It's rare that band lineups stay intact throughout a majority of their run, so it came as a surprise to some Stryper fans earlier this year when it was confirmed that longtime bassist Tim Gaines was no longer part of the group. From 1983 to 2017, Gaines had spent a majority of his time holding down the low end for the veteran outfit, but a tumultuous split came about earlier this year.

Guitarist Oz Fox spoke cautiously about the split, stating that he was "really bummed out" about how things turned out. "I have to be careful what I say, but listen, people get mad and they get angry and they say stuff, and that's all there is to it. And I still love Timmy very much — I care about him. I'm really bummed out that it ended up the way it did. So what else can I say? I can't really say much, because I can't talk about it," Fox told The Liquid Conversations podcast (as heard below).

He continued, "[Tim] was with the band for a long time, and I was in another band with him before that, during the time we weren't together as Stryper. And, you know, when things go wrong, then you have to kind of pick up the pieces and keep moving, and he's doing that in his own life. It sounds like he's moving on, which is great. And we've gotta do that — that's the way it is in this world. And if it means that I have to take some hits because somebody's angry, I guess I've gotta take some hits — I mean, not physically, but, you know…"

Earlier this year, Gaines had claimed that his divorce factored into the divide with his other bandmates, something that the band denied was a contributing factor. After Gaines exit, Stryper announced that Perry Richardson, of Firehouse fame, would be taking over on bass for the band.

Hear Stryper's Oz Fox on The Liquid Conversations Podcast

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