Drummer Joey Cassata says he was "blown away" when he got the call to join TWISTED SISTER for the heavy metal icons' fall 2026 shows — a run that will be fronted by Sebastian Bach. Speaking with Robby Vegas, Cassata revealed there was no formal tryout: "There was no audition. It was, 'Hey, Joe, we would love you to do this with us. Are you available?' And I was blown away."
Cassata — who played drums on Ace Frehley's final solo album, "10,000 Volts" — has long-standing ties to the TWISTED SISTER camp. He recalled that nearly every member appeared on "Z Rock," the IFC television series built around his former band ZO2. "TWISTED was bigger than life back then," he said. "I was an SMFer, and I loved them beyond belief. So to get that call... it's one of those life-changing moments."
The drummer explained how the offer came about. He received a call in January from the band's manager, Danny Stanton, initially assuming it was about a social visit from KISS drummer Peter Criss. Instead, Stanton asked whether he'd be interested in playing with "the guys." Joe Franco — who had originally been tapped for the dates and briefly drummed with TWISTED SISTER in the mid-1980s — had to bow out for minor health reasons and personally suggested Cassata as his replacement.
The 2026 dates have seen significant upheaval. The band first scrapped a planned reunion in February after singer Dee Snider resigned, citing health issues, forcing the cancellation of all spring and early-summer shows. On March 3, guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda announced that Bach would instead front the group for a handful of select fall appearances — dates that do not conflict with Bach's ongoing solo schedule.
TWISTED SISTER had previously retired in 2016 after its "Forty And Fuck It" 40th-anniversary trek, which featured DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy on drums following the 2015 death of longtime drummer A.J. Pero. Cassata's musical journey began at age five, watching KISS at Madison Square Garden; he later opened 50 shows for KISS with ZO2 and performed in the Broadway production "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812."