Dee Snider Unleashes ‘Leave A Scar’: Why Metal Resonates with Gen Z and the Power of Positive Rebellion
As a new generation embraces the raw energy of punk, metal, and rock, the legendary Dee Snider offers his perspective on this significant cultural shift. “I think Gen Z may not be getting what they need from pop music,” he candidly shares with HollywoodLife, discussing his powerful new album, Leave A Scar. This album is a phenomenal collection of high-octane, headbanging anthems, meticulously crafted to captivate both seasoned metalheads adorned in their well-worn battle vests and new enthusiasts who master the art of a perfect TikTok video set to a track like Slayer’s “Reign In Blood.” Dee’s latest offering, which dropped on Friday, July 30th, couldn’t arrive at a more opportune moment, as these heavier sounds are powerfully re-entering the mainstream consciousness. Just two days prior to Leave A Scar‘s release, a punk-infused track confidently secured the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Top 100, and even Mötley Crüe found themselves back on the charts, albeit through Post Malone’s homage to the iconic metal band, underscoring metal’s undeniable resurgence in contemporary music culture.
The growing appetite for heavier music isn’t just anecdotal; it’s a sentiment echoed across the music industry. Even mainstream artists like Ed Sheeran and St. Vincent have expressed desires to create metal albums, indicating a wider cultural gravitation towards these intense genres. While hip-hop and meticulously choreographed pop music remain ever-present forces in the music world, Gen Z is actively utilizing metal and rock to forge and define its distinct identity. Dee Snider, himself an admirer of punk’s rebellious spirit, remarks, “I’m a punk fan as well, and I think that reflects in ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ – it’s a huge punk anthem.” He recalls how bands like Green Day performed it nightly for years, alongside countless other groups. “That song just spoke to them, and it was designed that way. I think that maybe that voice of anger, frustration, depression, sorrow, all those dark emotions, maybe it’s just not there in other music. And it’s certainly still there in metal. You still got that anger.” This primal energy, Snider suggests, is precisely what draws a new generation seeking an authentic outlet for their complex emotions.
Reflecting on the evolution of heavy music, Dee Snider pinpoints a pivotal shift. “When metal went soft and whiny in the late 80s, it became ‘happy metal’,” he explains. He then illustrates his point by singing a line from a famous Whitesnake song – “Here I go again, on my own” – quickly adding, “and I love that song, but still…” This change in direction, he argues, diverged from metal’s core essence. He vividly recalls Sebastian Bach’s insightful words: “‘Metal doesn’t have smiles. Metal doesn’t have big white teeth. Metal snarls.’” As the 90s and 2000s progressed, marked by what Snider describes as “whining and complaining” in metal, audiences naturally gravitated towards hip-hop, particularly gangsta hip-hop. “Because it had that anger and that release for darker emotions,” he clarifies. “And I understood why a lot of metal fans moved over because they weren’t getting what they needed” from the genre that once defined their angst and rebellion. This historical context illuminates the cyclical nature of music, where genres rise and fall based on their ability to articulate the prevailing emotions of their listeners, a role metal is reclaiming today.
For any fan yearning for a dozen tracks of unadulterated power metal, flawlessly blending Dee Snider’s legendary soaring vocals with an onslaught of hard-hitting, shred-heavy metal glee, Leave A Scar is the definitive answer. This highly anticipated new album serves as the potent follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed For The Love Of Metal. It marks a powerful reunion between Snider and Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, who masterfully produced both For The Love Of Metal and this latest, compelling entry in Dee’s illustrious discography. To celebrate the album’s momentous release, Dee Snider orchestrated an exclusive streaming event on Thursday, July 29th. All ticket holders were granted immediate access to this electrifying concert stream and, crucially, retained on-demand access to all event content for a generous 30-day period. The concert stream itself featured captivating performances from Dee’s electrifying show in New York on June 12th, offering fans a unique, immersive experience. Further details regarding this special event and future happenings can be found at www.metaldepartment.tv.
