If you are looking for finesse, go on your way. On the other hand, if you're looking for a good dose of self-derision, trashy lyrics and big metal riffs, then Steel Panther is for you! For the last ten years or so, the band has been taking a break from the lace and reviving the glam-rock of the 80s in a succession of hilarious looks and hits.
And to believe it, you have to see them on stage. If you're into gravelly jokes and obscene gestures, biker-style headbands and fluo leggings with all the anatomical details, long hair and glitter, you'll love it. And if you don't, Steel Panther's straightforward humour might just carry you away, between two heartfelt bass lines.
Because the Californians are taking on the image of decadent rockers, a kitsch version of the great Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe or Van Halen days. What do they want? Nothing less than the good old "Sex, Drugs & Rock'n Roll", a motto they themselves practise with great assiduity. And if we are to believe the verbal jousting that almost acts as an intermission between their songs.
But if their audience laughs as much as they headbang, it would be wrong to reduce the Steel Panther's unbearable members to their status of crowd entertainers. For while they originally played a lot of covers, they now deliver their own songs. So yes, you can hardly count the number of times the word pussy is uttered, but that doesn't take anything away from their musical talents. Whether it's Lexxi Foxxx on bass or Satchel on guitar, they play very well! And when it comes to sending the lyrics and holding the notes, you can feel that Michael Starr knows what he's talking about. Between substance and form, the boys from Los Angeles play the second degree with talent and it feels good!
Metal Shop, Metal Skool and finally Steel Panther. Satchel's band had to change names twice to get out of the Los Angeles clubs. In 2009, their filthy genius is finally recognized and they sign with Universal for the very good Feel the Steel which also marks the beginning of their original titles. Hits such as Asian Hooker stood out from the crowd and are always sung in chorus by the audience at their concerts.
In 2011, the band releases Balls Out and its unambiguous hits Supersonic Sex Machine and If You Really Really Love Me. They followed this up with their second European tour and set down for the first time in Paris the following year to blow the audience away at Le Bataclan. A rendezvous in the City of Lights that would become almost an annual event.
If the shortest jokes are the best jokes, this adage definitely does not seem to apply to Steel Panther. With Heavy Metal Rules, the band pushes the envelope even further, delivering a laugh-out-loud clip on Always Gonna Be a Ho. A salacious joke like the ones we've got used to from these four indomitable people over the last few years. And which, surprisingly, don't seem to get any wrinkles.