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Dee Snider: For The Love Of Metal
Dee Snider - For The Love Of Metal Music Review

Dee Snider: For The Love Of Metal

Modern Heavy Metal Rock
3.5/5.0

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Napalm Records
Released: 27.07.2018
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 18.07.2018

We all know Dee Snider: Twisted Sister vocalist, "We're Not Gonna Take It," outspoken sociopolitical commentator, and all around regular family guy. He returns with a new solo album, For The Love Of Metal. Sometimes you know what you're going to get before you listen to an album by merely looking at the production credits or contributing artists. The album was produced by Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta and features Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage), Mark Morton (Lamb Of God), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (Toxic Holocaust) and Charlie Bellmore (Kingdom Of Sorrow). With Jasta at the helm, this is largely a who's who list of modern heavy metal enthusiasts. Has Dee Snider succumbed to the dark side of heavy metal? Perhaps.

Dee Snider Photo Click For Larger Image

Dee Snider

Within For The Love Of Metal, the songs are characteristic of modern metal. They're filled with sharp abrasive riffs, intense thundering drums, sometimes a lack of guitar solos, often ferocious pacing, and then generally wrapped in d-tuned arrangements. As a voice, Snider joins the foray by adding clean and melodic vocals, yet with an acidic and assertive presentation. (The latter common to modern hard rock and metal.)

Yet several things also help to make the album accessible and therefore bearable. One is that most every song weaves in a hard rock groove which tempers the harsh heaviness. Also, Snider has the uncanny ability to rise above the hostile musical context to provide listening hooks. Mostly, it comes from tuning his vocals to the subtle melody and harmony of a tune, and so lift both up. But it also comes by him emphasizing lyrical hooks, especially in a refrain, to keep you connected.

All this merely proves that Dee Snider is a keen metal vocalist with the ability to adapt to his musical environment, regardless of whether you like that context. Snider himself has said, "Jamey Jasta challenged me to make a contemporary rock record ... and I rose to the challenge!" In this sense then, For The Love Of Metal is a personal and professional success for the long serving vocalist. Personally, I connected with very few songs here. Mostly, it was those songs that, while still modern metal harsh, bumped up the accessible rock groove, such as American Made, Roll Over You, and For The Love Of Metal. You may feel differently.




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The Bottom Line

For The Love Of Metal proves that Dee Snider is a keen metal vocalist with the ability to adapt to his musical environment, regardless of whether you like that context. In this sense then, For The Love Of Metal is a personal and professional success for the long serving vocalist.

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