Steel Panther - Balls Out
Building on the over-the-top, hair metal ideals introduced on debut effort Feel The Steel, Panther get their Balls Out on a record packed with catchy melodies, huge choruses and hilarious lyrics.
They're are a band that will admittedly polarise opinion, and these thoughts can be placed into a few groups.
The first will dismiss the band as filth, not seeing the humour in the tongue-in-cheek image Panther have built for themselves.
Some critics may be put off by the unashamed '80s-influenced sound and image of a band lifting cliches straight out of the Motley Crue and Van Halen "Guide To Glam Rock".
For those people, Steel Panther (and thus Balls Out as an album) will never work, but if you're lucky enough to be in on the joke, and can see that Panther are essentially Spinal Tap for the 21st Century, this will be one of the best records you'll hear all year.
The constant word play and double entendre makes for a thoroughly entertaining record, particularly on the likes of 'Just Like Tiger Woods' and 'Why Can't You Trust Me'.
Steel Panther are never a band who lean towards subtly, with their lyrics constantly referencing drugs and sex in a way that feels so outrageous you can't help but laugh.
Much more than a band relying on shcok value, their knowledge of metal and hard rock cliches make Balls Out enjoyable on a whole other level - 'If You Really Really Love Me' is a ballad Steven Tyler would be proud of, at least musically.
If lines like "If I have sex with your friend Melanie, don't act like it's some kind of felony" don't make you crack up, then there really isn't much hope here.
Steel Panther play to their crowd, and do it with more than a knowing nod to the stereotypes they embrace.
Balls Out reaches its climax (pun completely intended) with the soaring, beautiful ballad 'Weenie Ride,' a track that perfectly captures what Steel Panther are all about.
Yes, it's full of vulgar images and silly lyrics ("It's funner than the swing or the monkey bars, you can take it on the couch, or your waterbed, or the back of your daddy's car"), but underneath is a genuinely moving and high-quality piece of music.
It remains to be seen whether Panther's music will limit them, or whether they can go from here and give themselves the kind of longevity their talent and humour deserves.
Spinal Tap were less crude, but Steel Panther are just as authentic with all the humour of their predecessors, and Balls Out will only see their star rise.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
Tagged in Steel Panther