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07/18/2016

Twisted Sister pay tribute to fallen drummer A.J. Pero on ‘Metal Meltdown Live!’

By RUBEN MOSQUEDA //2016 marks 'the end' of metal act Twisted Sister. They go out with both barrels blazing on their new DVD recorded in Las Vegas. 

 

It’s hard to imagine a rock/metal world without Twisted Sister. Yes [singer] Dee Snider and Co blew up in 1984 with their signature record ‘Stay Hungry’ which yielded two blockbuster music videos; “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” The songs have become such a huge part of American pop culture. Who doesn’t know those songs, even if you’re not a fan of the genre?

Having said that Twisted Sister is coming to an end in 2016. At the present it’s set to take place in the fall in New Jersey. Twisted Sister signed on to perform in Las Vegas for a series titled ‘Metal Meltdown’ which other acts also took part in. The idea was to shoot the performances with the best equipment possible in HD. Prior to their performance Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero died of a heart attack while on tour with his other band Adrenaline Mob.

Twisted Sister were faced with huge dilemma; they lost their drummer, bandmate, brother A.J. Pero. How could they go on? The band had previously announced that 2016 would be ‘it.’ Twisted Sister were one of the few acts out there with the classic line-up intact; now that had changed. While performing a tribute [with Adrenaline Mob] to A.J. [guitarist] Jay Jay French met up with drummer Mike Portnoy [Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob, The Winery Dogs] who was also mourning the loss of his friend [Pero]. The two consoled each other and Portnoy mentioned that he’d be available if Twisted need anything.

The surviving members Snider, French, [bassist] Mark Mendoza and [guitarist] Eddie Ojeda regrouped and discussed how Twisted would handle the remaining dates on their 2016 itinerary.The band would go on through 2016 but in tribute to Pero. That’s when Portnoy got the nod by the band.

Still grieving over their loss; Twisted Sister performed in Las Vegas May 30th, 2015 to record ‘Metal Meltdown Live!: A Concert to Honor A.J. Pero.’  Their performance is energetic, explosive, damn near flawless and in HD! This is one of the best looking DVDs out there right now. The band tear through classic after classic from their back catalog without missing a beat. They pay their respect to Pero who makes a special appearance via a drum solo. Which is touching and puts a little closure on it for the fans. The addition of the documentary ‘Rock Show’ adds a little more value for the fans and serves as a great companion piece to not only ‘Metal Meltdown’ but to the documentary ‘We are Twisted Fucking Sister.’ To say that Twisted Sister are ending on a high note in 2016 would be a gross understatement.  

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