Twisted Sister - 'Live At The Astoria' CD/DVD

To casual music fans Twisted Sister are that crazy metal band from the '80s with the funny videos and larger than life frontman Dee Snider. Twisted Sister's image and over the top antics made them a lot of money, but it sometimes overshadowed their musical talent. 35 years after their formation the band is still playing shows, and although their showmanship remains first rate, so does their musicianship.

Live At The Astoria was recorded in London in 2004. The two disc set includes a CD and a DVD with the same 16 songs. The DVD is just the concert with no extras or bonus material. For a band that's been around so long, Twisted Sister has only released five full-length studio albums (plus a Christmas CD), so they don't have a massive catalog to choose from.

Twisted Sister's hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" are of course included, but so are lesser known but better songs like "The Price," "Burn In Hell" and "Under The Blade." The audio and video quality on Live At The Astoria are good, but not great. The sound is a bit muddy and has a very raw feel to it.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, since Twisted Sister cut their teeth in the clubs, and taking the sheen off actually gives the songs more of an edge. Fans of the band will definitely want this CD/DVD, and for those who only know them from their MTV hits, Live At The Astoria is a good opportunity to witness the entire Twisted Sister experience.

(released November 18, 2008 on Demolition Records)