Year: 2019
Total Time: 35:15
Label: Steel Panther, Inc.
STEEL PANTHER is a band that started out as a joke and ended up being the landmark and “banner” of Glam Sleeze Hard Rock or Hair Metal in the modern years. It is a band that you will either hate or love, there is no middle ground solution here. One can easily accuse them of being a mockery – joke of major bands like TWISTED SISTER, MOTLEY CRUE, GUNS ‘N’ ROSES and KISS, but if you watch their work extensively or, even better, see them live, you will find out why they are the No 1 band of Glam Metal right now!
The formulas are completely inextricable and their love for Metal is unquestionable. After all, the title of their album clearly states it: “Heavy Metal Rules”! They have already toured with many great bands and shared the stage with stars like Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT / STONESOUR), Jerry Cantrell (ALICE IN CHAINS) even with the “Gods of Metal” JUDAS PRIEST. They kick serious asses live and their shows are a unique experience. In fact, I was lucky enough to see them live as Co-Headliners at Wacken 2016 festival in Germany, where they left people speechless with their performance!
Back on the album now: “Heavy Metal Rules” includes all these “cliché” elements that made them Sleeze Rock’s new ambassadors the last 10 years. From chirping voices and catchy polyphonic choruses, up tempo party moods with ‘playful’ guitars and lyrics, classic themes referring to sexy street adventures full of drugs, alcohol and everything else that those bands love to tell you about. Despite the fact they start out loud with “Zebraman”, from the third or fourth track, they reduce their speed with sweet ballads, until they come back with throttle on the self-titled track or the next one with the classic sleazy title “Sneaky Little Bitch”.
As a result, the compositions, in terms of inspiration, are of lower quality than in their previous album “Lower the Bar”. Of course, we will also find here beautiful voices, a strong rhythm section, a good production sound and a sweet sunset-like epilogue listening with the title life lesson “I Ain’t Buying What You Are Selling”.
Personally, I think STEEL PANTHER will never become huge like their idols MOTLEY CRUE, but I respect them indefinitely for what they’ve been doing all those years, offering the revelers of the 80’s Hard Rock revival, up to the creation of their own record label. Such a big contribution to this! After all, people really need such kind of bands to have great fun at the live shows.
Rating: 6/10
Editor: Nikos Mathiopoulos
Related Link: STEEL PANTHER – Official Page
