Twisted Sister was formed in New York in 1972, originally under the name Silver Star , a glam metal band. In 1976, already named Twisted Sister, the band's sound changed direction when vocalist Dee Snider joined and took the lead in songwriting. At the time of Snider's entry into Twisted Sister, the band consisted of Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda on guitars, Kenny Neill on bass, and Kevin John Grace on drums. In 1978, having gone through several lineup changes, the band began playing heavy metal and recording their first demos, already with a consolidated underground audience.
In 1982, they released their first album, Under The Blade , produced by Pete Way of UFO and featuring new drummer AJ Pero . The album was an underground success, leading to opening gigs for bands like Motörhead . Around this time, the band shifted their image towards a more extravagant direction to differentiate themselves from glam metal bands, moving closer to a heavy metal look while still creating a unique style.
In 1983, the band released the album *You Can't Stop Rock and Roll *, which already included hit songs like the title track and "I Am (I'm Me)". With their third album, * Stay Hungry *, Twisted Sister achieved international fame. The release of the music video for the hit "We're Not Gonna Take It" propelled the band around the world. The success of the band's hits and videos caught the attention of the American government, which listed Twisted Sister as one of the bands that incited violence against teachers and parents. Dee Snider was one of the musicians who testified before the US Senate in 1985 against censorship.
In 1985, Twisted Sister released their fourth studio album, *Come Out And Play* . Despite the album's relative success, their tour was a failure, and in 1986 AJ Pero left the band, and Dee Snider began a parallel solo career. In 1987, a solo album by Snider was released as a Twisted Sister album, even though the musicians hadn't participated in the recordings. *Love Is For Suckers* was another sales flop. In 1988, the band announced its breakup.
Starting in 2001, the band began to reunite for various shows, and in 2004 Twisted re-released the album Stay Hungry with new production. Entitled Still Hungry, the new version included 7 bonus tracks. In 2006, the band released a heavy metal Christmas album, A Twisted Christmas , which was a commercial success.
Considered one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Twisted Sister marked the metal scene with its unique style and influenced countless bands such as Motörhead, Overkill , Joan Jett , and Sebastian Bach . The band continues to be active to this day, playing shows around the world, and has toured Brazil on several different tours.
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