I have to be honest: I never gave DEE SNIDER more than a few thoughts in my entire 35 years of existence.  I was a baby when Metal and Hair Metal dominated that decade so of course I didn't grow up listening to it.  Obviously, I have gone back over the last couple decades and discovered those sounds-and enjoy them I do, at least all the "real" Metal.  As for Hair Metal/Cock Rock, I pretty much hate it.  I always lumped TWISTED SISTER into that category so far as I was concerned, DEE SNIDER was just another relic from that era. I couldn't had been more wrong. My apologies.

The aptly titled "For The Love Of Metal," is an extremely solid Metal album and reveals that it is never too late for an artist to revitalize his/her career.  In the case of DEE SNIDER, he surrounded himself with several musicians (Jamey Jasta, Mark Morton, among others) and belted out one of the best clean vocal performances of the year. The overall sound of the album is very modern, especially in the production which is tight, crisp, and clear.  The songs are very safe; there aren't any that contain any huge amount of depth and nothing will make you sit back and question life and the meaning of it all but every song is just solid, balls to the walls Heavy fucking Metal.

The tracks are on the short side, with just one going over the four-minute mark but at least this way it doesn't wear out its welcome.  It is disappointing that DEE didn't actually write any of the music or lyrics but there isn't denying the heart and soul he put into it, regardless.  I'm hoping on his next solo album, he will have more input because despite how much I liked this album, it is hard to say how good he really is on his own.  Although it contains his name and his singing, this album is really just Dee performing on someone else's art. "Lies Are A Business," opens with a flurry of drums and a nice guitar tone.  The riffs are definitely born of the eighties sound and are crunchy with some thrash throw into the mix. DEE spits out the lines with fervor and his voice really great; even reminds me of Halford at times.  This song even contains some wonderful solos and some dual melodies, not unlike PRIEST or MAIDEN.

"I Am The Hurricane," is a curious choice of single because the song really isn't that good as far as arrangement goes, especially the chorus which is clunky at best.  Still, musically, it is acceptable. "Roll Over You," indeed rolls over you as it is a catchy and heavy song with rumbling double bass that pummels.  The chorus is one of the most memorable on the album and has a tongue in cheek venom that can't be denied.   The song is a lot of fun, especially at the end when DEE yells "Fuck you!" and then laughs. I do love it when it is obvious musicians have fun making this music for us.

"Running Mazes," has LAMB OF GOD written all over it in the guitar and in the faster paced part towards the end of the song.  The chorus is somewhat weak, but the music saves the song, as well as DEE's vocals.  Even if a couple of the songs aren't that great, there are still elements within that save those songs and still make them worth listening to. "Dead Hearts (Love Thy Enemy) is one of the best songs on the album.  I really love the interplay of the acoustic guitars and Alissa White-Gluz's clean vocals are amazing.  Surprisingly, his gruff voice works well with her and the acoustics.

The title track is a great ending to the album and it rocks just as hard as the first track, creating a album that has a strong start and finish.  More variety between the songs would had been great, perhaps more experimentation with different atmospheres.  As it stands, however, every Metalhead and DEE fan needs to give this album a chance because it a pleasant surprise.  It is a wonderful ode to all things metal and as he says in the title track, "We are all fucking Metal!"