Review: Twisted Sister Powers Through on A Twisted Xmas: Live in Las Vegas

By: William Clark

Are you a hair metal fan who’s tired of the traditional holiday tunes, and is looking for a more, well, twisted christmas music experience?

Well, then look no further than Twisted Sister’s new release, A Twisted X-Mas: Live In Las Vegas. This prestigious hard rock band were first powerfully possessed by the holiday spirit back in 2006, when they released A Twisted Christmas, which boasted heavy metal renditions of classic Christmas songs such as “Let It Snow” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”.

In this new release, Twisted Sister mans their striped axes, heavy metal distortion pedals, and Santa hats for a powerful set list which includes not only the band’s special renditions of Christmas tunes, but also some fine selections out of the band’s own catalogue.

The entire band is on fire during this performance, as they flawlessly power through such songs as “Have Yourself A Merry Christmas” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”, which to be honest, are almost enjoyably silly when performed with heavy distortion and snarling falsetto.

If you go for the DVD edition, this is an even more truer fact, because you’ll be able to delightfully see lead vocalist Dee Snider dressed up in full Santa outfit while singing the happy choruses of “White Christmas”, while backed by sinister guitar chords and thunderous drum kicks.

If the band isn’t rocking through holiday favorites, they’re pulling out such fan favorite tracks as “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll”, “Burn In Hell”, and “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. For any rock and roll fan looking for a unique and downright enjoyably twisted take on the cheerful tunes of the holiday, then this is an absolute must-have.

Overall, A Twisted X-Mas: Live In Las Vegas is a uniquely powerful live album which showcases vampy renditions of Christmas classics, as well as some of Twisted Sister’s biggest hits, which should make any fan giddy with holiday joy.

• Format: Audio CD / DVD
• Original Release Date: October 30th, 2012
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment

CD Track Listing:

1) Have Yourself A Merry Christmas

2) White Christmas

3) Shoot ‘Em Down

4) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

5) You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll

6) Deck The Halls

7) The Price

8) O Come All Ye Faithful

9) Burn In Hell

10) Silver Bells

11) I’ll Be Home For Christmas

12) I Wanna Rock

13) 12 Days Of Christmas

14) We’re Not Gonna Take It

DVD Track Listing:

1) Intro

2) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

3) White Christmas

4) Shoot ‘Em Down

5) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

6) You Can’t Stop Rock And Roll

7) Deck The Halls

8) The Price

9) Come All Ye Faithful

10) Burn In Hell

11) Drum Solo

12) Silver Bells

13) I’ll Be Home For Christmas

14) Satan Claus!

15) I Wanna Rock

16) 12 Days Of Christmas

17) We’re Not Gonna Take It