Dee Snider: For the Love of Metal (review by MMB)

Dee Snider's For the Love of Metal is preaching to the choir of die-hard fanatics of the Mr. Snider's work. In addition, those fans of the crew involved on this album (Joel Grind from thrashers Toxic Holocaust; Mark Morton from groove rockers Lamb of God; Jamey Jasta from the thug/core band Hatebreed) should be interested, too. This is Dee doing a modern hard rock album, like a cross between Nickelback, Hellyeah and groove metal. The guitars do play-on chords, chugging grooves, that U.S. radio hard rock sound with an uptempo groove to give it the current metal sound. This is not a retro Twisted Sister album, just in case anyone is expecting or wanting that. This is foul-mouth, mean, faux angry old-man tough-guy cursing, shouting and singing, it's right up there with the most recent angry old-man rock of Metallica. Basically, it's very American-sounding, that Mid-America Walmart hard rock that gives the fans what they want. You want hard, angry rock, you get it here.

The guitar work stays on task; it's simple, direct, and it does sound like side project, not like a band. This is not a band, of course. It's a side project by the world-famous multi-entertainer Dee Snider. In some places, like on the song "I'm Ready," the soloing does stand out, it's fun, it's melodic, but those moments are the exception, not the rule. By the way, do not expect melody in the guitar nor memorable riffs. Expect a sort of weekend-warrior type of jamming, providing the meat and potatoes for the singer to do his thing; and it's strictly meat-and-potatoes groove, heavy rock.

In summary, the album is forgettable. You hear it one time and you have heard everything that there is. The worst part is the so-so guitar work on the riffs and rhythm guitars. All the instrumentalists involved do not seem to have experience writing traditional heavy metal because their experience is elsewhere: punk rock, hardcore, groove rock, extreme garage rock, speed/thrash, thug rock, and styles like that, but not traditional heavy metal. The inexperience and/or the lack of commitment shows a lot and the result is a weak, mediocre album.