Michael Harrison Sweet was born on July 4, 1963 in Whittier,
California. He is best known as lead
singer and guitarist of pioneering Christian metal band Stryper. Their debut album was 1984’s THE YELLOW AND
BLACK ATTACK, and their latest album is 2015’s FALLEN. Michael Sweet released his self-titled, full
length solo debut in 1994. ONE SIDED WAR
is his seventh full length solo effort.
It hit #1 on the Top Christian Albums chart and on the Hard Rock Albums
chart, and #4 on the Rock Albums chart.
It hit #77 on the Billboard 200 and CCM Magazine gave it 5 stars. Musicians Michael uses here are: Whitesnake
guitarist Joel Hoekstra, Evanescence drummer Will Hunt, Ethan Brosh (guitar),
John O’Boyle (bass), Charles Foley (additional background vocals), and Paul
McNamara (keys/moog). Sweet wrote ten of
the twelve songs alone and he also produced the album. In a press release he says: “I’ve been doing
this my entire life and although it’s been a tough road at times, I’ve never
lost my faith or my passion for music”.
ONE SIDED WAR was released on Rat Pak Records in 2016.
‘Bizarre’ is a blistering heavy metal track that urges
Christians to wake from their spiritual slumber: “Take me back when we gave a
damn/Strength of a lion, kind as a lamb/Society has weakened our wall/Integrity
was once in us all/We have the heart and the soul of a king/If we only knew who
we are/We could move mountains and do anything/But we just stand back from
afar/Bizarre”. The heavy metal title
track, ‘One Sided War’, is a call for a ceasefire between opposing sides: “I
found forgiveness and washed my hands clean/But you keep on pushing if that’s
what you need/I don’t wanna fight no more/I’ve made my peace/It’s your one
sided war/I’m layin’ all my weapons down/But you drag it out/It’s your one
sided war.../I won’t fight, fight no more/This is your one sided war”. Michael co-wrote the song with Blair Daly.
‘Can’t Take This Life’ keeps things rocking and comes from a
place of confidence: “You’ll never understand/That I have power far beyond what
your dark, evil mind can comprehend/Cause I’m rooted in the ground/My seeds
have grown/I am a tree of strength with many branches/I am sound/You can take this
moment, but you can’t take this life”.
‘Radio’ is a rock song that pokes fun at rockers who go or try to go
country. It’s a parody: “I’m gonna find
me a big truck and drink beer from a bottle/Buy a house down in Nashville/And
some boots that I can model/I’ll get a five gallon black hat and a big belt
buckle/A shotgun and gun rack/And some scars on my knuckles/I’m gonna write a
country song/And it won’t be long ‘til I’m on the radio/And when it goes to
number one/Gonna fake the fun like a clown in a rodeo”.
Musically ‘Golden Age’ is influenced by Judas Priest and
Iron Maiden. It’s essentially a rockin’
praise and worship number: “Like lightning and thunder He’ll part the sky/The
wind and the waves He controls/He owns the power to live or die/He is the collector
of souls/Creator/Word after word, page after page/Golden Age/With just one
breath He’ll blow away/The lies and deceit formed below/He holds the earth and
the milky way/In the palm of His hands/Don’t you know?” ‘Only You’ is a co-write with Bruce
Wallace. It’s a melodic heavy metal song
that declares God’s faithfulness: “You’re that place I can go to/You’re always
there/When I wrestle my demons You always care/With every struggle right here
You stay/You take my fears and wash them all away”.
‘I Am’ is aggressive musically and vocally. It finds God speaking: “I’m the great
Creator/I’m the Warrior/The sunrise and sunset that you need/I’m the
resolution/The answer to be/I’m the owner of your destiny/So, fear me!/I am the
beginning and the end/The measurer of all things/Impossible to
comprehend”. ‘Who Am I’ is a rock ballad
that serves as a great love song: “Don’t you know you’re everything/That this
simple man will ever need?/And when I look into your eyes/I can see my
destiny/Who am I to take your love for granted?/Who am I to make you feel
obscure?/Who am I?.../Baby, don’t give up on me/I can see the land and the
shore in sight”.
Next up is a rock love song, ‘You Make Me Wanna’. Here are some of the sentiments: “No one
makes me feel the way you do/No one makes my heart and soul come to/Baby, but
you do/Been dreamin’ day in and out of you/I see your face in the light of
June/You make me wanna feel/Yes, you make me wanna kneel, yeah/I want to live
every life with you/Heaven and earth and any other too/You make me wanna
love/Yes, you make me wanna love”.
‘Comfort Zone’ is another song of romantic devotion: “I’d fight a
battle, take a bullet just for you/And I’d fall a million times from the
heavens to be with you/You’re my peace, my hiding place/The place to rest my
head/And every moment spent with you is like rising from the dead.../I’m not
alone/You always take me to the comfort zone”.
‘One Way Up’ looks back at one’s past: “I remember walking
the wrong side of the tracks as a kid/Always looking for trouble in everything
that I did/And there was right and there was wrong/But I just didn’t care at
all/’Til I climbed so high and soon I began to fall”. Last up is a cool rendition of Track #3
‘Can’t Take This Life’, but this time it includes the terrific vocals of the
young and talented Moriah Formica as well.
In the liner notes, Michael Sweet writes: “My goal is to
always inspire and to direct people towards God’s love and salvation with the
gift of music. I hope that in some small
way you will be moved, touched, and energized when you hear this music. God bless you all and let’s rock!!!” Musically, this is the heaviest Michael Sweet
solo album I have heard! Heavy metal and
hard rock sounds combine here for a very lively, passion filled record. The musicianship is top notch. I really enjoy the electric guitar playing
here. Michael’s strong vocals and
screams are also in mighty fine condition.
Lyrically, the two most common themes are who God is and who we are in
Him, and romantic relationships. If you
appreciate Stryper’s bold Christian lyrics, you will applaud this album. I am encouraged to see Michael Sweet is still
so devout in his faith after all of these years of musical ministry. I’m rating ONE SIDED WAR 98%. For more info visit: www.michaelsweet.com and www.ratpakrecords.com.