Dee Snider's 'Leave a Scar' - Album Review

I did not think that I was going to hear any more new music from Dee Snider. After all, it was not long after seeing him put on one of the performances of the 2019 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air that he rather swiftly cancelled all of his remaining shows - and hinted that perhaps he was done with performing live and releasing new music for good. The statement seemed quite out of character for Snider, so much so that there was even some speculation at the time regarding his health, but with many of his peers also retiring (or worse) perhaps he just wanted to take it easy. I am not sure what made him change his mind, but I do wonder if the COVID-19 pandemic helped him to focus. Whatever the cause Snider's retirement was fleeting, and last month he released his latest solo album Leave a Scar - which follows fairly hot on the heels of 2018's excellent For the Love of Metal. For some reason I never picked up For the Love of Metal upon its release, but I got it for Christmas that year and it became a fairly regular listen over the following months. I think what initially put me off was actually Snider's interviews around the time of the album's release - where he seemed to constantly go out of his way to tell anyone who would listen how little input he had had in the album's creation. It is my understanding that the album was essentially instigated by Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed; Kingdom of Sorrow), who produced it and co-wrote the songs, but it is still strange to me that Snider essentially just turned up to sing on his own album - especially as he is credited with writing pretty much all of the Twisted Sister catalogue single-handedly. There is, of course, nothing wrong with singing songs written by others; but it just seemed like a strange way to promote an album - and it put me off at the time as it all felt so flippant. I was wrong to doubt For the Love of Metal however, as it is a great album packed with hooky, yet heavy, metal anthems - which are not too dissimilar to the sort of songs that made Snider famous, albeit with a crushing modern production. Leave a Scar is the follow-up to that album, and in many ways it takes things to the next level. For starters, Snider has actually been involved in the creative process this time. He wrote all of the album's twelve songs with Jasta (who again produced the album), guitarist Charlie Bellmore (Kingdom of Sorrow), drummer Nick Bellmore (Toxic Holocaust; Kingdom of Sorrow) - both of whom are veterans of For the Love of Metal and the following tour. In fact, it is Snider's live band that perform throughout Leave a Scar, with the Bellmore brothers being joined by guitarist Nick Petrino (Sonic Pulse; My Missing Half) and bassist Russell Pzutto (Reverence; Holy Mother). The miles on the road supporting For the Love of Metal has certainly bled into Leave a Scar, and the tightness of the band is evident for all to see.

The overall sound of Leave a Scar is very similar to that of For the Love of Metal, although at times the heaviness has been pushed even further. Snider's recent solo work is very metallic and riff-based, and that trend has continues here. The opening cut, and the album's lead single, I Gotta Rock (Again) is a perfect representation of Snider's current sound - and is a song that is sure to become a live staple for him in the future. The opening riff has something of an old-school 1980s mid-paced thrash feel to it; which is actually pretty representative of Snider's current sound in general. The songs rarely move along at break-neck speed, but there is still a real energy to them - and I Gotta Rock (Again) is a perfect example of this style. Charlie and Petrino's riffs throughout are tight, with occasional trilling leads to provide bursts of melody, while the drumming of Nick is full of modern metal flourishes. Given Snider's pedigree however, the songs are still packed full of hooks despite the heaviness. The chorus here is just the first of many memorable moments on the album, and the fast-paced melodies show just how well Snider's voice has held up over the years. He has lost none of his power or menace - while the thrashy gang vocals provided by the rest of the band add some extra punch. All or Nothing More ups the pace somewhat, with a driving riff kicking things off. Squealing guitar leads fill the song's intro section, and generally there is a much stronger lead guitar presence throughout. The verses are more riff-based however, with strong gang vocals and punchy drumming, but the chorus is based around a knotty guitar lead that backs Snider's vocal lines. The song's chorus is more overtly 'melodic' than is typical here, and it has a bit more of a sheen. It works well however, and actually ends up sounding a bit like something that bands like Soilwork sometimes write - although Snider's distinctive voice keeps it grounded. Down But Never Out has a bit more of an old-school sound, and reminds me a bit more Snider's work with Twisted Sister than much of the rest of the album. There is still a modern edge to the song, but the tones used here feel slightly more organic, and the duelling lead guitars that pop up occasionally certainly recall the metal of the 1980s. I like how Snider has been able to transition seamlessly into a more modern metal setting without really compromising any of the tropes and sounds that made him successful in the first place. Leave a Scar is not just a re-run of anything that Twisted Sister did in the 1980s, but there are certainly shades of Snider's old band to be heard occasionally - especially during Down But Never Out. Before I Go also has a bit of a 1980s feel at times due to some big, wordless vocal hooks. The riffing is less driving this time too, with big open power chords and occasional chugging being preferred to the omni-present riffing that characterises many of the other songs here. What makes this song really tick for me however is the fantastic chorus - which is one of the album's best. It is a chorus that slows things down somewhat, and goes for a pretty epic overall sound that layers guitars, subtle leads, and synths to form a perfect bed for Snider's heroic vocals.

