“When I sit down to write, it’s always a few weeks before we start recording,” he said. “I have no tunes, so I get down in my studio and write one a day. Once I finish one song, I go down the next day and create another, till I have 11 or 12 songs. Then we go into a studio, where I teach the guys the songs and record them. And it’s been that way since the beginning, with [the 1984 EP] ‘The Yellow And Black Attack’, but the difference is that we spent more time working out songs back then. It’s now a much speedier process, and it’s not because we’re rushing or because we have to; it’s simply the way things are. That’s how it works.“But I enjoy writing,” Sweet explained. “Everyone believes that we’ve always written songs as a band. That’s simply not true. It has never been that way. I’ve always been upfront and honest about it. And sometimes people assume I’m a tyrant, holding a gun to the guys’ heads, refusing to let them write, and so on, which is simply not true. I often offer music to my brother and say, ‘Hey, why don’t you write the lyrics? Because Robert Sweet [STRYPER drummer] is a good lyricist. I ask, ‘Why don’t you compose the lyrics for the song? And three months later, when it’s time for me to sing the song, the words are still not finished. So I end up doing it myself. And it’s commonly perceived that I don’t let the boys do anything, which couldn’t be further from the truth. And I’m telling you this because I see it online all the time. I just watched something at breakfast an hour ago where someone said the same thing.”
Michael also addressed his position as one of metal’s most vocal musicians regarding his ideas and thoughts. He explained, “The thing is, I’m a very open book.” So, when I give interviews, I speak from my heart. The other guys do not. And I mean that when my brother gives interviews, he is considerably more guarded and cautious about what he says. Now, behind the scenes, he’ll express his feelings, and I’ll hear them all. I hear it all because I go with him. Likewise with Oz [Fox, STRYPER guitarist]. Same with Perry [Richardson, STRYPER bassist.
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