Steel Panther – Heavy Metal Rules (Steel Panther Inc)

The 80s. To fans of glam rock and hair metal, attention immediately turns to Whitesnake, Ratt, Dokken et al. 

Steel Panther entered the fray in 2009 – 20 years after the Sunset Strip hit its sleaziest peak – and gave us a healthy dose of riffs, tits and balls-out heavy metal.

Feel The Steel and Balls Out were undoubtedly the best records released by the quartet but a steady decline from All You Can Eat has perhaps mirrored the sharp downward turn glam metal suffered at the hands of grunge in the early 90s.

Steel Panther’s latest record Heavy Metal Rules is 36 minutes long, which at least limits the time wasted listening to tired innuendos, sorry songs about orifices and Michael Starr’s appendage.

Some of Satchel’s guitar work is still worth listening to and the album starts with a catchy and anthemic All I Wanna Do Is Fuck (Myself Tonight)

But much like their catalogue of records, the good stuff came early. A premature ascendancy, with two riff-laden records followed by a couple of limp efforts. The Steel Panther bubble seems to have burst.

Heavy metal does rule, but this record does not.

Guy Bell