A Twisted Christmas

A Twisted Christmas is a covers project on which Twisted Sister performs standard Christmas songs in the language of heavy and glam metal. Rather than leaning on the originals’ fame, it recasts familiar tunes through the band’s rhythmic push, thick choruses and guitar tone, letting well-known material show a different face. It was self-produced in 2006 by the reunited golden-era lineup. The highlight is “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”: this carol originally underlay the band’s signature “We're Not Gonna Take It,” and here it is revived in a style closely modeled on that huge hit. A comedic music video was made, and it became one of their best-known songs since the 1980s. Small jokes are planted throughout — the riff of “White Christmas” quotes “I Wanna Rock,” and “Silver Bells” quotes AC/DC’s “Problem Child.” From the sly opening of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to the closing “Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas),” humor and musicianship coexist. A side trip apart from the main catalogue, it still shows the band’s taste in the way it interprets.