Twisted Sister Books 2026 Shows With Sebastian Bach, Joey Cassata on Drums

Joey Cassata is the name that should stop every drummer cold in this announcement. Twisted Sister confirmed four fall 2026 shows headlined by former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, but the seat behind the kit belongs to Cassata, who most recently played on Ace Frehley's 2024 studio album 10,000 Volts and previously took his band ZO2 out on the road as an opener for Twisted Sister itself. The full lineup pairs guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda with Bach on vocals, Russell Pzutto on bass, and Cassata holding down the drum chair that once belonged to AJ Pero.

That last point is the story within the story. Pero, who died of a heart attack on March 20, 2015 at age 55 while touring with Adrenaline Mob, left behind a catalogue of drum parts that are among the most instantly recognizable in '80s hard rock. The opening snare crack of "I Wanna Rock" and the locked-in, punchy backbeat driving "We're Not Gonna Take It" are muscle-memory for anyone who grew up on Stay Hungry. Every fill Cassata plays in those songs will be measured against Pero's recorded originals note for note, and the drumming community will be listening closely.

Cassata is a groove-first, song-serving drummer by his own description, with influences running from Eric Carr and Robert Sweet to John Bonham. That lineage suggests he will respect the template rather than overhaul it, but modernization is still likely to show up in the details. Listen for how he handles Pero's signature pre-chorus fills: whether he tightens or opens the pocket on the ride-versus-hi-hat choices in the verses, whether double bass appears anywhere in the arrangements where Pero kept it to a single kick, and whether sample triggers or a click track are audible in the mix. The Ace Frehley 10,000 Volts sessions required Cassata to serve a similarly iconic rock catalogue with a new studio lens, which is useful preparation for the scrutiny that comes with Twisted Sister's setlist.

Cassata confirmed the gig on social media, calling the opportunity "SUPER excited (and beyond honored)" and noting he has been a self-described SMF, the band's longtime fan acronym, since age eight. He replaces Joe Franco, who was part of the originally announced reunion lineup before the entire run collapsed in February when Dee Snider resigned due to what the band described as "health challenges." Snider, dealing with degenerative arthritis, a hip replacement, and a knee injury, gave his blessing to the Bach-fronted configuration. Those original dates had been part of a planned 50th anniversary tour called Twisted Forever, Forever Twisted, announced in September 2025.

The four newly confirmed shows run from September through early October: Palmer, Arkansas on September 4; Durant, Oklahoma on September 12; Niagara Falls on October 8; and Windsor, Ontario on October 10. Tickets went on sale through standard presale and general-sale windows following the announcement. The band is framing these as select appearances rather than a full touring campaign, with Bach maintaining his parallel solo commitments.

For drummers, the Cassata booking represents something worth tracking live: a technically credible, rock-literate player stepping into one of the genre's most specific drum chairs, in front of audiences who have been listening to those parts for forty years.