Michael Sweet's "Reborn Again" is available to pre-order

https://stores.portmerch.com/michaelsweet/featured-products/reborn-again-lp.html  

Released April, 2021. Clear vinyl.  All albums are signed by Michael!  Sorry, autographs cannot be personalized.

IMPORTANT:  this is a pre-order.  Your album will ship to arrive to you in April, 2021.  All items in your order will ship at the same time.  If there are other items you'd like to receive sooner, please place a separate order.  

The story of “Reborn Again”

After the 2003 Stryper Celebration Tour, I came home and immediately started working on a new solo album. I recorded 10 songs/demos at my home studio and then booked time at Blue Jay and Mixed Emotions to record the album. Once it was complete, I started shopping to a number of labels. I was about to sign a deal when I wound up performing with Stryper in FL in 2004 and I played the music for the guys while we were there. They loved what they heard and we ultimately decided to reform and head back into the studio to make it a Stryper album and to officially reunite. The arrangements of the original songs did not change at all. It was re-recorded and released on 8/16/2005 and titled “Reborn” under the Stryper name.

After years of requests and a lot of thought, I decided to release the original versions/tracks and add some things that I felt were always missing: guitar solos, high vocal notes, more rhythm guitars, synth parts and an alternate version of “Passion”. The original drums and bass are clean and punchy and Derek & Lou did an outstanding job laying down the foundation. I’ve always wanted everyone to hear what these guys did and how well they did it!

So, here we are! Kenny Lewis and I decided to make those changes and reproduce the original version for all of you to hear. I couldn’t be more pleased.

It was always a dream of mine to be able to offer this version to all of you and I really believe that you’re gonna love it! I’m so excited to finally be able to bring you “Reborn Again”!

Love & Respect,
Michael






https://stores.portmerch.com/michaelsweet/featured-products/reborn-again-cd.html



Released April, 2021. All CDs are signed by Michael!  Sorry, autographs cannot be personalized.

IMPORTANT:  this is a pre-order.  Your CD will ship to arrive to you in April, 2021.  All items in your order will ship at the same time.  If there are other items you'd like to receive sooner, please place a separate order.  

The story of “Reborn Again”

After the 2003 Stryper Celebration Tour, I came home and immediately started working on a new solo album. I recorded 10 songs/demos at my home studio and then booked time at Blue Jay and Mixed Emotions to record the album. Once it was complete, I started shopping to a number of labels. I was about to sign a deal when I wound up performing with Stryper in FL in 2004 and I played the music for the guys while we were there. They loved what they heard and we ultimately decided to reform and head back into the studio to make it a Stryper album and to officially reunite. The arrangements of the original songs did not change at all. It was re-recorded and released on 8/16/2005 and titled “Reborn” under the Stryper name.

After years of requests and a lot of thought, I decided to release the original versions/tracks and add some things that I felt were always missing: guitar solos, high vocal notes, more rhythm guitars, synth parts and an alternate version of “Passion”. The original drums and bass are clean and punchy and Derek & Lou did an outstanding job laying down the foundation. I’ve always wanted everyone to hear what these guys did and how well they did it!

So, here we are! Kenny Lewis and I decided to make those changes and reproduce the original version for all of you to hear. I couldn’t be more pleased.

It was always a dream of mine to be able to offer this version to all of you and I really believe that you’re gonna love it! I’m so excited to finally be able to bring you “Reborn Again”!

Love & Respect,
Michael

I ordered it this morning.

I would like to get this, but not at $25 a pop!

Waiting for the download.  Like a user said at the CMR, the original barely makes it into his rotation.  Same here.  It just didn't age well.

I want this one, but 25 bucks is a lot for me, i will wait for the download.

I like Reborn. This reworked version sounds good. I'm definitely interested but I've never found autographs worth much. I guess it's kind of neat but paying an extra 10 dollars doesn't interest me. Curious if it will be available for a regular price later without the autograph.

This was a no brainer for me. I collect anything Stryper or Michael Sweet puts out because I know he always gives it his best and it will be a quality product. 

I also like autographed cds (though for personal enjoyment, not for resale value) and have quite a few.

$25 for an autographed copy, especially since it may never be available on cd again after this, is a bargain.

Mike now has the CD for $15 not autographed.  Since I enjoy "Reborn", I did order it.  I have maintained since it was released that it would have resonated better with fans with more of the signature Stryper harmonies and leads.  So, since we are supposedly hearing more of that, I am getting this.

I want that album, but I am going to wait for it, maybe this is coming out on Spotify, hopefully.

The currency and high price of shipping makes it really hard to afford.

alldatndensum wrote:Mike now has the CD for $15 not autographed.  Since I enjoy "Reborn", I did order it.  I have maintained since it was released that it would have resonated better with fans with more of the signature Stryper harmonies and leads.  So, since we are supposedly hearing more of that, I am getting this.

Thanks for the update! Ordered mine. I like the "original" album but am excited to hear it revisioned with solos.

alldatndensum wrote:I have maintained since it was released that it would have resonated better with fans with more of the signature Stryper harmonies and leads. 

Interesting.  I actually maintained (kind of) the opposite.  I said at the time that if Reborn was a one-time reunion record they failed for not sounding like the 1980's, but if they intended to make this a permanent comeback they did the right thing by letting their sound evolve to be more marketable in 2005.

eatbugs wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:I have maintained since it was released that it would have resonated better with fans with more of the signature Stryper harmonies and leads. 