This exclusive stream provided eager fans with a tantalizing preview of Leave A Scar before its official arrival on all major streaming platforms. It is an album that, quite fittingly, is destined to leave an indelible mark on metal fans worldwide. The record is a sonic assault, featuring intricate guitar solos that seem to emerge from the fiery pits of a guitar Valhalla, powerful vocals that resonate deep within your soul long after the last note fades, and thunderous, pounding drums guaranteed to leave any dedicated headbanger’s neck sore – and yet undeniably craving more. Adding to its immense appeal, the album boasts a special guest appearance by the formidable George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Cannibal Corpse, ensuring there is a compelling element for every spectrum of metal fan to discover and appreciate on this meticulously crafted masterpiece.
Despite the ferocity inherent in its sound and title, Leave A Scar will, paradoxically, evoke a genuine smile. Even though Dee himself recalled Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach’s assertion that “there’s no smiling in metal,” Leave A Scar is undeniably fun. It’s a rapid-fire romp through the best of metal, brimming with an unexpected surge of positivity woven subtly within its powerful lyrics. Dee explains his approach: “I try to lift people up, even though I’m very rebellious in ‘We’re Not Going to Take It’ – it was uplifting, in a sense. It’s saying you don’t have to put up with this. We were better than this. You can do better than this. You deserve better than this.” This underlying message of empowerment and resilience ensures that even in its rawest moments, the album inspires a sense of hope and defiance, a signature element of Snider’s enduring artistry.
Dee specifically highlights track three, “Down But Never Out,” as a prime example of this uplifting spirit. “The song is not called ‘Down,” he notes, emphasizing the crucial distinction. “It’s called, but never out. And yeah, — we got our asses kicked during COVID –bad. Some people’s lives were f-cking destroyed, but we will not be beaten.” This powerful sentiment underscores the album’s core message: resilience in the face of adversity. “So I threw the whole record — even though I’m reflecting and I get pretty intense about it — I am trying to lift people up and elevate them.” This commitment to providing a sense of strength and hope through his music is a testament to Dee Snider’s profound connection with his audience, offering not just a listening experience, but a rallying cry.
The very title of the album, Leave A Scar, encapsulates this philosophy of enduring impact and “elevation.” Dee Snider vividly recounts the inspiration: “When I was a kid, I spray painted my name on a building. Yes. I know– that’s illegal, but I did it. I went back the next week, and they had painted over it. I left my mark, and they painted over it.” This fleeting act of rebellion contrasts sharply with a more permanent one. “That same year, I carved my name in a tree. 55 years later, I went back to my school, and I saw the tree, and my name is still there. That’s a scar. That’s the difference.” This profound distinction resonated deeply with him. “And that resonated in my head. When I was writing the song, ‘Stand,’ that line that’s where it comes from. Don’t leave your mark. Leave a scar.” This powerful metaphor speaks to the desire for lasting influence, for making an impact so profound it cannot be erased, a core theme that permeates the entire album.
There was a significant period when Dee Snider had genuinely contemplated stepping away from creating any further “marks or scars” on the music scene. After dedicating decades to the demanding music business, Dee had actually resigned himself to no longer making new music. However, this changed dramatically when Jamey Jasta, one of the most respected and influential voices within the hardcore and metal communities, issued a direct and potent challenge to Dee: to create a truly modern metal record that would resonate with contemporary audiences. “‘I challenge you.’ Those are the exact words,” Dee recalls, the memory of that pivotal moment clearly etched in his mind. The direct outcome of this bold challenge was For The Love Of Metal, an album that not only garnered widespread critical acclaim from leading metal publications but also resonated deeply with a renewed fanbase. After triumphantly demonstrating his ability to connect with the modern metal crowd, Dee felt a sense of completion, believing he had nothing more to contribute – until the turbulent year of 2020 unfolded.
“During the middle of the COVID crisis, I found myself feeling, ‘I wanted to say something,’” Snider reveals, reflecting on the profound impact of global events. Initially, his immediate outlet was social media, recognizing it as a powerful, instantaneous platform to motivate individuals to speak out. He observed, “We’re hearing — the loudest voices in the room are these extreme minorities on either side. They sit there with a hundred thousand followers on their Facebook group, and they think that they’re an army. Dude, there are 7 billion people on the earth. You’re not an army. You’re a freaking parade.” This stark realization fueled his desire to address the overwhelming noise of extremist viewpoints and amplify the voice of the often-unheard majority, underscoring the necessity for a more balanced and reasoned discourse in tumultuous times.
