Twisted Sister

Overexposure is certainly a phenomenon in music, particularly evident in the MTV era. Twisted Sister, for instance, had a couple of heavily rotated hits in "I Wanna Rock" and especially "We're Not Gonna Take It". The music videos added a certain goofiness to these teen-rebel anthems, making them seem less serious. However, despite their memorable presence in 80s heavy metal history, both tracks lean towards simplicity and repetition, making them susceptible to wearing out even without the MTV influence.

With Dee Snider, you always know what you're going to get: a straight-talking, no-nonsense frontman who commands the stage. His vocal style carries echoes of classic rock, reminiscent of a blend between Robert Plant and Alice Cooper. Once again, as on the two previous albums, he wrote everything here.

Legend has it that the producer, Tom Werman, brought a Saxon album into the studio, possibly aiming to nudge the band into more NWOBHM territories. Assuming it was Saxon's "Power & The Glory" from the previous year, it's not implausible that Werman's ideas influenced "Stay Hungry". Tracks like the formidable "Burn In Hell" showcase a heavier side of Twisted Sister (evident from its later cover by Norwegian black metal act Dimmu Borgir), while "Don't Let Me Down" falls into a mid-tempo range, reminiscent of a fusion between Thin Lizzy and ELO (who recorded the similarly titled "Don't Bring Me Down" five years prior).

Another standout moment is the semi-ballad "The Price", which became the album's third single. Dee seemingly narrates the struggle to achieve rock 'n' roll stardom, a goal that had already been attained by the time the single was out, following the success of the first two smash hits from "Stay Hungry". Twisted Sister had never been bigger than this and would never reach such heights again.

So, what defines "Stay Hungry" as hair metal? Not much, aside from, well... the hair. Twisted Sister embodies more of a classic 70s hard rock sound than most bands associated with the term "hair metal". Imagine early Alice Cooper infused with classic Black Sabbath, with a sprinkle of UK glam from bands like Slade or Sweet, and you're nearly there.

This isn't to say Twisted Sister lacks uniqueness; rather, it emphasizes that one cannot judge a book, or in this case, an album solely by its cover.