emotions.

Michael Sweet "Real"

Real is the second full-length solo album by Christian rock singer and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, released in 1995 by Benson Music Group.

The album features a softer, mellower sound than the previous album. There's also an acoustic version of Stryper's hit "Always There for You".

Though it received less acclaim than its predecessor, the album achieved three No. 1 singles and received a Dove award nomination.

A music video for the title track was released alongside it.

Track listing

All songs written by Michael Sweet, except where noted.

1. "Color Blind" - 3:30
2. "Second Chance" - 4:10
3. "Ticket to Freedom" - 4:11
4. "The River" - 3:20
5. "Always There for You" - 4:09
6. "Real" - 5:11
7. "Baby Doll" - 4:19
8. "Why" - 4:22
9. "Remember Me" (Sweet, Doug Beiden) - 4:06
10. "Heaven Waits for You" - 3:10

Recording information:

Tracked at NRG North Hollywood, California.

Overdubs recorded at A&M Studio, Hollywood, California; Angel Productions, Anaheim, California; and Vision Group, Stanton, California.

Mastered at Bernie Grundman, Hollywood, California.

Michael Sweet "Michael Sweet"

Michael Sweet is the first full-length solo album of Christian rock singer, and Stryper frontman, Michael Sweet. The album was released in 1994 by Benson Music Group.

The album features Gregg Fulkerson (previously with band Blue Tears) as a co-producer, songwriter, musician, and backing singer.

The album received high praise from critics as well as five No. 1 singles.

Three music videos for "All This and Heaven Too", "Someday", and "Ain't No Safe Way", were released following the album.

Track listing

All songs written by Michael Sweet, except where noted:

1. "Together" (Sweet, Fulkerson) – 4:10
2. "Take Me Home" – 4:41
3. "Tomorrow, Tonight" – 4:36
4. "All This and Heaven Too" (Sweet, Fulkerson) – 4:07
5. "Someday" – 4:53
6. "J.E.S.U.S." – 4:27
7. "All I Wanna Do (Is Love You)" – 4:05
8. "Forever Yours" (Fulkerson) – 4:24
9. "I Think You Hear Me Knockin'" – 3:56
10. "Ain't No Safe Way" (Sweet, Fulkerson) – 3:15

Recording information:

Recorded and mixed at Pakaderm Recording Studio, Los Alamitos, California.

Additional redording at Sound Revolution, Nashville, Tennessee.

Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles, California.

Michael Sweet "One Sided War"

One Sided War is the seventh studio album from the Christian musician and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, who helmed the production on the album. The album released on August 26, 2016 by Rat Pak Records. This album charted at No. 77 on the Billboard 200 and it was awarded a five star rating by CCM Magazine.

At CCM Magazine, Andy Argyrakis rated the album a perfect five stars, stating that the release "is most definitely his heaviest individual offering thus far". At Jesus Freak Hideout, Bert Gangl rated the album three-point six stars out of five, saying that "Sweet absolutely deserves credit for being one of the few artists from the '80s still convincingly practicing the classic metal idiom, which debatably places him head and shoulders above the lion's share of his hard-rocking contemporaries -- too many of whom have long since stopped writing material that equals, or betters, that of their heyday".

At Hardrock Haven, John Kindred rated the album eight-point seven-five out of ten, writing "It's brilliant". Jay Heilman of Today's Christian Entertainment rated the album 4.8 out of five, saying it is a "record any true rock rock fan will need to pick up". At Classic Rock Revisited, the editor rated the album a B (buy it), stating "Michael is a talented singer, guitarist and an interesting songwriter. So much so, I am starting to believe his solo efforts are much more intense and unique than anything he ever did while in the black and yellow bee outfit."

Alfie Vera Mella of Cryptic Rock rated the album four stars out of five, writing that "Sweet's songwriting prowess stretches back to the humble beginnings of his band Stryper – most of the songs of which show Sweet and his comrades' penchant for the serious, edgy side of glam metal coupled with the cool playfulness of pop rock music. In Sweet's latest offering, this combination shines very well."

For the Billboard charting week of September 17, 2016, One Sided War was the No. 77 most sold album in the entirety of the United States via the Billboard 200, and it was the No. 1 most sold of the Christian Albums. Also, the album was the No. 4 most sold album of the Rock Albums, and it was the No. 1 most sold of the Hard Rock Albums. Lastly, the album was the No. 6 most sold of the Independent Albums.

Track listing

1. "Bizarre" 3:28
2. "One Sided War" 3:28
3. "Can't Take This Life" 3:36
4. "Radio" 4:01
5. "Golden Age" 3:56
6. "Only You" 4:08
7. "I Am" 4:15
8. "Who I Am" 4:54
9. "You Make Me Wanna" 3:50
10. "Comfort Zone" 3:09
11. "One Way Up" 4:14
12. "Can't Take This Life" (featuring Moriah Formica) 3:36

Total length: 46:35

Japanese bonus track

1. "Not to Be Me"

Recording information:

Recorded at Spirithouse Studios.