Steel Panther - 'Feel The Steel'

Glorified covers band makes good on the joke.

Ok, so it’s 2009 and heavy metal is officially back-in-town, apparently. Los Angeles, California’s Steel Panther seem to think so, or maybe that sound you hear could better be described as an ironic appreciation of the basest genre clichés; an sentiment which seems to be ‘hip’ among the youth of today.

Regardless of which side of the fence The Panther’s fanbase stands on when it comes to actual metal dedication, only the stodgiest of fogies could find fault with the raunchy humor and surprisingly tuneful licks Feel The Steel possesses throughout its twelve tracks. Sure, the band’s brand of humor is beyond filthy and offensively crude, but—believe it or not—behind the Aqua Net veneer, there actually lies the red-blooded beating heart of a melodic and memorable rock ‘n roll band.

Guitarist Satchel—perhaps remembering his cues from Steel Panther’s humble cover band origins under the Metal School and Danger Kitty monikers—lets it rip with a bevy of slick (and often stolen) licks ‘n riffs, blatantly ripping off the ‘80s rock archetypes of Whitesnake, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, all with a not-so-subtle wink and nod to heavy metal’s stylistic heritage. Meanwhile, vocalist Michael Starr hoots ‘n hollers with his own tuneful take on the vintage hair metal frontman, echoing classic David Lee and Sebastian Bach with surprising charisma and power.

Feel The Steel also features its fair share of guest appearances, from the likes of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows and even former Darkness singer Justin Hawkins. Is this enough to elevate this album to ‘future classic’ status? Um…no, but somehow I doubt this is Steel Panther’s intention. Rather, Feel The Steel just aims to be a raucous good time for all, and—with such legitimate standouts as “Community Property” and “Eyes Of A Panther”-it does succeed in doing just that, indeed.