Twisted Sister taps '80s metal icon to carry on legacy after frontman's sudden exit: 'You can't stop rock'

Twisted Sister is getting a heavy metal shake-up.

The legendary hard rock band is moving forward without longtime frontman Dee Snider after the band tapped another iconic voice to take the mic.

On Tuesday, the group announced on its social media that former Skid Row screamer Sebastian Bach will step in to lead the group for select 2026 dates.

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"Twisted Sister members Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda are thrilled to announce that iconic vocalist and frontman Sebastian Bach will be fronting the band for a handful of select dates this fall," an official statement said. 

"These appearances do not affect or conflict with Sebastian’s current or future solo touring schedule, which remains fully intact."

The announcement was paired with a clip of a new version of the band’s 1983 anthem, "You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll," this time featuring Bach on vocals.

Bach recently said that stepping into Twisted Sister was an emotional handoff.

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Bach revealed what Snider told him about the health battle that forced him off the road.

"Then I asked him, ‘What did the doctor say to him,’ and he’s like, ‘No problem, I’ll tell you.’ He says that he has arthritis, that his bone, his knees are going out, and he has like bone on bone. And the doctor said that he should not be jumping around, and he goes, ‘Well, that’s not an option.' … And the doctor said, ‘You can’t do it,’" Bach shared on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation.

He said Snider gave his seal of approval to join Twisted Sister. 

"So, he said, ‘You have my full blessing.’ He goes, ‘I love you.’ I told him I loved him. And we were like teary-eyed. … And he told me that his family was crying when he said he couldn’t do the tour. … It’s tough getting older. It’s tough. It’s tough for everybody getting older."

Last month, Snider, 70, abruptly retired and resigned from the band due to mounting health issues.

In February, he revealed he has been battling degenerative arthritis and has undergone multiple surgeries.

Twisted Sister first announced the cancellation of its anniversary performances in an Instagram statement.

"Due to the sudden and unexpected resignation of Twisted Sister’s lead singer Dee Snider brought on by a series of health challenges, the band has been forced to cancel all shows scheduled, beginning April 25th in (São Paulo) Brazil and continuing through the summer," the band's statement said.

A separate statement posted to the band’s website Feb. 5 pulled back the curtain further on Snider’s condition.

"A lifetime of legendarily aggressive performing has taken its toll on Dee Snider’s body and soul," it said. 

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"Adding insult to injury, Dee has recently found out the level of intensity he has dedicated to his life’s work has taken its toll on his heart as well. He can no longer push the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll fury like he has done for decades. Says Snider, 'I don’t know of any other way to rock. The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self.'

"In the immortal words of Dirty Harry, 'A man’s got to know his limitations.' Sadly, Dee Snider now knows his."

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Formed in the early 1970s, the band became a household name with 1984’s "Stay Hungry," which catapulted them into MTV-era superstardom. After disbanding in 1988, they reunited in 1997 and continued touring for years without releasing new music.

Snider has been open about the brutal downsides of fame. In a June 2024 interview with Fox News Digital, he reflected on the band’s collapse in the late ’80s.

"Double bankruptcy, my career collapsed," he said. "I was riding a bicycle to a desk job, answering phones. I was married, had three kids. You know, things just went incredibly south.

"People need to hear those stories and know they're not alone."

Fox News Digital's Lori Bashian contributed to this report.