lambchops's Full Review: A Twisted Christmas by Twisted Sister
Heavy metal and rock and roll fans have their fare share of options when it comes to holiday music. There is of course Trans-Siberian Orchestra who is a perennial favorite of the rather limited genre. Now, as of this season, there is Dee Snider’s own Twisted Sister. It’s been a while since I heard anything from the creators of We’re Not Gonna Take It so a Christmas album is as good a place to start as any.
So what’s been up with the band since their success in the 1980s. The biggest news is that Snider is still around and still rockin’. He’s made a decent horror flick called Strangeland and he hosts a weekly syndicated radio retro metal show aptly called House of Hair. You gotta love a guy who completely embraces his cheesy side—and still does things that are (at least in some communities) still relevant.
A Twisted Christmas was recorded in mid 2006. It collects ten classic holiday carols and reinterprets them using the requisite electric instruments and Snider’s distinctive voice. The joke’s on the listener as a strangely “traditional” version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas makes an appearance complete with brass horns. For a moment you’ll think maybe Twisted Sister isn’t so, uh, twisted any longer. Of course the song soon makes a break for more familiar territory. One thing that is striking about the arrangements is that they are essentially unchanged. That’s right—they sound like you’d expect if you mashed together a novel 1980s metal act and Christmas tunes.
One notable exception to the rule is that Oh Come All Ye Faithful has been changed. The words are the same but it is set alongside the music to the band’s hit We’re Not Gonna Take It. One would think this is another bid for media glory, but the fact is that the words actually fit the music very nicely. It somehow seems natural. I actually like the song a good deal. Snider sings with reverence for the holiday. It seems I went into this album expecting the worst but ended up actually liking what is here. It’s no White Christmas or Charlie Brown Christmas but I don’t think anybody who buys A Twisted Christmas up wants it to be.
White Christmas is nicely reinterpreted, though because of my own personal love for the original I have a somewhat prejudiced view of the recording. I really don’t like the performance here. Fortunately Twisted Sister (and for that matter Snider) improves with I’ll Be Home for Christmas. They show great restraint. Snider shows he can sing wonderfully—especially when he’s paired with Lita Ford’s impressive pipes. That woman can sing. This is definitely a standout track. Silver Bells is almost entirely unidentifiable until the vocals start in. When Snider makes his appearance I realize I actually enjoy it a great deal. There is even a “choir” to echo his words at the appropriate places in the song.
Kitsch happens when humorous holiday song I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus meets Twisted Sister. I can’t say I like the original so the fact it is redone here is actually a little refreshing. Not outstanding, but interesting (of course). What I do love however is Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow which unlike other songs here immediately recognizable. I love this fact. Yeah there are dense electric guitars, guttural men changing the chorus, and heavy drums but there are also still “sleigh bells” and the chipper lyrics. It works nicely. I’m similarly impressed by Deck the Halls and The Christmas Song (a.k.a. Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire).
The real treasure on A Twisted Christmas is undoubtedly the final song--Heavy Metal Christmas. You may know the song better as The Twelve Days of Christmas but Twisted Sister has a treat in store. The lyrics have been changed to reflect the audience. The melody is the same (or as much the same as it can be) but the material is definitely different. In fact it is hilarious—this one will get play on rock radio. How can it not? I mean check out the twelve things given by “my true love”:
12 Silver Crosses
11 Black Mascaras
10 Pairs of Platforms
9 Tattered T-Shirts
8 Pentagrams
7 Leather Jackets
6 Cans of Hairspray
5 Skull Earrings
4 Quarts of Jack
3 Studded Belts
2 Pairs of Spandex Pants
…and a Tattoo of Ozzy!
If that doesn’t put a cockeyed grin on your favorite rocker’s face I don’t know what will. It isn’t going to appeal to all listeners but if you’re looking for something fun, familiar, but not particularly traditional A Twisted Christmas might work nicely. Interesting, fun, and not at all usual holiday fare.
Rating: 4/5 stars
01. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
02. Oh Come All Ye Faithful
03. White Christmas
04. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
05. Silver Bells
06. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
07. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
08. Deck the Halls
09. The Christmas Song
10. Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas)
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