STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has revealed that fellow guitarist Oz Fox does not actually play on the Christian metal band's upcoming album "Throne Of Thorns", despite reviewers praising Fox's performance. Sweet explained that Fox's blood pressure issues affected his pitch and hearing during recording, leaving him unable to track guitars, so Sweet played all the guitar parts himself while trying to preserve Stryper's signature dual-guitar sound. The revelation matters both for fans awaiting the record and because it points to an ongoing health struggle for Fox, who has battled brain tumours since 2018.

Sweet made the comments in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, saying he only addressed the issue after an Italian outlet asked him to name his favourite Fox guitar solos on the new LP. "Throne Of Thorns", Stryper's eighteenth studio album, is due out on 25 September via Frontiers Music Srl, and Sweet said a fuller statement, including input from Fox himself, would follow before release. Fox has suffered seizures and undergone brain surgery since his tumours were first discovered in 2018, which previously forced him to miss touring commitments, including Stryper's 2024 acoustic tour.