Is Queen a Metal Band? Dee Snider Says There's No Doubt

We will, we will, METAL you?

Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider says Queen is a metal band. And just like he's not gonna take it, he's not going to back down.

Snider began discussing the topic with his followers on Twitter earlier this week after watching the rock 'n' roll debacle that was the Super Bowl LIII halftime show, starring Adam Levine's bare torso.

Snider observed that the playlists at NFL stadiums everywhere for decades have played music by a hearty helping of heavy metal acts, yet no metal band has ever performed at the Super Bowl halftime show.

He proceeded to include Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" along with songs by Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N' Roses, Twisted Sister and the like which are often blasted over the PA at NFL games.


A fan responded, asking whether Snider considers Queen a metal band, suggesting that Freddie Mercury would not disagree at that categorization.

Snider replied, insisting that if the late-Queen front man disagreed with the heavy metal label he "would be wrong." Snider dared fans to listen to any of the first three Queen albums and tell him they aren't metal.

"One of Brian May's biggest influences is Tony Iommi!" he added.

Looking back at the list of Super Bowl halftime show performers, there are only two who are even remotely metal, The Who in 2010 — an early influence of metal to be sure but not a metal band — and Aerosmith in 2001.

It's probably safe to say that if Queen is metal, so is Aerosmith. But there's wasn't an awful lot of Aerosmith at that halftime show. The band shared the Super Bowl stage that year with crowded ensemble including Britney Spears, NSYNC, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.


Snider's followers generally seemed to agree with him offering several examples of Queen's hard rocking side.

Songs like "Stone Cold Crazy," "Sheer Heart Attack," "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Tie Your Mother Down" are all pretty metal.

Then, of course, there's "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is perhaps best known for the head banging scene in Wayne's World.


Sure, Queen has a soft side, a melodic side and a pop side, in addition to its metal side, but so does Led Zeppelin. So does Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden and Rush.

Being metal doesn't mean you can't be sonically diverse.

I agree with Dee. Queen is metal.

Photos: Getty Images



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