Legendary Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has announced his fifth studio album, Leave a Scar, arriving July 30th. He has also unveiled the video for the inspiring lead single, “I Gotta Rock (Again)”.
In 1984, Snider and Twisted Sister proudly declared “I Wanna Rock” in one of their best known songs. Nearly 40 years later, the message hasn’t changed, but there’s a bit more urgency to it. For Snider, it’s no longer a want but a need.
“‘I Gotta Rock (Again)’ is the starting gun for this album and the driving motivation behind me returning to the studio to record Leave a Scar,” Snider said in a press release. “At the end of 2019, I had felt my recording and live performing was over, but I didn’t announce it to the world. I mentally had decided I was done. But the state of things in 2020 had other plans for me. Between COVID and the political state around the globe, I found myself yearning (yes, I yearn) to get back in the studio. In the immortal words of Ice Cube, ‘I got somethin’ to say!’”
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The album was once again produced by Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta, and “I Gotta Rock” bears the producer’s stamp with modern groove riffage and thrashy rhythms. The speed and aggression lend to Snider’s passionate admissions of being a metal lifer.
The press release teased the album’s other tracks with such adjectives as “unrelenting” and “brutal”, so it sounds like the rest of the LP will be consistently heavy. Cannibal Corpse’s George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher even guests on a track (“Time to Choose”) in an unlikely marriage of ’80s hard rock and ’90s death metal — two scenes often considered at odds. It’s a testament to Snider’s ambassadorship for all of heavy metal.
“By the end of 2020, I knew I not only had to get back into the studio, but for the first time since the ’90s, I wanted — no, needed — to be a part of the writing process,” Snider said. “I reached out to my producer Jamey Jasta and told him I was ready to make another record. Leave a Scar is filled with messages to and for the silent voices in the world who need someone to speak out on their behalf. This is my purpose.”
Added Jasta on working with Snider again: “Getting to work with Dee again has been incredible! The power and range in his vocals on this album really shine. Not only is he an American treasure and staple in the rock/metal community, he’s a truly original voice and talent like no other. Combine that with the metallic prowess of the Bellmore bros [Charlie and Nick, guitar and drums, respecitvley], [basist] Russell Pzütto, and [guitarist] Nick Petrino, you get a rockin’ metal recipe that even the most ‘Dee-hard’ SMF’ers will surely love!”
You can pre-order Leave a Scar via Napalm Records or Amazon. Watch the video for “I Gotta Rock (Again)” and check out the LP’s artwork and tracklist below.
Leave a Scar Artwork:
Leave a Scar Tracklist:
01. I Gotta Rock (Again)
02. All Or Nothing More
03. Down But Never Out
04. Before I Go
05. Open Season
06. Silent Battles
07. Crying For Your Life
08. In For The Kill
09. Time To Choose
10. S.H.E.
11. The Reckoning
12. Stand
