Album Review: Steel Panther, ‘All You Can Eat’

Oh, Steel Panther.

You can always count on these guys to deliver a wild, raucous, raunchy, hilarious and horns-in-the-air metal record.

Some of you may sit there in puzzlement wondering what to make of this band. Are they for real? Is this just some sort of gimmick — you know a band that parodies the 80s glam metal scene, sound and style with a tongue in the cheek and the wink of an eye. Or is this a band that totally buys into the hedonistic lifestyle of decadent rock ‘n’ roll that they espouse on every record.

This curiosity over Steel Panther’s actual motives will ruin your listening experience, though, tainting your ability to truly grasp their music and let it be your ultimate guilty (or not-so guilty) pleasure.

So, here’s some advice — don’t try and read into Steel Panther too hard. These guys are the real deal, they have a true love for the sound they create. Do they have fun with it? Absolutely. Do they get a little silly with it? Absolutely. Is it a killer good time? You bet your Aquanet it is.

All You Can Eat is a definite step above their previous effort, 2011’s Balls Out. That record was an awesome introduction to Steel Panther with some definitive Panther anthems, but there were a number of tracks that fell flat and just didn’t have much staying power.

With All You Can Eat it’s all killer, no filler.

The musicianship of the band has somehow gotten better. Let’s be blunt here — these guys can play their asses off. It might seem a bit blasphemous to say it, but these guys are better musicians that a lot of the guys who made millions in the hair metal days. Guitarist Satchel is the man of the hour on this record — his guitar work, particularly his solos are so blistering and intense you’ll literally get chills running up and down your spine.

All You Can Eat, as expected from Steel Panther, is absolutely hilarious. With song titles like “Bukkake Tears,” “B.V.S. (Big Vagina Syndrome)” and “Gangbang at the Old Folks Home”, you can be assured these guys are not penning Dylan-esque tales of disenfranchised youth. Instead, be assured you’re going to laugh your balls off from start to finish.

So, do you want big guitars, thundering drums, snotty vocals, songs about sex, drugs and sex on drugs that transport you back to rock’s decade of decadence? Then you need to slip into the spandex-covered euphoria that is Steel Panther.