Stryper's Michael Sweet and Dokken / Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch have combined their talents and long running legacy of hard rocking excellence together in the project Sweet & Lynch. The group will release their debut album, Only to Rise, on January 27th via Frontiers Music.

And while Sweet and Lynch's names form the moniker of their partnership, their band also includes a pair of well-known rock names. Brian Tichy, who has spent time behind the kit with rockers like Whitesnake, Billy Idol and Ozzy Osbourne, will man the drums for the band, while James Lomenzo, who has enjoyed stints in Megadeth, Black Label Society and White Lion, is handling bass duties.

"When I was approached to help put together an all-star lineup, I initially thought of George Lynch," says Sweet, who also produced the album. "George is one of the most talented guitarists out there and a 'bucket list' player for me. George wrote riffs/basic ideas and I wrote melodies, lyrics and arranged and completed the songs. I knew that we would compliment each other's style."

Sweet goes on to add, "When you add the amazing rhythm section of Brian Tichy and James Lomenzo, you just can't go wrong with this lineup. It really is a special project and I'm honored to be part of it."

The music video for the song "Dying Rose" premiered yesterday at GuitarWorld.com. The performance video, showing Michael Sweet and George Lynch playing the song together, was shot in a warehouse in Los Angeles and directed by Devin DeHaven, known for his work with Rick Ross, Whitesnake, Kiss and R. Kelly to name a few. The video can be seen HERE.

The group previously released a video for "The Wish," which can be seen HERE. and a lyric video for the 9/11 inspired track "September," which can be seen HERE. An EPK featuring Michael and George discussing this new project can be seen HERE.

Sweet & Lynch recently launched a pre-order for the new album via PledgeMusic. The pre-order features various bundle packages for fans and is live HERE. The album is also available via Amazon. Fans who pre-order the album via iTunes at http://geni.us/SweetLynchiTunes will receive instant downloads of the songs "Dying Rose," "The Wish" and "September" with their order.

Sweet & Lynch, Only to Rise Track Listing

1. The Wish

2. Dying Rose

3. Love Stays

4. Time Will Tell

5. Rescue Me

6. Me Without You

7. Recover

8. Divine

9. September

10. Strength in Numbers

11. Hero Zero

12. Only to Rise

NEWS SOURCE: Nashville PR