Eddie Ojeda, guitarist for Twisted Sister, stated that Sebastian Bach is "probably the only person" capable of taking over the band's vocals in place of Dee Snider.
In an interview with Headbangers Rock Show, Ojeda said that the idea of resuming live activities initially came from Snider himself, who encouraged the other members to consider new performances after receiving show offers. However, the situation changed with the vocalist's departure, motivated by health issues, which forced the band to look for an alternative to continue with their plans.
“Well, originally it was Dee who wanted to do this. He was the first to suggest it, because Jay Jay [French, guitarist] and I
were n’t eventhinkingabout it. Dee kind of motivated us to do it. But things can change in six months. Even I had to have foot surgery, but I could have waited and done the tour and [the surgery] later. But since we canceled, I was able to do it now and get it out of the way. But, like I said, things changed,” he said [transcription via Blabbermouth].
“And instead of slowing down — which I think people would have thought was cool, but I think he just freaked out, talked to his family and decided to cancel all the shows. Which surprised us quite a bit, but put us in a situation where [we thought], 'Well, let's do
some shows. Let's do something.' We weren't going to do anything. We were going to cancel everything,” explained the guitarist, referring to Snider's departure from the tour for health reasons.
Sebastian Bach emerged as the most natural choice
In this context, Sebastian Bach's name emerged as the most natural choice. For Ojeda, in addition to his vocal ability, the singer has stage presence and energy compatible with the band's legacy.
“Some producers mentioned Sebastian, and we considered Sebastian since we’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve done several shows with Sebastian on different projects, and we’ve even recorded some things together. And the way he performs—he’s a huge fan of TWISTED, a really huge fan, and he was very inspired by Dee. […] We called him and he was very excited, he flew in to rehearse and everything went very well, much better than anyone imagined. One of the producers was there, with some other people, and they were all impressed with the sound.”.
“And, as I said, he’s probably the only person who could replace someone like Dee, because of the similarities between the two, in the way they sing and perform. So we decided to try and see how it would go, and it went very well. So we decided: the summer shows are over. We can’t participate in the festivals. But we’re going to do the shows in the United States. So, I think we’ll do six shows and see how it goes,” revealed Eddie Ojeda.
Dee Snider's illness
Dee Snider is facing health problems that are preventing him from fulfilling his planned concert schedule. “I don’t know any other way to proceed. The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather retire than be a shadow of my former self,” Snider confessed.
podcast Acid For Squares, hosted by the singer's son, Cody Blue Snider, Dee Snider revealed in detail the series of health problems he has been facing. The musician deals with degenerative arthritis, which has led him to undergo several surgeries over the years.
“I’ve had some health problems. I have arthritis in my shoulders, degenerative arthritis. I had a hip replacement because of excessive wear and tear on the joints, a result of my profession, which demands too much from my body […] But, in the case of my heart, this is linked to accumulated stress over time,” revealed the vocalist.
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