We did very well and we were successful, but not as successful — in [financial] terms — as bands like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue.”

Stryper’s Michael Sweet joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday (Sept. 12) to reflect on the band’s four decades of existence — and to celebrate their brand-new album, When We Were Kings.

“We could have been if we sang about sex and drugs, we would have been because we were every bit as good as Bon Jovi and Motley Crue.”

As Sweet said that to host Chuck Armstrong, he quickly followed it up by saying, “I’d even go as far as to say maybe in some ways, [we could have been] better. That’s obviously up to the ears of everyone.”

The metal frontman clarified to the listening audience that he meant no disrespect to those bands, but he argued that Stryper’s arrangements and their style of writing were more complex than their peers when they were breaking through in the ’80s.

The thing that held them back — and the thing Sweet wouldn’t change — is that they put their Christian faith at the center of everything they did.

“If we sang about girls and sex and drugs and all the typical stuff, we probably would have been at least twice, three times as big as we were,” Sweet said.

“[But] we’re going to do something different and we did — and we’re the weirdos for it. We’re the odd man out. We’re not part of the club and we never will be. But you know what? I wouldn’t change a thing.”

What Else Did Stryper’s Michael Sweet Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

How it feels to still be the odd man out in the world of heavy metal, but still be celebrating brand-new music with When We Were Kings: “It’s phenomenal. I wouldn’t change a thing because then I would be a sell-out, you know? To give up eternity for the riches of this failing, crumbling earth would be pretty pathetic.”Why he’s proud of the sound of When We Were Kings: “We’ve somehow figured out a way and have a plan in place that works, we’re able to merge the past with the present and it works to our benefit.”Why he believes Stryper is one of the bravest rock bands around: “We’ve gone and stood in front of crows that hated us, like literally wanted to kill us and rip us to shreds, and we stood up, stood our ground and won them over, time and time again for 40 years.”