Guitarist Michael Sweet of Christian metal band STRYPER has confirmed that bandmate Oz Fox is unable to participate on the upcoming eighteenth studio album, 'Throne Of Thorns,' which will be released on September 25 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Sweet revealed the situation in a new interview with Alan Dixon and Jimmy Kay of The Metal Voice, stating, "Oz had problems with his blood pressure and regulating that, and it really affected his pitch and his hearing, and he wasn't able to play.
He wasn't able to play, and he was having trouble at rehearsals with Robert [Sweet, STRYPER drummer and Michael's brother], and Robert came and pulled me aside and said, 'Hey, Mikey, I just wanna warn you, Oz is having some trouble.' And I said, "Oh, gosh, okay.' And then when it came time to track guitars for Oz, and sure enough, he wasn't able to do it.
So, I'm basically playing all the guitars on this album, which is a first." Sweet emphasized his efforts to maintain the band's signature sound, saying, "I tried really hard as a guitar player myself to make it sound like two guitar players, with the style of sections and adding harmonies here and there, coming in and out, doubling, and I really tried my best to make it sound like STRYPER sounds." Fox's absence is not new.
In August 2018, Fox suffered a seizure during a performance with SIN CITY SINNERS at Harrah's in Las Vegas, which led to the discovery of two brain tumors—one near his ear and one in the back of his brain.
By October 2020, Fox had been hospitalized after another severe seizure.
He has since undergone brain surgery, which forced him to miss STRYPER's spring 2024 'To Hell With The Amps' acoustic tour.
The band has previously toured Australia and Japan as a three-piece while Fox was sidelined, and recruited Howie Simon to fill in during those tours.
Sweet added, "We're gonna release a statement, and Oz wants to, obviously, explain and add to that down the road very soon, before the album comes out.
But I just wanted to let you guys know that that's the situation with this." Formed in 1980, STRYPER's name is derived from Isaiah 53:5: 'But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.' The band's discography includes 'To Hell With The Devil,' 'Second Coming,' 'No More Hell To Pay,' 'Fallen,' 'God Damn Evil,' 'Even The Devil Believes,' and 'The Final Battle.' Their Christmas album, 'The Greatest Gift Of All,' was released in November 2025 via Frontiers Music Srl."