topofsm In the wake of Christmas season you are sure to see plenty of artists and their Christmas albums: Mariah Carey, Jethro Tull, Twisted Sister. What? Ok, scratch the last one. You are likely not going to see Twisted Sister on any Christmas lists. However, in 2006 the SMFs released a Christmas album filled with heavy metal riffs and old-school pounding drums.

Sure, you'd be hard pressed to call this album a masterpiece. The riffs aren't anything beyond a standard heavy metal band from the 80s, and the melodies, being Christmas tunes are of course straightforward. But the album is fun, and the simple power chords playing on amps turned to eleven gives exactly the refresher these kinds of songs need.

All a person would need convincing for them to get this album is to listen to "We're not Gonna Take it", which begins with a familiar beat: the same intro to their hit, "We're not Going to Take It". The heavy riffs make the song fun, and the chord progressions between the tunes match up perfectly. An outro of "Hava Nagila" in slow, heavy time finishes it up nicely.

The rest of the tracks are pretty good. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Let it Snow" and the ballad "I'll be Home for Christmas" featuring Lita Ford all breathe some new life into the songs most people become sick of during the winter season. However, after a while it just seems like the band needed a few more songs to fill the album. Filler of course happens, and this album is no different. It does end on a high note "The Twelve Days of Christmas" where the band asks for heavy metal gifts and their true love gives them among other things, 3 studded belts, 2 pairs of spandex pants, and a tattoo of Ozzy.

Overall, this is never going to be a Christmas classic. There is plenty of boring filler that gets the songs to sound older than they already are playing on the radio by themselves. However, for metal fans looking for some Christmas tunes heavier than the standard Trans Siberian Orchestra, A Twisted Christmas is a good one.