Interesting.  I actually maintained (kind of) the opposite.  I said at the time that if Reborn was a one-time reunion record they failed for not sounding like the 1980's, but if they intended to make this a permanent comeback they did the right thing by letting their sound evolve to be more marketable in 2005.

I can definitely see that, too.

I definitely don't mean that the album would have been widely accepted by fans.  There will always be haters because it wasn't their 80s or current material.  This was just the one off alternative rock album that many metal bands did before they realized that this isn't what their fans wanted.  Other bands like KISS, Motley Crue, Dokken, Guardian, Holy Soldier all tried it and it didn't work.  For a reunion record or not, Stryper as a modern rock band wasn't what folks wanted.

I just simply mean that it might have gone over better with the leads and harmonies.  It didn't feel like a Stryper album without those.  Adding those back in would have helped the alternative sound go down a lot better for some of their fans.

Some of us were just glad to have them back and enjoyed the album as it was.  We were, and still are, in the minority.

Truthfully, I hope this redone version (or original, or whatever it is) sells well for Michael.  I am looking forward to hearing this.

alldatndensum wrote:

eatbugs wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:I have maintained since it was released that it would have resonated better with fans with more of the signature Stryper harmonies and leads. 

Interesting.  I actually maintained (kind of) the opposite.  I said at the time that if Reborn was a one-time reunion record they failed for not sounding like the 1980's, but if they intended to make this a permanent comeback they did the right thing by letting their sound evolve to be more marketable in 2005.

I can definitely see that, too.

I definitely don't mean that the album would have been widely accepted by fans.  There will always be haters because it wasn't their 80s or current material.  This was just the one off alternative rock album that many metal bands did before they realized that this isn't what their fans wanted.  Other bands like KISS, Motley Crue, Dokken, Guardian, Holy Soldier all tried it and it didn't work.  For a reunion record or not, Stryper as a modern rock band wasn't what folks wanted.

I just simply mean that it might have gone over better with the leads and harmonies.  It didn't feel like a Stryper album without those.  Adding those back in would have helped the alternative sound go down a lot better for some of their fans.

Some of us were just glad to have them back and enjoyed the album as it was.  We were, and still are, in the minority.

Truthfully, I hope this redone version (or original, or whatever it is) sells well for Michael.  I am looking forward to hearing this.

In fact, it is hard to name a band that didn't tried to change its sound during 90's or early 2000's to something more commercial based on the trends of that time.
 
It is even harder to find one that succeeded and was able to mantain their new style for the years ahead.

Mine came in the mail today. Didn't realize it would be here already. It already sounds weird but thoroughly welcome to hear the guitar solos. This is essentially the same album (production and performances) plus the dynamics of solos and few higher vocals added in. The players are different but they nailed everything just as well as Robert, Oz and Tracy would on the later release. It really sounds like the Stryper guys just copied these original performances.

That said, I won't be playing the old version anymore. This is the version.

On a note to this, if you want to go digital and just slip this version in place of the old version there isn't much of a book. It's got a small right up, credits and no lyrics.

Any samples available?

Just one song that I'm aware of: https://stores.portmerch.com/michaelsweet/featured-products/reborn-again-cd.html

I'm not convinced yet. I've only been listening to Christian Metal for 3 years (Metal in general much longer) so I don't have a strong attachment to Stryper. I got into and REALLY enjoy "Fallen" and the other recent albums (as well as Michael Sweet's two recent solo albums). I just skipped over anything in between "To Hell With the Devil" and "No More Hell to Pay." I went to YouTube to listen to the original "Reborn" and was not sold at all. While I assume this version will be better, I think I need to hear more to decide.

I really don't think anyone who didn't like it before is going to change their mind.

More specific comments after comparison:

Better drum sound. The snare sounded bad on the original. It was not terrible but had the half St. Anger style popular at the time where it sounds a bit more raw and rings out. Never bothered me but having it gone is a general positive for me.

Vocals seem nearly identical. Michael adds a high vocal at the end of "Live Again" and there's no need for it. He does the same to "Ten Thousand Years" and it works better. Haven't discerned much of a difference otherwise, a higher vocal in a few spots. The melodies and inflections I like have remained.

Guitars are a bit more crisp and less fuzzed out but generally have the same sound. It's not "metalized" if that's what someone was hoping for.

Some songs have notably different solo sections. Opening track "Open Your Eyes" now has an excellent solo that really brings it back to a more classic Stryper sound. The title track, "Reborn," is a full minute longer now having an extended solo section that perfectly fits the song. Closer "Ten Thousand Years" also adds 30 seconds to its length for the same reason. Most of the rest of the songs that are changed are essentially identical in length but with solos inserted in when there was nothing before. 

A few songs seem completely unchanged like "If I Die." It doesn't add a solo break where there could have been one. A vocal line or two sounds a bit different. "Rain" isn't really any different either.

Small changes but everyone of them an improvement. I don't regret buying this at all. A pretty good album got a fair boost upward for me.

Thanks for the review Frozen Fire. It's gonna be a pass for me.

Anyone else got theirs yet? I haven"t.