Steel Panther, the tight pants wearing, guitar solo shredding, hair product spraying, wheelin’ dealin’ son of guns behind a rebirth of ’80s metal, have graced us with another album, Heavy Metal Rules. Panther is no stranger to the limelight, whether it’s for their off color musical themes, or controversy surrounding one of the best sounding high gain distortion pedals on the market (this reviewer missed the deadline and forever regrets it). Nevertheless, as single after single was released, my excitement for this new album grew.
The inclusion of “Zebraman” is an awesome callback to Heavy Metal Parking Lot, a must watch documentary short shot in the parking lot of a Judas Priest concert. Zebraman ranting about how everything except for heavy metal sucks is the perfect intro for the best song on the album, “All I Wanna Do Is Fuck (Myself Tonight).” To say this song has a catchy chorus is an understatement, and it will be perfect for crowd chants went it comes time to play it live. “Lets Get High Tonight” is a big rock anthem that sounds like it could fill an arena with its layered vocals and punchy riff.
“Let’s Get High Tonight” and “I’m Not Your Bitch” continue these themes in a great way, and the title track “Heavy Metal Rules” will surprise you with a tight construction and memorable verse/chorus. Really, that’s what a lot of these songs boil down to: streamlined songs, catchy choruses, memorable hooks. You can certainly make the argument that after four studio and one live album, that Steel Panther has settled into their wheelhouse, but on some of the tracks it comes off as slightly formulaic. Songs like “Always Gonna Be A Ho” feel flat, especially when compared to the variety and success of Lower The Bar.
Nevertheless, Steel Panther continues to reliably release great music album after album, and despite a few forgettable songs, Heavy Metal Rules is another entry into the heavy metal legacy of Steel Panther. There are enough great songs on this album to carry it forward. “All I Wanna Do” and “Gods of P*ssy” are absolute bangers, and serve as excellent bookends on the album. I’m excited to see Panther on this upcoming tour, and especially excited to see how they work these new songs into a library chock full of hits. Heavy Metal Rules earns a…
Rating: 8/10
