Album Reviews : Twisted Sister – Live at the Astoria

If you don’t know who Twisted Sister are, you must have been living on the moon for the past 35 years. Twisted Sister have been one of the strongest driving forces behind the glam rock/metal scene for well over three decades now.

Not only have the band put out some powerful and hard driven music, but also have been known to wear some rambunctious stage attire that also borders on the ridiculous.

Main frontman, Dee Snider was one of many to defend the metal scenes freedom of speech when politics decided to poke its ugly head into the heavy metal domain in the mid 80’s.

Twisted Sister have released their fourth live album to the metal masses, entitled ‘Live at the Astoria’. This live album comprises of a live CD/DVD package with well over an hour and half of classic Twisted Sister material, with footage from their 2004 British tour.

Even though Twisted Sister have released a mere 5 studio albums over their career thus far, including one very special Christmas album. Its no doubt that quality, not quantity is the name of Twisted Sister‘s game.

The live show comprises of an amazing setlist which spans the bands illustrious career, with tracks including “We’re Not Gonna Take It“, “SMF“, “You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll“, “I Wanna Rock“, “Destroyer” and many more.

Even though the band have had numerous changes over the years, with many resurrections due to the ups and downs of the late 20th century music scene, there is no denying that Twisted Sister are a first rate band with musicianship and showmanship at its highest caliber.

Many would question the bands physical stamina these days, with many of the members to be considered “out of shape”. All judgmental views aside, the band still know how to put on an amazing show. Performance wise, they do a great job on this new live DVD.

Dee Snider is energetic and revs the crowd with his outspoken words, while Eddie Ojeda and Jay Jay French strut their stuff on stage, whaling out some of the bands most recognizable riffs.

The quality of the video is pretty decent. There are certain moments throughout the performance when the quality of the video does get a little pixelated when the stage is over shadowed with darkness, but aside from that minor flaw, there is some good use of camera work and crowd shots.

There doesn’t seem to be any bonus material or extras on the DVD which is a little bit of a let down. Just a song selection option, and that’s it!

Audio wise, its good, but not great. Sometimes there are moments of a slight drop out, or it has a bit of a muddy effect to the bands performance. To me it sounds quite raw, like you’re actually at the show and its hard to hear the band due to inadequate mixing.

This raw effect however, gives the album a rare appeal which may take the fancy of many fans who grew up with Twisted Sister in the early club days. It is bearable, I’m only nit picking, so don’t think its their worst performance yet. Clearly though, when listening to the album compared to watching it on the DVD, there is a slight improvement in sound, but not much.

I quite enjoyed the DVD. There is a fantastic selection of songs which any hardcore Twisted Sister fan will find solace in.

If you’re new to the sounds of Twisted Sister and are hard pressed to select from the bands ridiculous amount of “best of” albums, this is a sure fire winner, as it not only carries Twisted Sister‘s best work, but also a fantastic performance. 7.5/10

Band: Twisted Sister
Album: Live at the Astoria
Year: 2008
Genre: Glam Rock/Metal
Label:DVE
Origin: New York, United States
www.myspace.com/twistedsister

Track listing:
1. What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)
2. The Kids Are Back
3. Under The Blade
4. Destroyer
5. Like A Knife In The Back
6. Burn In Hell
7. Ride To Live
8. Shoot ‘Em Down
9. You Can’t Stop Rock N’ Roll (Reviewers Choice)
10. The Fire Still Burns
11. We’re Not Gonna Take It
12. The Price
13. I Am, I’m Me
14. I Wanna Rock
15. Come Out & Play
16. S.M.F.