Is it still OK to laugh at midget jokes in 2017? Absolutely...
For over a decade now, Los Angeles favourite fuck-tastic glam rockers STEEL PANTHER have spread their musical seed all around the world like an STD with a point to prove...over the course of three comical and often sexually explicit albums they've risen from mere nostalgic 80's throwback entertainers to arena headlining rock stars, relying on a mixture of old-school rock & roll and more crude material than an audience with Roy "Chubby" Brown...but in these recent years, while the shows have been getting bigger, their song writing has remained virtually unchanged...if it ain't broke don't fix it? Or are they riding a one-trick-pony harder than they rode your mum the last time they hit the UK? Let's find out on album number four; "Lower The Bar"...chuck a rubber on, let's go...
We immediately find ourselves getting down and dirty with "Goin' In The Backdoor" (I expected no less really, who said romance is dead?) and right from the word go this is Panther-by-numbers...Michael Starr hits all his usual notes on vocals and one thing that isn't to be denied is that Satchel is a reliable and consistent guitarist, the melody here is solid and as far as opening tracks go it's decent but all too familiar at the same time. "Poontang Boomerang" aside from it's brilliantly absurd name which I will give bonus points for, is rich in it's classic MOTLEY CRUE influence and glam-rock / hair metal style, with more than a touch of trademark Panther humour to boot, and as always, they've not held back on the music video...ridiculous as always, credit to them...this is exactly what Panther are all about...but...were we ever going to have it any other way?
"Wrong Side Of The Tracks" is generally upbeat and is catchy in it's own right, and it's got a great climax (oh behave) while "Now The Fun Starts" by contrast is an incredibly slow, brooding track but not like one of their alternative acoustic ballads, this is generally slow and methodical which contradicts the track title completely...the guitar work is again, on point, but really it begs to question maybe it would sound better if say, TENACIOUS D had did this one and really, there aren't many actual highlights here. "Wasted Too Much Time" and "That's When You Came In" reek of cringe-worthy cliche's and repetition that, the band themselves have inflicted upon themselves...before "She's Tight"...a CHEAP TRICK cover featuring original vocalist Robin Zander does thematically suit Panther but it sounds mediocre at best.
Back in 2013 when the band released "All You Can Eat", I stressed that, the joke may already be wearing thin and that they run the risk of becoming a parody of themselves, there is only so far a gimmick will take you in music (Look at LORDI, hit the big time winning Eurovision but the novelty wore off quicker than wearing that little hat you get in your Christmas cracker...seriously who wears that shit for longer then ten minutes?)...if you are already a fan of Steel Panther there's probably something you'll enjoy here as it hasn't strayed too far from familiar territory but if you've anticipated any sort of evolution, you're shit out of luck. Lower the bar? Lower your expectations...and while you're at it go get checked out. [4]
We immediately find ourselves getting down and dirty with "Goin' In The Backdoor" (I expected no less really, who said romance is dead?) and right from the word go this is Panther-by-numbers...Michael Starr hits all his usual notes on vocals and one thing that isn't to be denied is that Satchel is a reliable and consistent guitarist, the melody here is solid and as far as opening tracks go it's decent but all too familiar at the same time. "Poontang Boomerang" aside from it's brilliantly absurd name which I will give bonus points for, is rich in it's classic MOTLEY CRUE influence and glam-rock / hair metal style, with more than a touch of trademark Panther humour to boot, and as always, they've not held back on the music video...ridiculous as always, credit to them...this is exactly what Panther are all about...but...were we ever going to have it any other way?
"Wrong Side Of The Tracks" is generally upbeat and is catchy in it's own right, and it's got a great climax (oh behave) while "Now The Fun Starts" by contrast is an incredibly slow, brooding track but not like one of their alternative acoustic ballads, this is generally slow and methodical which contradicts the track title completely...the guitar work is again, on point, but really it begs to question maybe it would sound better if say, TENACIOUS D had did this one and really, there aren't many actual highlights here. "Wasted Too Much Time" and "That's When You Came In" reek of cringe-worthy cliche's and repetition that, the band themselves have inflicted upon themselves...before "She's Tight"...a CHEAP TRICK cover featuring original vocalist Robin Zander does thematically suit Panther but it sounds mediocre at best.
Back in 2013 when the band released "All You Can Eat", I stressed that, the joke may already be wearing thin and that they run the risk of becoming a parody of themselves, there is only so far a gimmick will take you in music (Look at LORDI, hit the big time winning Eurovision but the novelty wore off quicker than wearing that little hat you get in your Christmas cracker...seriously who wears that shit for longer then ten minutes?)...if you are already a fan of Steel Panther there's probably something you'll enjoy here as it hasn't strayed too far from familiar territory but if you've anticipated any sort of evolution, you're shit out of luck. Lower the bar? Lower your expectations...and while you're at it go get checked out. [4]
RSS Feed