Open Season returns to the album's core sound after a couple of diversions to a more 1980s-esque approach, and the heaviness is pushed back to the fore. A melodic chorus gives the listener a bit of a break from the crunch, but overall the song is a mid-paced and relentless chug - which suits Snider's modern style perfectly. I love how much of an emphasis Snider has placed on gang vocals throughout the whole album. Pretty much every song here makes use of them at some point, and they provide a great counter to his own barked vocal lines. It is this heavy use of gang vocals that emphasises that old-school thrash sound previously described too, as well as bringing bands like Accept to mind. Gang vocals have been a big part of metal for a long time, and their use throughout this album helps it to tick. Following the relentless Open Season however is one of the album's real standout cuts - Silent Battles. As much as I really like the album's core sound, Silent Battles takes a slightly different path. The song is still heavy, but it is not as thrashy or as riff-based as many of the other songs here - and as such the hooks are pushed even further to the fore. There is little of the gang vocal-led aggression here, with a chorus that instead soars with more traditional 1980s-esque melodies and a focus on subtle guitar leads. The sharp sound that characterises the rest of the album is still present, which allows the song to fit seamlessly into the bulk of the album, but it certainly feels like a piece where melody has been prioritised over riffing and heaviness. The slight shift in focus works well however, and the song's chorus hits much harder as a result. Crying for Your Life seems to carry on the same sound, at least initially, but the song is much tougher-sounding overall than Silent Battles. The overall pace is quite slow, but this only allows the brooding riffs to hit harder - and Snider uses the slower pace to deliver a creepy, Alice Cooper-esque vocal performance. There are certainly shades of old Twisted Sister songs like Destroyer in Crying for Your Life. The song is not as slow as something like Destroyer, but the overall atmosphere is quite similar - and Snider's approach the vocals is similarly snarling. It is another example of how Snider is able to subtly mould his modern sound to create a slightly different vibe. This is a big part of what makes Leave a Scar such a strong album overall in my opinion - as it has a core sound but it is subtly tweaked and twisted throughout to allow for variation. In for the Kill returns to a Soilwork-esque sound at times, with an opening dual lead guitar riff that has a very Gothenburg-esque feel. The song is perhaps more dynamic than usual too, as the focus on pummelling riffing is sometimes reduced. The verses here have a mix of riffing and clean guitar melodies, although things are ramped up for the chorus which is heavier and more typical of the album's core sound. A dual guitar solo has more melodic death metal vibes too, with the song overall having a great sound that sets it apart somewhat from the wider album.

Time to Choose ups the heaviness further however, and is easily the heaviest thing that Snider has ever been a part of. The pace is upped to aid this, and the harsh vocals of George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher (Monstrosity; Cannibal Corpse; Paths of Possession; Serpentine Domination; Voodoo Gods) give the song a different twist. Fisher's vocals are mostly there to bulk out Snider's own voice, but the two do sing in a bit of a call-and-response style at times which works well. The fact that Fisher's contributions to the song sound natural and not randomly shoe-horned in demonstrates the natural heaviness of the album overall. Fisher is a bona fide extreme metal legend, but his additions to a non-extreme metal album could feel forced and out-of-place if the song did not suit his style. Snider's natural heaviness suits Fisher's style however - and the duet is a fun addition to the album. S.H.E. is one of the closest things on the album to a ballad, and that is only because it is a love song dedicated to Snider's wife. It is one of the least heavy songs here, but it is still a crunchy rocker that is packed full of attitude. It shows what sort of territory Snider is operating in now when even the album's love song is still packed full of groove, energy, and shredding guitar solos - but it still works well. The chorus is a little softer, and more melodically focused, but the hooks are still there - and the song overall still feels like it fits on the album despite the relative softness. The Reckoning seems to up the heaviness again in a deliberate reaction to S.H.E., and it is one of the fastest songs here. The riffing throughout is razor sharp and driving, and Nick's drumming is some of the album's most furious. He has mostly gone for a more groove-based approach throughout, but during The Reckoning he lays into his double bass drums for pure pace and aggression. The song is one of the album's heaviest as a result, and the thrash sound that has been showcased throughout the album is taken to another level. Snider's modern vocal approach really suits this overall sound however, and the song is one of the album's most powerful pieces as a result. Stand, the album's final song, is easily the album's most dynamic piece - and it is one of the few songs here (along with S.H.E.) that does not go for an all-out driving metal sound. There are ballad-esque moments here, but there is still a dense atmosphere throughout that stops the song from feeling in any way light. There is a real murk to the song, and even when clean guitar melodies are leading the way the song still feels 'heavy'. It is telling that even the album's softest moments still have a toughness to them, as the sound that Snider has forged here is very prevalent - even when the riffing drops off. The song does ramp up somewhat towards the end, but in a way Stand acts as a coda to the album's 'true' heaviness - with the dense murk closing the album out in fine fashion. It helps to album to feel complete in a way, and it shows a little more of a dynamic approach as Leave a Scar comes to a close. It shows that, despite its core sound, Leave a Scar is still a very dynamic and varied album. In my opinion it is a more well-rounded album than For the Love of Metal, and it helps that Snider was properly involved in the creative process this time around. Every song here is memorable in one way or another, and it is great collection of proper metal songs that are easily the heaviest things that Snider has ever been involved with on his own terms.

The album was released on 30th July 2021 via Napalm Records. Below is Snider's promotional video for I Gotta Rock (Again).