Walmart Refuses to Sell Stryper's "God Damn Evil"

By Tmothy Yap Apr 18, 2018 05:12 PM EDT

Expressing concerns over the album title, leading national retail chain Walmart has refused to carry chart-topping rock band STRYPER's upcoming 10th studio album, God Damn Evil - available April 20, 2018 from Frontiers Music SRL. Several Christian retail chains have also objected to the title and declined to carry God Damn Evil in their stores.

"We're disappointed," says STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet. "Stryper has always been about making people think outside the box. Our new album title God Damn Evil is a statement that's needed in our society. We've seen evil rise to new levels and this title is simply a prayer request asking God to damn or condemn all the evil around us. Many chains have joined us in making such a statement. Walmart unfortunately has not. The odd thing is of all the chains out there we assumed Walmart would be one to understand exactly what our point and purpose is. Unfortunately not. Although we respect their decision and what's done is done, it's frustrating to see something that's meant for good get misinterpreted and misunderstood."

Rocking since 1984, STRYPER is responsible for such classic '80s metal albums as Soldiers Under Command, To Hell with the Devil and In God We Trust. In fact, STRYPER is the first band (and the only Christian band) to ever have two songs in MTV's Top 10 simultaneously with their hits "Free" and "Honestly." After a sabbatical for much of the 1990's, STRYPER returned strong in the early 21st century. To date, the Dove Award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated band has sold over 10 million records worldwide.

God Damn Evil is the follow-up to STRYPER's ninth studio album, Fallen(Frontiers Music SRL), which released in 2015 and debuted at the top of the Billboard rock charts. 2016's 30th Anniversary To Hell With The Devil Tour saw record crowds and featured the band's largest sound and lighting production in nearly two decades.

The new STRYPER album is the first release since the recent addition of bass player Perry Richardson, a founding member of the multi-platinum band Firehouse. He joins original members Michael Sweet (vocals and guitar), Robert Sweet (drums) and Oz Fox (guitar).

STRYPER will return to the road this year, kicking off the God Damn Evil World Tour at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy on April 28th.

God Damn Evil is available now for pre-order at all major retailers including Amazon and iTunes: http://radi.al/GodDamnEvil.

The following limited edition pre-order offers are also available:

Stryper Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE yellow colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide), autographed vinyl test pressings, EXCLUSIVE t-shirt design (Stryper store ONLY), autographed CDs and more! Pre-order HERE: https://stores.portmerch.com/stryper/

Frontiers USA Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE gold colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide), autographed vinyl test pressings, EXCLUSIVE t-shirt design (Frontiers store ONLY), autographed CDs and more! Pre-order HERE: http://pmusic.co/34WWZE

Frontiers EU Webstore: Includes EXCLUSIVE silver colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies worldwide) and more! Pre-order HERE: http://bit.ly/2nSs5ey

Watch STRYPER's official music video for "Sorry" here: https://youtu.be/ByWWzDl_xrw

STRYPER 2018 TOUR DATES (As of April 18, 2018):
APRIL 28 - FRONTIERS ROCK FESTIVAL - MILAN, ITALY
MAY 5 - M3 ROCK FESTIVAL - COLUMBIA, MD
MAY 6 - AGORA THEATRE - CLEVELAND, OH
MAY 8 - GRAMERCY THEATRE - NEW YORK, NY
MAY 9 - STONE PONY - ASBURY, NJ
MAY 10 - JERGLE'S RHYTHM GRILLE - WARRENDALE, PA
MAY 12 - MIXX 360 - MALDEN, MA
MAY 13 - FISH HEAD CANTINA - HALETHORPE, MD
MAY 14 - SELLERSVILLE THEATER - SELLERSVILLE, PA
MAY 16 - DIESEL CONCERT LOUNGE - CHESTERFIELD, MI
MAY 17 - THE INTERSECTION - GRAND RAPIDS, MI
MAY 18 - GREEN BAY DISTILLERY - GREEN BAY, WI
MAY 19 - ROUTE 47 PUB N GRUB - FRIDLEY, MN
MAY 22 - THE SIDE ROOM IN RALSTON ARENA - RALSTON, NE
MAY 23 - VAL AIR BALLROOM - WEST DES MOINES, IA
MAY 25 - STAR PAVILION @ AMERISTAR CASINO HOTEL - KANSAS CITY, MO
MAY 26 - BMI SPEEDWAY - VERSAILLES, OH
MAY 27 - BRAT FEST - MADISON, WI
MAY 30 - IDL BALLROOM - TULSA, OK
MAY 31 - PROOF BAR ROOFTOP LOUNGE - HOUSTON, TX
JUNE 1 - GAS MONKEY LIVE! - DALLAS, TX
JUNE 3 - PHARR EVENTS CENTER - PHARR, TX
JUNE 5 - SAM'S BURGER JOINT - SAN ANTONIO, TX
JUNE 7 - CENTER STAGE - ATLANTA, GA
JUNE 8 - THE FOUNDATION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER - SPINDALE, NC
JUNE 9 - CANNERY BALLROOM - NASHVILLE, TN
JULY 7 - BARCELONA ROCK FEST - BARCELONA, SPAIN
AUGUST 25 - KAWASAKI CLUB CITTA - TOKYO, JAPAN
AUGUST 26 - KAWASAKI CLUB CITTA - TOKYO, JAPAN
SEPTEMBER 7 - GRAND ROCKTEMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL - HINCKLEY, MN
SEPTEMBER 8 - THE ARCADA THEATRE - ST. CHARLES, IL
SEPTEMBER 13 - HOUSE OF BLUES - ORLANDO, FL
SEPTEMBER 15 - ROCK IN VIVO FEST @ VIVO BEACH CLUB - ISLA VERDE, PUERTO RICO
OCTOBER 19 - THE VENUE - DENVER, CO
OCTOBER 20 - LEATHERHEADS SPORTS BAR - DRAPER, UT
OCTOBER 25 - THE MARQUEE - TEMPE, AZ
OCTOBER 26 - RIALTO THEATRE - TUSCON, AZ
OCTOBER 31 - WHISKY A GO GO - WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
NOVEMBER 4 - ACE OF SPADES - SACRAMENTO, CA