Fueled by this observation, Dee Snider felt a compelling need to encourage the vast majority of people – those who identify as centrists, leaning left or right, but fundamentally striving for rationality and understanding – “to push back, speak out and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be heard as well. We are the 70% of the world that the centrists who lean left, lean right, but still generally try to be rational and figure it out.’” His conviction was clear: it was time for the quiet majority to assert their presence and contribute their voices to the global conversation, moving beyond the polarized extremes.
In response to his online calls for engagement, a fan’s message struck a profound chord with Dee: “And someone I wrote back said, ‘Dee, we don’t all have a platform or the voice to speak out the way you do, what are we supposed to do?’” This question prompted a moment of self-reflection and a powerful realization for Snider. “And I said, ‘Well, get behind someone who’s speaking up.’ I realized, — oh, that’s me. I’m that guy. I’m that person.” He then connected this newfound sense of purpose to his own iconic legacy. “And I looked at my life, and I said, I’m Mr. ‘We’re Not Going To Take It.’ So I said, ‘all right, I need to write those songs. Those ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’s.’ I need to speak for those who can’t speak and give them a person or a voice that they can stand behind and go, ‘Yes, this speaks for me.’” This epiphany solidified his resolve to use his music as a conduit for the collective frustrations and hopes of the everyday person, providing an anthem for their unspoken struggles.
“Come mid-2020, with COVID raging and the world seeming to come apart at the seams — not just here,” Snider elaborates, detailing the escalating global chaos that further fueled his creative urgency. He observed a disturbing trend: “I noticed that what’s going on in countries all over the world is extremist authoritarian, regimes of different types coming in, and different countrymen are just facing off against each other.” This widespread social and political fragmentation deeply troubled him. “And I started to find myself feeling like I needed to say something,” he adds, underscoring the deep-seated impulse to address these critical global issues through his art, transforming personal concern into powerful musical commentary.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Dee Snider (@deesnider)
Leave A Scar is far more than just a collection of heavy tracks; it’s a meticulously crafted album imbued with profound themes of personal responsibility, acknowledging that individuals can conquer the myriad challenges life presents, and the aforementioned powerful undercurrent of positivity. Tracks such as “Crying For Your Life” and “All Or Nothing More” delve into accountability, while anthems like “Down But Never Out” and “Stand” champion resilience and triumph over adversity. It is a record that is simultaneously heavy, undeniably fun, incredibly fast-paced, and brutally honest – making it the perfect sonic backdrop for the current global climate. With pent-up frustration widespread and a year largely devoid of the cathartic release of live music, Leave A Scar promises to deliver precisely the emotional and energetic release that fans have been yearning for, for a very long time now, proving metal’s therapeutic power.
Delving into the psychological benefits of heavy metal, Dee Snider points to compelling evidence: “There was a study done a few years back where they found that headbangers grow up to be better-adjusted adults than non-metal fans.” When Psychology Today reached out to him to inquire about the underlying reasons for this finding, Dee’s response was immediate and confident: “absolutely! Because these emotions need to be released. These dark emotions that we all have, they need to go somewhere.” He passionately explains how metal culture provides this essential outlet: “And metal fans, we release it through the music, they release it to the concert experience.” This insight highlights the genre’s crucial role as a healthy conduit for intense feelings, fostering emotional well-being among its devotees.
“Yeah, there’s moshing and slamming and sweating and crowd throwing and snarling,” Dee acknowledges, painting a vivid picture of the visceral energy of a metal concert. Yet, he concludes with an observation that might surprise outsiders: “And then look at the audience. They’re laughing. They’re smiling. They’re sweating. They’re better for it.” This powerful transformation, he believes, is the true essence of metal’s impact. “And that’s — I found solace in this, and the world needs that.” Snider’s unwavering conviction in the genre’s power culminates in a bold declaration that transcends mere entertainment: “And so yeah, heavy metal will save your soul. Heavy metal will save you. I promise — that’s my next album. Heavy Metal Will Save The World!” A fitting and powerful testament to the enduring, restorative power of metal, as envisioned by one of its most iconic figures.