exploremusic

Last week, the guys from Saosin were in to talk about their new album, In Search of Solid Ground.  We covered a lot of things, including how to avoid the camouflaged tranny bars of Singapore (Stay away from the bar with the plastic curtain door on the fourth floor of the Orchard Towers complex.)

At some point the conversation turned to what everyone is listening to now.  There were some blank looks until Alex, the drummer, blurted out “Steel Panther!”  At that point, everyone lit up. 

“YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Steel Panther!”  (Imagine that being accompanied by lots of headbanging motions and devil horn signs.)

After order was restored, I managed to burble out “Steel Panther?  You’ve to be kidding!”

"No, dude!” said Alex, “They were this joke band who took 80s metal WAY too seriously.  But then I think they started believing that they WERE living in 1987.  Then they actually released an album.  It’s awesome, man!”

I have the record in front of me.  It sounds like a mash-up of Motley Crue, DLR-era Van Halen with a little GnR thrown in.  However, a better comparison might be Spinal Tap.  No, it is THE comparison.

The track listing is worth a thousand of my words.

1. "Death to All But Metal" -2:30   (Check out these lyrics!) http://www.metrolyrics.com/death-to-all-but-metal-lyrics-steel-panther.html
2. "Asian Hooker" (Feat. Corey Taylor of Slipknot) -4:02
3. "Community Property" -3:39 (The best power ballad never written in the 80s.)
4. "Eyes of a Panther" -3:37
5. "Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)" (NOT about whale hunting) -4:38
6. "Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’" -3:50 (Most women would probably disagree.)
7. "Party All Day (F*ck All Night)" (feat. Justin Hawkins of the Darkness) -3:03
8. "Turn Out the Lights" -4:24
9. "Stripper Girl" -3:35
10. "The Shocker" -4:10
11. "Girl from Oklahoma" -3:57 
12. "Hell’s on Fire" -3:02

If you want to party like it’s the Sunset Strip in 1987—but with much more vulgarity and hilarity—give Steel Panther a listen.  Just make sure your mom, wife, girlfriend—hell, ANY female—isn’t around.  And remember:  this record is definitely NSFW.  Definitely.