If I were to ask you to name some of the most influential metal bands in music history, the chances are that Metallica will probably be on your list as one of the game-changer acts. They surely, had an influence on many younger bands, but what about Metallica’s influences? Well, while recently taking the stage at the Metal Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider celebrated Raven for their induction and discussed how the band influenced Metallica.
Twisted Sister recently performed together for the first time in seven years at their Metal Hall of Fame induction. However, the glam-metal icons weren’t the only inductees at the ceremony, as the other recipients, like Foreigner’s Lou Gramm, Whitesnake’s Doug Aldrich, and Impellitteri, were also there.
However, Snider specifically pointed out another inductee, Raven, as the rocker stated that the British act had finally received the honor they long deserved. Dee then noted that all metal acts looked up to Raven in the ’80s and wanted to open for them, and Metallica also was among the names to be influenced by the British metal icons. In fact, Metallica’s first major concert tour, ‘Kill ’Em All’ in 1983, was in support of Raven.
“So, metal… By the way, f*ck yeah, Raven got inducted,” said the Twisted Sister frontman as he celebrated the British band’s influence on the metal scene. “When we were coming up, ‘the’ thrash back, ‘the’ thrash band was Raven. Everybody wanted to open for Raven. Metallica opened for Raven; Anthrax opened for Raven, Slayer…”
“Everybody opened for Raven,” continued Snider and joked how they didn’t open for Raven, but Metallica opened for Twisted Sister. The singer noted, “We didn’t open for Raven. But… Metallica opened for us; just saying… But no, f*cking Hallelujah, Raven’s at the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame.”
Dee Snider then moved on to the next song, ‘Under the Blade,’ on their three-piece setlist and mentioned the bassist Mark ‘The Animal’ Mendoza’s reaction when he first heard the track’s riffs. He recalled, “So, speaking of metal, this was one of the first songs I wrote, and when we played it, I remember; actually, you were crewing for us, and I took you in a room with a guitar, and I said, ‘Listen to this riff.’”
However, as Mendoza listened to the riff, the bassist would point out that it sounded like another well-known track. Dee Snider added, “And I played it, and you [Mendoza] said, ‘It’s too much like ‘Space Station #5,’ by Montrose. He said, ‘No, it’s not.’ I said that ‘I got a good song.’ This is the title track from our first album; it’s called ‘Under the Blade.’”
Surely, all the inductees deserved their place in the Metal Hall of Fame. However, Snider especially wanted to note the influence of Raven on the heavy metal scene, especially on a game-changer band, Metallica, along the way. The frontman also joked about showing off that they didn’t open for Raven, but Metallica opened for Twisted Sister in the early ’80s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkwYKm9qJms
