Steel Panther Want You to Feel The Steel
80's Metal Mavens Bring Sunset Strip Swagger Back in Style
Oct 8, 2009
This is where Steel Panther has earned its well oiled reputation as the most talented, and most ridiculous, 80's hair metal cover band on the planet. Their weekly renditions of Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt, Skid Row, and their ilk are blended with a heavy nod of comedy to the genre's excesses and pompous "It's all about the drugs and the chicks" narcissism.
For their faithful following, the day has arrived. Steel Panther has released Feel The Steel, their first album of original songs that harken back to the days when the hair was big, the dresses were small, and this kind of music was taken (almost) seriously.
Steel Isn't the Only Metal Steel Panther Lives For
The first thing that will greet you when you look at the cover, aside from 4 well teased dudes with coordinating head bands, torn spandex shirts, and a whole lot of fire, is a sticker alerting you that this is in fact "THE MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM EVER." And EVER is underlined! Just in case its profound importance was about be to pass someone by.
Right from the start, this is obviously not Radiohead's new album. Further cementing this is the opening track, and first single, Death to All But Metal, a riff heavy anthem bemoaning the current state of music and how it simply isn't 'metal' enough.
Each and every song will have your mind recalling a song from the 80's that it couldn't stand, while at the same time holding back laughter at how deeply these guys are willing to exploit the over the top culture and musical cliches of the time. Almost every song is about sex. Sex with an Asian hooker (Asian Hooker), sex with a stripper(Stripper Girl), sex with an ugly girl(Turn Out the Lights), sex with a fat girl(Fat Girl: Thar She Blows) and sex with groupies (Every other song). There is even an ode to 'the shocker,' called, what else but, The Shocker. This album runs deep with subtext, obviously.
Sure, this pony of rock sounds limited by it's one trick, but if you turn this trick out as well as these musical wunderkinds do, diversifying might as well be a waste of your natural talents.
Michael Starr, Satchel, Lexxi Foxxx, and Stix Zadinia Have Come to Rock!
At the forefront of this foul mouthed foursome is lead singer Michael Starr. Prettier than Vince Neil and Brett Michaels after 3 hours in the powder room, Starr aims for the pitch bleachers as he wails like a well-coiffed banshee. There's range, and then there's range, and some of these vocal gymnastics would make Rob Halford run for a helium pump in order to compete.
Then there is Lexxi Foxxx on bass and Stix Zadinia on skins, but it is the ever present licks of guitarist Satchel that steal (steel?) the show. If ever there was an album that warranted EVERY SINGLE SONG having a guitar solo, this is it. Satchel attacks his axe like every hammer-on across its frets has the power to unclasp bras around the country. Thankfully, the audience should never be caught unaware by his skills since the liner notes of every song announce when it's solo time with silly remarks like "Satchel F__kin rules it", "Satchel time baby!", "Satchel puts on a Clinic," and many others unfit to print.
Slipknot, The Darkness, and Anthrax. Oh My...
Joining the fun is an A-list collection of guest rockers. Lending their vocals to the proceedings are Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Justin Hawkins (The Darkness), Matt Nelson(Nelson), Brett Anderson (The Donnas), M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold), and Joe Lester (Atomic Punks). Backing Satchel up with more guitar noise is Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Allison Robertson (The Donnas).
Feel The Steel, at Home or Abroad
This album is fun times through and through. Whether you're a fan of reliving the 80's glory days or simply laughing at how corny they were, there's something on here to amuse just about everyone.
Steel Panther's days as a house band at The Key Club may soon be numbered as they take to the road in support of their metallic opus. If the opportunity presents itself in your neighborhood, go check these guys out live. Whether they're performing the well worn hits of a decade that was or blasting out their own originals, it's always a performance for the ages.
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