Stay Hungry (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

Twisted Sister spent the late ‘70s and early ‘80s as a well-respected hard working heavy metal act with active roots in the punk underground. With their third album, Stay Hungry, the band exploded into the MTV mainstream with humorous videos for their arena rock anthems, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” Their outrageous stage personas brought them to Washington, DC alongside Frank Zappa to battle the imagined “culture war” of the ‘80s with Tipper Gore and P.M.R.C.; yet, it also made them seem cartoonish to their streetwise following and the band was forced to battle between their raw instincts and their polished pop songwriting. “The Price” is a massive-sounding power ballad, while “Burn In Hell,” “S.M.F.” and the title track establish the band’s metal pedigree beyond question. The 2009 re-mastered edition features 16 previously unreleased tracks, including demos of the album’s most important cuts where the band’s tight, tougher, rougher side is on proud display, several unreleased songs, a radio spot for a Los Angeles radio station, and even a brand new recording from the Stay Hungry lineup (‘30”) that shows they can still crank it out on request.