MICHAEL SWEET / I'm Not Your Suicide (2014)

Michael Sweet is no other than the lead shouter of the legendary Christian metal band of Stryper. He has, also, released some extremely interesting solo efforts with his debut to be a classic one at least in my book. Nowadays, this so talented musician is releasing his brand new "I'm Not Your Suicide".

This new record has it all; heavy and a bit modern melodic metal anthems, emotional tracks, fantastic vocal lines, a bunch of some impressive guest list but most of all it has great tracks with the signature of Michael Sweet!! The guest list includes Tony Harnell (TNT), Doug Aldrich, Timothy Gains of Stryper and Kenny Aronoff among others. With his main band, Stryper, the artist is singing in a more straight forward and typical melodic metal way. In his solo recordings, Michael Sweet is mixing his influences and at the end he creates a more diverse compositions.

The album kicks-off with the awesome modern heavy rocker tune of "Taking On The World Tonight". In this song, makes his appearance another legend of this scene, Tony Harnell and the result is superb! "All That's Left (For Me To Prove)" is another killer track out of this new release. Melodic hard rock stuff at its best with a catchy hook and chorus in the vain of Sweet's main band. "I'm Not Your Suicide" is a brilliant modern in-your-face rocker that features some incredible vocal performances. Then comes the huge ballad of "Coming Home". An emotional track that includes acoustic and slide guitars and, of course, a big chorus line that makes it one of the highlights here. It reminded me a bit of Michael Sweet's debut release. Just listen, also, to the simply fantastic ballad of "How To Live" featuring Robert Sweet and Timothy Gains of Stryper and you'll be grabbed by a true melodic bliss.

For sure, one of the best Michael Sweet's solo albums to date, period! This one along with the artist's debut opus back in 1994 are both classic melodic hard rock stuff. Superb vocal performances, a tight musicianship, great songwriting and a bunch of some killer tracks make "I'm Not Your Suicide" a very attractive effort that must be checked by any fan of this scene and of course by any fan of Stryper's music!
Heavy Paradise's Rating : 8,5/10

Track Listing :
 01. Taking On The World Tonight (feat. Tony Harnell)
02. All That's Left [For Me To Prove]
03. The Cause
04. This Time (feat. Kevin Max)
05. I'm Not Your Suicide (co-written With Blair Daly)
06. Coming Home
07. Miles Away
08. Strong
09. How To Live (feat. Robert Sweet & Timothy Gaines of Stryper) 
10. Heart Of Gold
11. Anybody Else (feat. Chris Jericho & Doug Aldrich)
12. Unsuspecting13. Heart Of Gold (feat. Electra Mustaine) [Bonus Track]