STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has said he would not join King Diamond's band as a guitarist, but would happily take his own band on tour alongside Mercyful Fate. Speaking to Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Sweet explained the refusal comes down to the stark contrast between the spiritual themes of his Christian rock band and King Diamond's music, which he felt would amount to betraying his faith, though he stressed it was nothing personal. He nonetheless said touring together as separate acts would be an entirely different matter, calling it something he would do "100%".

Sweet also described a warm personal encounter with King Diamond (Kim Bendix Petersen) when STRYPER and Mercyful Fate shared a bill at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest on 4 December 2022, saying he deliberately sought him out backstage despite the bands' opposing images. He recalled a friendly, low-key chat about everyday topics and praised King Diamond's wife, Livia, saying the meeting taught him respect for the singer as a fellow human being searching for meaning, regardless of his music's dark themes. He expressed hope for future opportunities to spend more time together, a sentiment he first touched on in a January 2023 interview on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk".