Search is a rock band in Malaysia.
It was founded in 1981 by Yazit (drums), Hillary Ang (guitar), Nasir
(bass guitar), and Zainal (guitar, vocals). The group went through many
line-up changes in its career, but the songs and music remained strong
and unique among Malaysian and Singaporean fans. To date, they have
released eleven studio albums, a number of live, compilation and joint
(with Wings)
albums. They have been regarded by Malaysian rock fans as the greatest
rock band in Malaysia with their numerous hits along with rock anthems.
Brian Phillip Welch (born June 19, 1970),[1] better known as Head, is an American musician best known as the former guitarist and co-founder of the nu metal band Korn.[2] "Along with fellow Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer,
Welch helped patent Korn's distinctive sound, a mix of sirenlike shards
of dissonant guitar that mimicked a turntablist's various effects and
rumbling down-tuned riffing that defined the nu metal aesthetic
beginning in the mid-'90s."[2] After becoming a Christian,
Welch left the band in 2005 to focus on life as a father and to pursue
his own solo career. He released his debut Christian album, Save Me from Myself, in 2008.
Head and Munky are ranked at No. 26 of Guitar World's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.[3]
Biography
Early life (1970–1993)
Welch was raised in Bakersfield,
California. Welch claims that, early in his life he was different from
most kids and was therefore picked on in school. His one passion was
music and was a big Ozzy Osbourne
fan. Originally, Welch expressed interest in playing the drums but his
father pushed him towards the guitar so he would not have to haul a drum
kit around. He began playing the guitar at the age of 10. His first
guitar was a Peavey Mystic, which he referred to in his book Save Me from Myself as "maybe the most metal-looking guitar you have ever seen."[4]
Welch on how he got his nickname "Head", "Guys said my head looked
like it was too big for my body, and so they started calling me “Head.” I
guess it stuck”[4]
Korn (1993–2005)
Formation
Korn formed after the group L.A.P.D. folded, due to singer Richard Morrill's drug addiction. Musicians Reginald Arvizu, James Shaffer, and David Silveria
wanted to continue, and recruited Welch to play guitar in their new
band named Creep. In early 1993, the band took notice of vocalist Jonathan Davis
after seeing his band SexArt and attempted to recruit him. Davis
initially did not want to join the band, but after consulting a psychic
he changed his mind and auditioned. After Davis was recruited, the group
decided to rename themselves. "Jonathan had an immediate idea for a new
name. He suggested that we call the band "Korn," and we all liked it.
It sounded kinda creepy because it reminded us of that horror movie Children of the Corn".[5]
Starting with Korn's self-titled debut album, and with subsequent albums Life Is Peachy, Follow The Leader, Issues, Untouchables and Take A Look In The Mirror,
the band gradually became one of the top-selling hard rock groups,
scoring $25 million royalty payments and selling out arenas.[2]
In 1995, Welch's wife Rebekah gave birth to a child, but they decided
to give it up for adoption. When she got pregnant again, they decided to
keep the child. On July 6, 1998, Welch's wife Rebekah gave birth to
their second daughter, Jennea Marie Welch. The band was scheduled to be
on the UK version of Ozzfest,
but dropped out so that Welch could be by his wife's side. He and his
wife have since divorced and Welch has custody of their daughter. The
two reside in Arizona. Despite being divorced, Welch does keep in touch with his ex-wife.
By 2003, Welch had begun to sink further and further into a crippling speed habit. He'd prepare for tours by stashing as much methamphetamine as he could in vitamin capsules, deodorant containers, and his clothes.[2]
According to Welch, the band members also suffered personal battles
with addiction: "We were only sober for just a couple of hours a day in
Korn. Every day. And then when you come home and you've got to deal with
real life and your wife isn't having that, crap goes down."[2] Despite his dreams coming true, Welch did not enjoy the touring life with Korn.
"You travel, you get to another town, you play a show and you do it
again. You try to just be at peace but even a big, huge band like Korn,
playing in front of thousands of people, it can get lonely. You feel
like you're a trucker and you're traveling with a bunch of truckers. You
can't connect with people except for the ones that you're with because
the ones you party with after the show, you don't know them and then
you're gone," he continued. "When everyone's drunk, you're like
'Alright. Later.'"[6]
Departure from Korn
On February 22, 2005, Korn's management announced that after almost
12 years, Welch had parted ways with the band, citing that he had
"...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end."[7][8][9][10] In a 2009 radio interview with The Full Armor of God Broadcast,[11]
Welch explained: "I was walking one day, just doing my Rock & Roll
thing making millions of bucks, you know success and everything,
addicted to drugs and then the next day I had Revelation of Christ and I
was like, everything changes right now!" On 10 March 2005, Welch was baptized in the Jordan River with a group of believers from his church in Bakersfield, California.[12][13]
He has declared that he has rid himself of all drugs in his "own
personal rehab" with God, in which he had checked into a hotel room and
sat in his bed for hours.
Welch and Davis have attacked each other in the media since the
former's departure. After Welch said that Davis and the rest of Korn
care only about money, Davis responded in kind, opening a rift between
them that has since been resolved. In an interview in which Welch was
asked about his book and Korn's reaction to the book and the attacks in
the media he made earlier at the band:
They heard that I'd written it, and there was rumors going around
in Hollywood that I was totally trashing them and that it was a "tell
all" book about everything they did and I did. And so they actually
wrote two songs on their new album bashing me about the book.But
once I heard that they were concerned about the book, I sent them a
copy and put a note in there and said, "I love you guys. I didn't trash
you like people say. Read it yourselves. It is what it is." And now
they're doing interviews, and I've read that they're totally cool with
the book, and it's not what they thought it was going to be. So
everyone's happy. But, now they've got two songs hating on me on their
record. But it's cool. It's all good. I love them, they love me. I think
maybe I deserved those songs because of some of the stuff that I said
after I quit the band. So it's all good.[14]
In July 2005, Welch appeared on CNN's feature-format program "People
in the News" where he admitted to having been addicted to alcohol, methamphetamine, Xanax, and sleeping pills[15]
before being introduced to the Christian faith. Following his
conversion to Christianity, Welch went to some of the more poverty
stricken areas of India to build orphanages or "Head Homes". He visited a tribe of head hunters who were apparently reduced to cannibalism because of a lack of food.[citation needed]
In a podcast with Headbanger's Blog, on May 30, 2008, Korn vocalist
Jonathan Davis expressed interest in playing with Welch on the band's
upcoming album, but stated that it isn't likely.[16] In late 2008 Welch, among other celebrities such as Josh Hamilton and Greg Ellis, appeared in testimonial videos called I Am Second in which he shares his story of recovering from drug use with the help of his faith in Jesus Christ.[17][18]
In September 2009, Korn guitarist Munky, in an interview with Altitude
TV, alleged that the band had denied a request by Welch to rejoin the
outfit. In the interview, Munky claimed:
Brian actually contacted us recently and wanted to come back to
the band. And it was not the right time... for us. We're doing well, and
it's kind of like... It's kind of like if you divorced your wife and
she went on and she stayed successful and her career flourished, and you
go back and [say], 'My gosh, she's still hot. Baby, can we get back
together?' 'Wait a minute... All the stuff's been divided, and it's
like...' I don't see it happening right now.[19]
Shortly after, Welch responded to the statement via his Myspace and official website, denying the claims:
I recently learned of an interview that Munky gave where he said
that I came to Korn and asked to be taken back in the band. That's
definitely not a complete and accurate picture. The full truth is that
for about a year... Korn's managers have been requesting my manager to
work on getting me back into Korn. The calls were initiated by Korn's
managers, not my manager. I shut the door on their requests many, many
times over the last several months. As far as Munky's comment that "everything has been divided already"
that is also not accurate. In fact, from January 2005 when I left, and
for the next 4 years, Korn failed to pay to me royalties that were due
me on records that I did with them. However, I don't believe this was
done intentionally. We are trying to be patient and work with their
management to get the financial issues resolved so that "everything can
be divided as we agreed long ago in our contracts.[20]
Brian said that it was not only having found Christ that influenced
his decision to leave the band. As a single father he did not want to
raise his daughter in an environment filled with drugs, sex, and
explicit language.
On June 17, 2011, Brian Welch had a private interview, shot by Carson
Bankord of Red Rocks Church in Denver, Colorado, in which he discusses
his conversion experience.[citation needed]
Solo career (2005–Present)
Save Me From Myself
As early as a week following his departure from Korn,[21]
Welch had claimed through press that a solo record was close to being
completed, although there was no release date given, nor had he yet
signed on with a label to distribute the record.[22]
A number of demos from these early sessions surfaced on peer-to-peer
networks, among them "A Cheap Name," a song directed at rapper 50 Cent. He also recorded several other songs including "Dream" and "A Letter to Dimebag," the latter being an instrumental tribute to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, guitarist for heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. In his autobiography,
Welch mentions the songs "Washed by Blood," "Save Me from Myself," and
"Rebel", which all have made the final track listing for the album.
Initially tight-lipped about the details, in an interview with MTV News
Welch was quick to clear a few things up. Primarily, he was concerned
that it was reported that his new songs wouldn't be "Christian music."[23]
During his stay in Israel with members of the Valley Bible Fellowship of Bakersfield, California,
Welch continued to write songs for his solo effort, confident that the
music would speak for itself. "I want to make music that will help
people. I want to use every dime of the money I make off the songs to
build skate parks for kids," he said. "My life now is about helping
kids."[23] Originally, Welch contacted Fieldy of Korn to produce the album, but Fieldy made no response.[24]
For the album, Welch contributed the majority of the instruments, but also hired other contributors, including rhythm guitarist Archie J. Muise Jr., bassist Tony Levin and drummer Josh Freese for assistance. The first single, "Flush," was released on July 5, 2008, at Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois and a music video directed by Frankie Nasso followed on September 5.[25]
Originally, Welch planned for the project to follow the "Head" name,
but was persuaded otherwise, so as not to be sued by the tennis
equipment manufacturer of the same name. Though the project has since
been dubbed "Brian Head Welch", the album art continues to carry the
imprint of the project's original title. The project's true title does
appear on the spines of the packaging.
Of the album, Welch said:
I knew it was going to be nothing near as big as Korn, but I was
proud of it. It's got some heavy riffs and it's got a lot more emotion
than I've ever put in music. I'm an emotional guy (and) it was cool to
be able to put it in there. It was cool how people were surprised by it.
A lot of people thought I was gonna come out with some 'Kumbaya,' Jesus
music.[26]
For his live touring band, Welch held auditions, at first closed,
then open to the general public to recruit members. Members posted
videos online of them performing Welch's solo songs and the list was
narrowed down to a select few who did a personal audition with Welch.
Eventually, the lineup was finalised to include Brian Ruedy (Keyboards),
Scott "SVH" Von Heldt (guitar & backing vocals), Ralph Patlan
(guitar), Michael "Valentine" (bass), and Dan Johnson (drums).
Head contributed to "A Song for Chi" along with many other artists including ex Korn bandmates Fieldy & Munky. The instrumental track is to benefit Deftones bassist Chi Cheng
who was in a coma and is now in a semi-conscious state recovering. All
the profits will benefit the "One Love For Chi" foundation. This was the
first time Head was involved with any of his former bandmates since
leaving the band.
Head has often described his solo project as being received very
differently from Korn. Despite his fame with Korn, he has compared his
solo project to 'starting over:' "It's a struggle, because one show I'll
have a thousand people there, and the next show there'll be a hundred.
When the hundred is there, I'm like, 'There's one or two people who
really need us to be here,' and it should be focused on them and I
shouldn't care if there's a big crowd or not, but I struggle with it. I
was in Korn and we sold like 25 million albums, and I can't even fill
this little bar up? Of all those fans, 300–400 people can't just show up
here? It's like starting over, totally."[2]
Save Me From Myself peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200 while also peaking at 13 and 21 on the Hard Rock and Rock charts respectively.[30]
The Whosoevers
In 2008, Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. and Ryan Ries, son of Pastor Raul Ries of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf created a ministry with Welch and freestyle motocross aerialist Ronnie Faisst. Taking the name "The Whosoevers" (from John 3:16), the ministry "seek[s] to impact those whose pain has previously driven them to addictive or self-destructive behaviors."[31]
Second album
According to an interview with the Great Falls Tribune, the band returned to the studio to begin work on their second album.[26] Concerning his career at the time, Welch said that
"I feel like I was created to do what I'm doing right now. Everything
I learned in my life before I changed it all over, it set me up for
what I'm doing now. That's the satisfaction. That's the peace in
knowing, without a doubt, that you're on the road you're supposed to be
on. There's nothing more content than that."[26]
In November 2009, Head announced that his second effort would be produced by Grammy-nominee Rob Graves (Red, Pillar) and that the band was recording in Nashville, expecting to complete the record by February 2010.[32]
Of recording with Graves, Welch stated that "the production on our new
record is going awesome with Rob Graves. Our goal is to get the record
completely mixed and mastered by the first part of February, and
released immediately thereafter. My band is together, helping with the
recording, and we will be ready for a full U.S. tour beginning early
next year."[32]
Welch also signed an international representational deal with William
Morris Endeavor Entertainment. On signing the deal with WMEE, Welch said
that "I'm really excited about my deal with William Morris Endeavor,
and I’m honored to be on the roster of one of the largest and most
storied agencies in existence. I would like to publicly thank Ember
Rigsby Tanksley and her entire team at WMEE for their belief in what I
am trying to do. I feel like this is the final piece in the puzzle that
we have been working on to take us to the next level."[32]
In addition, Welch signed with Union Entertainment Group, Inc., for
management in early 2010. This move to the major management company
placed Welch alongside an already outstanding roster of artists, with
notables such as Nickelback, Hinder, Red, Candlebox, and more. See ueginc.com for details and roster.
According to Welch in April 2010, the band has finished a demo of the
record, but have yet to re-enter the studio to complete the recording
process as they are on tour in the United States.[33][dead link] The band has been playing a number of new songs live from the forthcoming record including the following songs:
Runaway
Bury Me, Resurrected
Take This From Me
Torment
The CD is expected to be released before December 2011.[34]
On March 25, 2011, Head started a North American tour with Decyfer Down, The Letter Black and The Wedding.[35]
Welch's booking agent, William Morris Entertainment, confirmed that a
European tour is currently being arranged, with the band receiving
numerous requests for dates.
Upcoming EP
Welch and his band are currently in the studio with Jasen Rauch recording an EP. It is due out in 2012, and the lead single, "Paralyzed", will be released on October 4, 2011.[36]
The "making of" video for "Paralyzed" was posted on his Facebook fan
page, along with a streaming of the full "Paralyzed" track.[37]
Split with record label
On March 22, 2011, it was revealed that Welch was in a legal battle
with his own label, Driven Music Group, and former managers Greg
Shanaberger and Mark Nawara. According to Welch, Shanaberger structured
Head Touring, Welch's touring company under Driven Music, to give
himself and Nawara share of control and revenue. Shanaberger's
agreements required Welch to buy merchandise through Head Touring at an
inflated price which was far above industry standards, "for which
Shanaberger and Nawara reaped the benefits," claims Welch. Welch also
claims that Shanaberger attempted to hide "his fraudulent, unethical and
illegal behavior"[38] by listing his then fiancee as a shareholder.[38]
Welch claims that the agreements were "predatory, unconscionable, and
constitutes self-dealing" and that they were written with the intention
to "rob Welch of his master recordings, which were worth upwards of
$600,000."[38] Welch is seeking punitive damages, the appointment of a receiver, the dissolution of Driven Music Group, and costs.[38]
Band Members
Brian "Head" Welch – guitars, lead vocals (2005–Present)
Michael "Valentine" – bass (2009–Present)
Dan Johnson – drums (2009–Present)
J.R. Bareis – guitar (2011–Present)
Former
Ralph Patlan – guitar (2009–2011)
Brian Ruedy – keyboards (2009–2010)
Scott "SVH" Von Heldt – guitar, backing vocals (2009–2011)
Musical equipment
Welch's first ever guitar was a Peavey Mystic,
which he later sold along with a practice amp to future bandmate James
"Munky" Shaffer. Throughout his career with Korn, Welch almost
exclusively played Ibanez guitars, most of which were assembled at the
Ibanez LA Custom Shop.
During his later days with Korn, Welch and Munky played their own signature guitar, the Ibanez K7.[39][40] Since leaving Korn, Welch mostly uses custom-built baritone guitars from Ibanez.[41]
Welch's pedalboard
has grown considerably from his early days with Korn. He considers
experimenting and trying out new pedals to be one his favorite things to
do when working in a studio.[42]
Lujuria (which means lust) plays heavy/ power metal. Think of a less
cheesy Hammerfall and replace that with hard rocking 80's attitude with
lot's of songs about sex, and just living a rock star life...their name
fits perfectly with their songwriting and attitude.
Sexto Sonar was born at the end of 2004 in Maracay (Aragua State,
Venezuela), framed within the progressive and experimental rock, but
with the strength, feeling and the aggression of heavy
metal. Today
the band is: JOAD MANUEL JIMÉNEZ (VOCALS) SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ (Guitars),
HECTOR RIVAS (BASS), YEFFRY MARVAL (keyboards).
In July 2008,
SEXTO SONAR enter in to the ”Saeztudio” a recording studio in the city
of Caracas (owned by famous drummer Eduardo Sáez), to make their debut
album called “ENFRENTANDO LA REALIDAD” ("Facing Reality.")
The
album has 7 tracks and almost 60 minutes of music, it was catalogued by
the critics even before his arrival on the market as an unprecedented
work in the history of metal in Venezuela, along with a strong
promotional campaign which included the singles "VISIONES" and "SOLEDAD
OCULTA", a promotional trailer and a documentary video (rockumentary) of
20 minutes long (produced by Carlos Ruiz de Iluxion Productions). The
impact on national and international level was amazing and the band
becomes a mandatory reference for the Rock movement in Venezuela.
“ENFRENTANDO
LA REALIDAD” was officially launched at the festival "METAL EN LA
OPERA" in June 2009, at the Teatro de la Opera of Maracay (a legendary
theater from Aragua State), this event redefined the concept of
festivals and metal concerts in Venezuela with a full house, sold out
two hours before starting the event and 300 people without access to the
site due to lack of tickets.
After that show and due to the
performance of the band,, SEXTO SONAR established like one of the most
important Rock bands in Venezuela, beginning a national tour called
“ENFRENTANDO EL TOUR” ("FACING THE TOUR"), which was supported by
launching the first official video of the quintet, the theme chosen was
"Visions" (produced again by Carlos "El Senor" Ruiz de Iluxion
Productions), achieving the record of more than 1000 visits (on youtube.com) in less than 72 hours for a video of a rock band in Venezuela.
"ENFRENTANDO
EL TOUR 2009" took SEXTO SONAR to perform 3 shows in the neighboring
country of Colombia in the cities of Bucaramanga and Medellín, finally
closing the festival "Atolon FEST" in his hometown of Maracay.
The
2010 brings the end of a cycle of great professional pride SEXTO SONAR
with the release of a video called "OLVIDANDO EL AYER" , like a tribute
to their families, friends, and fans, and begins a renovation process,
on musical and image level.
These days, SEXTO SONAR is in pre
production of their third video titled "LUCES Y ESPADAS" (a song against
bullfighting) and a DVD recorded completely live during his performance
in the METAL EN LA OPERA 2009, all in conjunction with the planning of a
new national 2010 tour , taking the best and strongest progressive
metal to every corner of Venezuela and the world.
Leviticus was a Christian metal band from Sweden. The band formed in 1981 and was led by Bjorn Stigsson. They released four albums before breaking up in 1990.
Background
The band's early releases were metal with symphonic influenses using the Roland synthesizer guitar and Moog Taurus pedals.[1][2]Knights of Heaven showed a move toward a more melodic rock based sound.[3]
In 1986 the band went through lineup changes: Ez Gomér was brought in to replace Håkan Andersson on bass, and Terry Haw joined.[4] Both were with the band through Setting Fire to the Earth (1987),[5] then left to form Jet Circus.[4] With this lineup they toured extensively in Europe throughout 1986-87.
In early '88 they toured again in Sweden and in April they returned to England. Their first United States tour was in August 1988, when they opened for Larry Norman and played as his backup band.[3] In fall of that year they toured for two months throughout Europe.[6] together with Bloodgood and concluded the year playing the Ennepetal Christmas Rock Night festival in Germany for the second time.
In 1989 they did touring again in Australia[citation needed] and completed two tours in the USSR.[7] The same year they recorded Knights of Heaven in Los Angeles, produced by John Elefante.
Before breaking up in the latter part on 1990 they again toured in the United States and Canada.
The band re-formed in March 2003 to play at the final Bobfest.[8] The show was recorded by Sveriges Radio
and released to CD. The final Leviticus show was held in Hjo Sweden
June 2003 a festival gig together with Swedish metal giants In Flames.
Side projects
Gomer and Haw joined with drummer Little George to form Jet Circus in 1988.[9] Jet Circus's first album, Step On It (1991), had a proto-rapcore sound.[3] It was distributed in Europe by Pila Records, and introduced to the United States by Doug Van Pelt, Editor of HM Magazine.[4] Despite quality issues due to its mastering[4] Van Pelt dubbed it "the most creative release in Christian metal in 1990."[10] After a long hiatus the band released No Mercy For The Living Dead in 2003. Ez also released a solo album - which became a Jet Circus album, when Terry left the band - entitled Look At Death Now in 2005. This album features artists including Mikkey Dee of Motörhead, Stefan Elmgren of HammerFall, and The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.[8] They have since released a remix album entitled Dance or Die.
Following the end of Leviticus, Stigsson formed XT with Sonny Larson. XT released three albums.[11] Stigsson also released a solo project in 1987 entitled Together With Friends.[3][6]
Members
Björn Stigsson - guitars keyboards 1981-1990
Kjell Andersson - drums 1981-1990
Håkan Andersson - bass (-1986,1987–1988), lead vocals (1981–1986)
Twisted Sister is an Americanrock band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands. The band is generally categorized as glam metal for their earlier work, although the band does not consider themselves to be so.[1][2]
Although the band was formed by guitarist Jay Jay French in December 1972, all of their songs were written by Dee Snider from 1976 onward. Snider remarked to Johnny Carson that the proposed name for the band was "This" but was rejected for fear of fans saying "This sucks". He describes Twisted Sister as "Slade meets Sex Pistols". Twisted Sister's most well-known hits include "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both popularized in the USA by regular airplay on MTV in the 1980s. Many of the band's songs explore themes of parent vs. child conflicts and criticisms of the educational system.
History of Twisted Sister
Pre-Dee period (1972–1976)
Twisted Sister was formed in December 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French under the name Silverstar. In February 1973 Silverstar changed its name to Twisted Sister. In 1975, Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, a former high school friend of French, joined as co-lead singer and second guitarist. He had previously recorded with a New York City band called SPV. Kevin John Grace replaced Mel "Starr" Anderson on drums. Bass guitarist Kenny Neill (Kenneth Harrisson-Neill) completed the lineup. The band followed a glam rock direction, influenced by David Bowie, Slade, Mott the Hoople, Humble Pie, and New York Dolls. It played at local clubs without much success until 1976.
Club days (1976–1982)
In early 1976, Snider joined the band as lead vocalist and principal songwriter. After replacing drummer Grace with Tony Petri, the group took a heavier musical direction, influenced by Motörhead, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper, but without abandoning its glam image.
Although glam was out of fashion in those days, Snider's phenomenal abilities as frontman propelled the band to considerable local success. It broke attendance records at large halls in the Tri-State Region and its growing fan base began to take the name "S.M.F.F.O.T.S.", for Sick Motherfucking Friends Of Twisted Sister, later shortened to "S.M.F." for "Sick Mother Fuckers." In March 1979, the British music magazine, NME reported that Twisted Sister had sold out the 3,000 capacity New YorkPalladium for a March 16 show without a recording contract or radio airplay.[3] The Palladium concert program[4] included a sticker[5] which was stapled to the inside cover, and the band ran an ad[6] in Billboard following the show. Tickets[7] to the concert were $3.50. No record label was interested in signing the band, so in 1979 it released the single "I'll Never Grow Up Now" / "Under the Blade" on their own label, Twisted Sister Records, followed in 1980 by "Bad Boys (Of Rock & Roll)" / "Lady's Boy". Eddie Kramer produced both singles.[8] The singles were distributed through independent record stores such as the old Zig Zag Records in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, NY.
In this period, the group's membership changed. On October 31, 1978, Neill left the band, the band's roadie and friend, Mark "The Animal" Mendoza, formerly bassist for The Dictators, replaced him. In December 1980, Petri also left for the Plasmatics[9] and was replaced briefly by Ritchie Teeter. Teeter, also formerly of The Dictators, was replaced in that band by Mel Anderson. In April 1981, Teeter was replaced by "Fast" Joey Brighton, who was in turn replaced by A.J. Pero from Cities, another unsigned band with local fame.[10]
This lineup (Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A.J. Pero) recorded four studio albums and performed numerous live shows around the world.
Upon the suggestion of two reporters from Sounds and Kerrang! magazines, Twisted Sister left New York to find a label in the UK. There, in April 1982, it was finally signed by Secret Records, a small British label that was mainly a punk outlet.
Pre-MTV period (1982–1984)
In June 1982, the group released its first EP, Ruff Cuts, on the Secret Records label. This was followed shortly by their first studio album, Under the Blade, produced by Pete Way of UFO. Despite rather low production quality, the album was an underground hit in the UK, providing the band with sufficient name recognition to open for such metal acts as Motörhead. The album had an overall raw metal sound and included "Tear It Loose", a very fast speed-metal song featuring a guitar solo by "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead. Another single, the future hit "We're Not Gonna Take It", was planned for release, but Secret Records went out of business before Snider was able to complete the lyrics. "We're Not Gonna Take It" later became one of its top singles.
Around this time, Twisted Sister updated its feminized image with a more grotesque look that distinguished them from other glam metal bands of the era. The group was now regarded more as a weird-looking heavy metal band because its look and music, although still reminiscent of pop/glam styles, were growing closer to heavy metal's leather and chains image.
After an appearance on the music TV program The Tube, Atlantic Records approached the band and signed them. Atlantic was one of the labels that had turned Twisted Sister down in the Club Days period. Their first LP under Atlantic, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll, produced by Stuart Epps, was released in 1983 and included the UK #19 hit "I Am (I'm Me)". From a production standpoint, the album sounded better than its predecessor, and it was every bit as heavy. Upon the success of the album the company decided to promote the band more heavily. A music video was made for the title track of You Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll, which was to become the first of a series of comedic videos that popularized the band.
MTV videos (1984–1985)
International fame came for Twisted Sister when the band's third LP, Stay Hungry, hit the stores on May 10, 1984. The album was a little more commercial-sounding than the first two, owing to Tom Werman's production, but it still included heavy songs such as the title track and "Burn in Hell". During a successful tour, a young Metallica supported the band. Stay Hungry sold more than two million copies by the summer of 1985, and went on to sell more than three million in subsequent years. It remains the band's biggest success.
Dee Snider testifies before the US Senate, 1985
Testimony continued
Videos of hit singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" (a #21 hit in the US) and "I Wanna Rock" (US #68) ran almost constantly on MTV. Their pervasive slapstick comedy proved a change of pace for the genre and gave the band a distinctive appeal. The acclaimed surreal comedy filmPee-wee's Big Adventure took this further with the band having an appearance making a fictional video for "Burn In Hell" on the Warner Bros. backlot only to be interrupted by Pee-wee Herman passing through. Despite being comedic in nature, the videos featured violence against parents and teachers, which placed the band under heavy criticism by conservative organizations. They were singled out by the PMRC in 1985. Twisted Sister songs "Under the Blade" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" were specifically mentioned in the associated Senate hearings. Snider was one of the few musicians to testify before a Senate committee in these hearings on September 19, 1985. (He was addressed formally by the committee counsel as "Mr. Sister".)[11]
In May that year Ojeda took part, on behalf of the band, in the recordings for the Hear 'n Aid project, "Stars", although the single was not released until the following year.[12]
Decline and fall (1985–1987)
On November 9, 1985, the band released its fourth studio album, Come Out and Play, produced by Dieter Dierks. It was not nearly as successful as its predecessor, although it did earn the band a gold album for sales of 500,000 copies. Some speculate that the failure was partly due to MTV banning the video for "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" on the grounds that it was graphically offensive. The song featured such guests as Alice Cooper (who also stars in the video), Brian Setzer, Clarence Clemons and Billy Joel. The tour supporting the album was a near fiasco, with low attendance and many cancelled dates. Not even Atlantic's re-release of a remixed Under the Blade helped the band recover its popularity. Come Out and Play was one of the first CDs to go out of print.
After the tour, Pero left to rejoin Cities. He was replaced by ex-Good Rats drummer Joey "Seven" Franco. The nickname "Seven" comes from his being the band's seventh drummer.
In 1987, Snider embarked on a solo project, reportedly approaching future Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers, but this did not work out. He then recorded an album with Franco programming the drum machine and featuring several session musicians such as Reb Beach on guitar and Kip Winger (just before they formed Winger) and Steve Whiteman of Kix. Atlantic Records refused to release it unless it was labeled as a Twisted Sister album. So, on August 13, 1987 Love Is for Suckers made its debut. Although the band had not played in the recording sessions, it was mentioned on the album cover as if they had, and they did play some of the songs in subsequent shows. Beau Hill's production gave the album a very polished pop metal sound. The band's members had also removed the makeup that they had been wearing since their early days. Commercially, the album was a complete failure and many of their metal fans were disappointed with the pop sound.[citation needed]
On October 12, 1987, almost two months after the release of Love Is For Suckers, Snider left the band, the record label cancelled its contract, and Twisted Sister disbanded. The public announcement of the band's demise came in January 1988.[13]
Separation period (1987–1997)
After the band's break-up, former members were involved in different projects:
Snider formed Desperado, Widowmaker, and SMFs. He also wrote and starred in the movie Strangeland. A sequel, Strangeland 2, is planned.[citation needed]
Ojeda went on to join Scarecrow and then formed Prisoners of War. Both projects were unsuccessful. He also worked as a session guitarist and guitar instructor.
French stopped performing except for some guest appearances. He formed French Management and produced the alternative metal band Sevendust's first self-titled album.
Mendoza briefly joined Blackfoot. Then he worked as a producer and manager. He also occasionally pursued solo projects.
Pero was involved in several projects and subsequently toured with Snider's SMFs.
Franco worked as a session drummer and played with Snider's Widowmaker.
