STRYPER FRONTMAN MICHAEL SWEET MEETS KING DIAMOND AT HELL & HEAVEN FEST 2022 - "WHEN YOU BREAK IT DOWN, WE'RE JUST PEOPLE"

Paul Gargano at Metal Edge covered last weekend's Hell & Heaven Fest 2022 in Mexico, and while Pantera's return to the stage for the first time in 20 years was the big news, he also had the chance to witness a meeting between Stryper frontman Michael Sweet and Mercyful Fate legend King Diamond. He snapped the photo above.

As for what Sweet and King discussed?

"The weather, the birds, the bees," Sweet told Gargano. "It was just a normal conversation. It’s like, wow, he has this persona. We have this persona. You’re Satanic. We’re Christian. But then when you break it down, we're just people."

For Sweet, the entire experience was undeniably positive. 

"It always amazes me when we can get on a festival like this, because it legitimizes what we've always set out to do," he said. "But at the same time, it humbles me because I don't think we're at the level of a lot of these other bands, but whether you agree with that or disagree with that, we're singing about something different and our message is the polar opposite. So it's always kind of awkward, like, how's this gonna go? Are, are they gonna boo us? Are they gonna throw food at us or are they gonna cheer us? And then we go out onstage and you see people singing along to the songs. And it just blows my mind."

Read Gargano's complete report here.