Ace

Of all the projects Dee Snider has been involved in over the years, the one shrouded in the most mystery was undoubtedly Desperado. First mentioned in heavy metal magazines circa the late '80s, the group appeared to be a promising proposition, as it saw Snider team up with a pair of gentlemen renowned in the metal community — ex-Ian Gillan and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Bernie Tormé and ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr — with bassist Marc Russell rounding out the quartet. The group had an album ready and raring to go (going as far as having a release date set for May of 1990, and an album title of Bloodied, But Unbowed), but at the 11th hour, the debut was shelved, and the group soon after went the way of the dodo. The album, now under its original title, Ace, has finally seen the light of day 16 years later via the Deadline/Cleopatra label. Upon hearing the music, it quickly becomes apparent that Snider made a conscious effort to eschew the anthemic rock of Twisted Sister in favor of more straight-ahead metal, as evidenced by such tracks as "Gone Bad" and "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter." But it appears that Ace would have fit in more with the metal landscape a few years earlier than its projected original release date (an era that saw metal's old guard quickly losing their standing to such bands as Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, and Faith No More, with Nirvana waiting on deck). Regardless, the music on Ace is just as worthy as the majority of stuff that was being spun on Headbangers Ball and featured in Rip magazine from around that time.