In 1992, Atlantic Records, released a "best of" album Big Hits and Nasty Cuts that also featured some live performances from the Under The Blade period. This album was compiled by French. A live album from the Stay Hungry era named Live At Hammersmith was released in 1994 by CMC International.
In 1998, the band recorded a song for the soundtrack of Snider's movie Strangeland.
In 1999, Spitfire Records re-issued the group's back catalog, supplemented with previously unreleased tracks. This was followed by Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions, an album containing demo recordings from the pre-Under the Blade era, which has three songs that were written by French, this was the first time someone other than Snider was writing songs, and Club Daze Volume 2: Live In The Bars, a live counterpart.
In November 2001, the reunited Twisted Sister joined fellow New York metal artists Anthrax, Overkill, Sebastian Bach, and Ace Frehley to headline a benefit concert for NYPD and FDNY Widows and Orphans Fund in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. New York Steel raised over $100,000 for the charity, and the reaction to the first Twisted Sister set in 14 years was overwhelming. The demand for more live dates was immediate, and the band took the first steps toward returning to the concert stage.
In 2002, a remastered "best of" compilation named Essentials was released. Fans generally consider this to be a better compilation than the one previously issued by Atlantic.
2002 also saw the featuring of "I Wanna Rock" as one of the gameplay radio songs on the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The song features in the playlist of the fictional radio station "V Rock".
Twisted Sister, this time including Mark Mendoza, reunited again for the Sweden Rock Festival in June 2003. They also appeared in August of that same year at the Wacken Open Air festival. Footage from that show was filmed for a DVD release, which featured former Violent Apathy and Spite member, Tom Fuller.
In March 2004, they entered the studio to completely re-record their Stay Hungry album for Demolition Records. They reported that they were not happy with the original album's production, so this time they produced it themselves. The re-recording was released under the name Still Hungry and contained seven bonus tracks.
In July 2005, the group played a free concert in Edmonton for the Klondike Days festival. In late 2005, Snider appeared on Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden, performing vocals for the Iron Maiden classic "Wasted Years". Snider was joined by his contemporaries and peers George Lynch, formerly of Dokken, and Bob Kulick. Also in 2005, the band released the 2003 Wacken show on CD and DVD simply titled Live At Wacken. It also went on tour with Alice Cooper, acting as the support band but delivering a set similar to a headliner's.
In 2006, Snider and French worked with Lordi to produce and play on a few tracks on their new album The Arockalypse. Snider was featured on the first track, "SCG3 Special Report", as the voice of Lordi warning of the upcoming Arockalypse. French guest starred on the song "Chainsaw Buffet". In June 2006, the band announced that they had signed with the American record label Razor and Tie to release a final CD, of heavy metal Christmas music called A Twisted Christmas. The CD was released on October 17, 2006, and was a commercial success. On July 8, 2006, Twisted Sister played in front of 80,000 people in Quebec City, Canada. The show also featured Scorpions as the headliner. It also played a small concert at the Wolverhampton Civic Center.
The group is still together and occasionally makes small tours around the world, in full makeup. Before each of these mini-tours, it performs as Bent Brother, practising its set and appearing without makeup, usually at reduced ticket prices.
Twisted Sister was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006. On December 13, 2006, Twisted Sister made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The group performed their rock version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" which is arranged in the style of "We're Not Gonna Take It". On December 22, 2006, Twisted Sister appeared on CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, performing its rock version of "O Come All Ye Faithful". On an episode of Snider's syndicated radio program "The House of Hair", he stated that due to the success of the Christmas album, and also due to the response to the tour promoting the album, that Twisted Sister might not retire, and the band's future was being discussed.
On July 15, 2007, Twisted Sister performed at glam metal festival Rocklahoma.
Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" was featured in the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as a playable song (instead of being a cover like several songs featured in the game, it was the version from the 2004 remake of their classic album Stay Hungry, titled Still Hungry).
In 2008, Snider appeared on the CMT television show Gone Country. On February 25, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at "Aftermath - The Station Fire 5 years later" in Providence, Rhode Island. On May 10, 2008, Twisted Sister performed a free concert at the Bulgarian town Lovech. On July 13, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at Snatch Rock n Roll Lounge, in Calgary, Alberta. On September 1, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at the Rock The Bayou Festival in Houston, Texas.
On June 4, 2009, Twisted Sister performed 'Stay Hungry' in its entirety for the first time at the Sweden Rock Festival. This included never before played songs such as "Don't Let Me Down" and "Horror-Teria: Street Justice".
On July 16, 2009, in a interview on Live with Regis and Kelly, Snider said that 2009 was the last year that the band would perform with makeup and costumes.
