There is no denying Dee Snider’s status as a full blown metal legend. Besides being the iconic frontman for the larger than life Twisted Sister, he stood up to the United States senate and defended not just metal, but the very belief that this country was founded on: freedom of speech. Such an effort earned Snider the right to do essentially whatever the hell he wanted, and he’s pretty much done so, no matter how questionable. From reality TV and Christmas music, to a Broadway tribute and an attempt at modern rock, Snider has left no stone unturned. It only made sense for him to eventually return home to his heavy metal roots.
In 2018, Snider released For the Love of Metal. An unexpected surprise for both critics and fans alike, it was Snider’s first album of all original heavy metal in quite some time. It also proved that despite being well into his 60s, Snider could still hit it out of the ballpark vocally. Producer/Hatebreed founder Jamey Jasta and a slew of other modern metal musicians (Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage, Mark Morton of Lamb of God, Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, etc.) joined Snider in making an album substantially better than anything they’ve made with their own bands. For the Love of Metal brought Snider into the modern age without drastically deviating from his “SMF” ethos.
Snider’s latest album, Leave a Scar, isn’t so much an expansion upon For the Love of Metal, but an extension. It carries on the same traits explored on its predecessor, and does a rather proficient job doing so. The first half of the album is no frills heavy metal with low groovy riffs and thrashing speed. Despite these characteristics, I wouldn’t go as far to label this a groove or thrash album. Leave a Scar is a heavy metal affair. Snider’s signature vocals shine on “Down But Never Out” and “I Gotta Rock (Again)”, the latter having the potential to be WWE intro music.
As the album progresses, the focus shifts from groove laden riffage to classic melodies. These melodic cuts evoke vague shades of Twisted Sister, but remain grounded in the same modern metal formula as the album’s first half. Cuts like “Crying for Your Life” and “Silent Battles” (Snider’s strongest vocal performance in recent memory) provide balance and nuance. They can even be described as the calm before the storm that is “Time to Choose” and “The Reckoning”. A pair of hostile headbangers, these songs are pure mosh pit fuel, with “Time to Choose” seeing Snider duet with none other than George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Cannibal Corpse. Talk about an odd couple!
Although Leave a Scar isn’t as strong as For the Love of Metal, it succeeds in scratching that heavy metal itch. Snider can still deliver and then some. As long as he still has the ability to belt it out like this, it’d be a disservice if he didn’t continue to create new music. I couldn’t think of better words to close this review than the words of Snider himself: “You can’t stop rock n’ roll!”
6 out of 10
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Judas Priest, Accept, Metallica