Artist:  TwIsted Sister
   Title: A Twisted Christmas
   Label: Demolition Records

When Dee Snider said if you asked me if I'd ever record a Christmas album twenty years ago, I would have punched you at the 2007 Metal Hammer Awards, who would have thought that Twisted Christmas the album and now the DVD, would be hitting the shelves, but this isn’t the Nightmare Before Christmas this is reality.

Recorded live at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey this is not just a mix of the bands greatest hits, but also a chance for the band to put their own spin on some Christmas classics.

Seeing Dee Snider in a Santa suit could be quite disturbing, but things get underway with just that as the band get things going with that Christmas classic ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ and with a 'Ho Ho Ho Let's Go', it's full steam ahead.

It's on with the classic Sister with ‘Shoot Em Down’ before it's back to the Christmas cheer with a quite stomping version of ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’, which will even melt even the hardest of Bah Humbug hearts, mine included.

Returning to the real Twisted Sister we have ‘The Fire Still Burns’ and ‘You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll’, before a track that would have had Bing Crosby spinning in his grave as the boys really go to town on ‘White Christmas’.  

It's good time rock n' roll all the way with ‘The Price’, then the band simply rip apart ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful’, the song never sounded this good at choir practice on Sunday ... and I dare say the crowd never raised the horns as they sang along!

Then Dee points out that Charlottes Web isn’t the place for ‘Were Not Gonna Take It’, before they get a little serious and dedicate the next one to all the servicemen who will be apart from their families at this time of year.  With this the crowd raise their lighters for ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’, then it’s the dark tones of the monster that is ‘Burn In Hell’ complete with a storming drum solo tinsel and all from A J Pero.

If the thought of AJ with tinsel is scary, imagine Animal with silver bells, then bring on ‘Silver Bells’, after that it could be only one thing ‘I Wanna Sock’ oops 'Rock’ with a little sing-along big ending.

As the band leave the stage you know there’s more, not just because I’m looking at the cover but because they haven’t played ‘Heavy Metal Christmas’, so guess what’s next yes ‘Heavy Metal Christmas’, complete with 4 quarts of Jack, 5 skull head rings and a Tattoo of Ozzy! 

No release would be complete without the hell-raising finale of ‘Were Not Gonna Take It’, which ends what is truly a 'Heavy Metal Christmas'.  But what Twisted Sister show.

But that’s not the end as the DVD has a few bonus’s included, firstly the video’s for ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful’, both the band version and the animated versions.  A studio version of ‘Heavy Metal Christmas’ plus a quick insight into the new album by Dee and JJ plus the Mendoza choir.

All in all a great Christmas DVD for the Hard Rocker in the Family.

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