Heavy metal band Twisted Sister formed in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and eventually relocated to Long Island, New York. Both “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock” are among their most well-known songs, and their accompanying music videos are legendary for their comical antics.
Silver Star was the precursor to the eventual lineup of Jay Jay French (guitar), Eddie “Fingers” Ojeda (guitar), Dee Snider (lead vocals), Mark “The Animal” Mendoza (bass), and A. J. Pero (drums) in 1982. This lineup is responsible for the band’s first four albums. Under the Blade (1982) and You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll (1983) were Twisted Sister’s first two studio albums, and they were both highly acclaimed and helped make the band famous in the underground. With the release of their third album Stay Hungry (1984) and the accompanying song “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” the band finally broke through to the public. Twisted Sister’s subsequent albums, 1985’s Come Out and Play and 1987’s Love Is for Suckers, failed to equal the success of Stay Hungry, and the band broke up in 1988.
The band reformed for a short time in the late ’90s, and then again in 2003 for good. Still Hungry (2004), a re-recording of their third album, and A Twisted Christmas (2005), a Christmas album, were the next two albums released by the band (2006). They went on one last tour following Pero’s passing in 2015, and then they all went their own ways in 2016.
Snider dislikes the label “glam metal,” which is commonly applied to Twisted Sister because of the band’s members’ penchant for wearing cosmetics.
According to VH1, Twisted Sister is the 73rd best hard rock band of all time.
