Dee Snider – For the Love of Metal [Album Review]

Dee Snider – For the Love of Metal
2018, Napalm Records

1. Lies Are A Business
2. Tomorrow’s No Concern
3. I Am The Hurricane
4. American Made
5. Roll Over You
6. I’m Ready
7. Running Mazes
8. Mask
9. Become The Storm
10. The Hardest Way
11. Dead Hearts (Love Thy Enemy)
12. For the Love of Metal

Producer: Jamey Jasta

With trepidation, I pressed play on this one. Would it be a lame attempt to sound modern enough for today’s rock/pop radio stations like 2016’s We Are the Ones? I can say… “NOPE” after breathing a sigh of relief!

For the Love of Metal is a decidedly different beast than We Are the Ones. Apparently Dee had no intention of doing another studio album, but he was approached by Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta to do a metal album (I wonder if Jasta felt Snider needed to “redeem” himself after We Are the Ones) with songwriting and musical talent from members of modern bands such as Lamb of God, Arch-Enemy, Disturbed, and Killswitch Engage. I can’t find any exact details as to who played what, but press releases do mention a few names involved.

If you’re not into those bands (and I’m not), don’t get discouraged. Yes, many of the songs here have that modern metal chug to them, but it’s tolerable for the most part. And vocally, Snider is able to keep up. At 63 years old, this guy still has one of the best voices in the realm of rock & metal. One of the greatest singers of all time. There is no wear or tear to be heard at any point throughout For the Love of Metal.

The album is a mix of modern and more straight-forward metal tracks. While the attempt is there to be current, I didn’t get the feeling that this album was written without respect to Dee’s legacy or history. There is enough here to keep fans of Twisted Sister and Dee’s previous solo outings interested. “Lies Are A Business” is a scorching opening track that is nothing but classic metal. “I’m Ready”, “Roll Over You” and “Become The Storm” are more offerings that fit in with Dee’s legacy quite well. “Running Mazes”, “Mask”, “The Hardest Way” and “Dead Hearts (Love They Enemy)” offer a more current flavor of metal.

For the Love of Metal is an album that has found an enjoyable middle ground between modern metal and Dee’s ’80s metal. It’s heavy, it’s fast and Dee sounds great. I recommend this one.

Highlights: “Lies Are A Business”, “Roll Over You”, “I’m Ready”, “Running Mazes”, “For the Love of Metal”

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Dee Snider – We Are the Ones [Album Review]

Dee Snider – We Are the Ones
2016, Red River Entertainment/Snider Than Thou Productions

1. We Are the Ones
2. Over Again
3. Close to You
4. Rule the World
5. We’re Not Gonna Take It
6. Crazy for Nothing
7. Believe
8. Head Like a Hole
9. Superhero
10. So What

With seemingly very little fanfare from the press, Twisted Sister played what supposedly their “last” show ever on November 12, 2016. It took place in Monterrey, Mexico of all places. Why didn’t the band choose to end their career where it began — in the New York/New Jersey are? Anyway, with even less press, TS front-man Dee Snider released the third solo of his career in late October of 2016.

I gotta give it to Dee. He likes to mix things up. Whether it’s A Twisted Christmas, Van Helsing’s Curse, or Dee Does Broadway… and, well, We Are the Ones is a mixed bag itself.

Knowing nothing about this album going in, I expected something less campy, but heavier, than Twisted Sister. Overall, I expected it to appeal for fans of ’80s hard rock/metal. Well, We are the Ones is a decidedly more modern effort. “Modern” if you consider ’90s/early ’00s alternative rock/metal to be just that. “Close to You” might as well have been a song from Smashing Pumpkins or Filter or Silverchair. It’s not a bad song, but it’s pretty dated sounding. And, hey, Dee even covers Nine Inch Nails’ “Head Like a Hole”! To be fair, he does an acoustic cover of “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.

The is surprisingly filled with modern rock/pop anthems. Or just pop. With its huge sing along moments and hip-hop pop beats and inspirational message, “Superhero” could easily be a Katy Perry song. I’m not really sure what Mr. Snider is trying to accomplish at this point in his career doing pop songs, but I guess he deserves to do whatever he wants at this point.

“We are the Ones”, “Rule the World” and “Believe” are more “whoa-oh-oh” sing along anthems that you might hear from Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy, or Panic! At the Disco.

This is a pretty disappointing album for me. I was hoping something that was a bit more straight forward and would feature some ferocious Snider vocals, but instead we’re left with Dee trying to play catch-up for what’s been happening in rock over the last 20-plus years.

I love Dee Snider. I don’t love this album.

Highlights: “Close to You”, “Crazy for Nothing”, “So What”

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Dee Snider – Dee Does Broadway [Review]

Dee Snider – Dee Does Broadway
(2012, Razor & Tie)

1. “Cabaret”
2. “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”
3. “Big Spender”
4. “Mack the Knife”
5. “Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)”
6. “Music of the Night”
7. “The Joint Is Jumpin'”
8. “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”
9. “I Get a Kick Out of You”
10. “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame”
11. “Razzle Dazzle”
12. “Tonight/Somewhere”

Musicians:
Dee Snider – Vocals
Bob Kulick – Guitar
Rudy Sarzo – Bass
Brett Chassen – Drums, Backing Vocals
Doug Katsaros – Keyboard, Piano, Backing Bocals
Clay Aiken – Vocals (“Luck Be A Lady Tonight”)
Cyndi Lauper – Vocals (“Big Spender”)
Bebe Neuwirth – Vocals (“Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)”)
Patti Lupone – Vocals (“Tonight/Somewhere”)
Jesse Blaze Snider – Vocals (“The Joint Is Jumpin'”)

Producer: Dee Snider, Bob Kulick & Brett Chassen

So the lead singer of Twisted Sister and writer/director of the horror movie Strangeland wants to do a rocked-out Broadway album? It actually doesn’t sound so out of place. Dee takes chances (A Twisted Christmas and the Halloween of equivalent of Trans-Siberian Orchestra– Van Helsing’s Curse) and it seems to work more often than not and Dee Does Broadway works. I could also see Alice Cooper doing something like that and making it work as well.

After all, Dee has always had a flair for the theatrics. That’s exactly what Twisted Sister was built upon. And it’s not like these Broadway numbers are played straight. They are given a heavy metal makeover and it all works incredibly well. “Whatever Lola Wants” sounds downright sinister with a heavy metal sheen added to it.

Snider’s voice still holds up too and he’s not doing some cheap lounge lizard act here. Definitely one of the best rock/metal vocalists of all-time. Much like Kevin DuBrow, I’ve always felt his voice was bigger & better than the band he’s famous for.

Dee’s duet with Cyndi Lauper on “Big Spender” is my favorite track here but there’s plenty of other worthy tracks. One of the most pleasantly surprising tracks of Dee’s duet with Clay Aiken on “Luck Be A Lady Tonight”. You figure if any song is gonna play it safe and traditional, it’ll be the Clay Aiken song. And it starts out that way. Then it turns into a blistering heavy metal track with Dee Snider sounding absolutely venomous and sharing some heavy metal screaming with Clay (who actually does a decent job!).

Dee Does Broadway is a really fun album that finds a middle ground between metal and musicals. Worth seeking out if that sounds like your type of thing.

Highlights: “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”, “Big Spender”, “Mack the Knife”, “Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)”, “Luck Be A Lady Tonight”, “Tonight/Somewhere”

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