The Classic Metal Album Reviews:
Title: Stay Hungry
Artist: Twisted Sister
Label: Atlantic Records
Release Date: 1984

Rating: 3 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Solomon:
    If I made a list of bands that could fall into the category of "Great Eighties Metal," Twisted Sister is a name that would lie somewhere near the bottom. Admittedly, I didn't spend too much time hanging out with the Sister, and they certainly left their mark, or paint smear, on the glam scene of that decade, but this is a band that is definitely hard to take seriously. Hell, they obviously didn't want to be taken too seriously, what with the name and rather half-assed make-up job. To their credit, though, it's this lack of refinement that makes Twisted Sister special: they just wanna rock. Sometimes rock can be (gasp!) fun, and it doesn't always have to be about saving the world, or bitching about your damn crummy life, or looking evil and living in Norway, or whatever.

    So what does Stay Hungry have to offer a crowd that looks to Reign In Blood as a blueprint for life? Well, not much, and I can't say this album is a real metal scorcher, either, but this is a piece of hard rock history that has to be experienced a few times to at least say you paid a visit. The music here is generally weak. I'm not particularly blown away by any of the guitar riffs or song arrangements. The production: crap. Didn't Tom Werman produce Shout At The Devil before this record? Devil was a dirty platter for '83, but the guitar sound on Stay Hungry is too thin and is in serious need of a booster shot. Ah, well, what to do with technology in those days? Okay, "We're Not Gonna Take It" has its sing-songy appeal. The vocal melody in "Stay Hungry" is pretty cool. I like "I Wanna Rock," and "Burn In Hell" is kickin,' especially since I heard Dimmu Borgir do it first (they do it justice and then some). "Captain Howdy" has a fairly cool guitar riff in it; okay, there are some bright moments here. Dee Snider's set of pipes is really the lead instrument in this ensemble, and I think his performance here carries the record. His work on the ballad "The Price" is surprisingly sensitive and powerful (a little Dio in there?), and this song turns out to be my favorite of the lot. I don't think I'll be going back through this band's catalog anytime soon, but it was nice to take a closer look at a group that, like 'em or not, makes you smile just by hearing their name.
    3 out of 5

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