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STEEL PANTHER
On The Prowl

Steel Panther Inc. (2023)
Rating: 7/10

By their third album, All You Can Eat (2014), the novelty of Steel Panther had somewhat worn off for me, but here I am once again itching from their infection.

You know what’s coming; Satchel’s blistering axe work, Michael Starr’s vocal smut and a batch of juvenile lyrics wrapped up in steely, anthemic designs most likely to appeal to the metalheads who probably didn’t like metal before they heard Steel Panther. You know the guys. You see them at the gigs dressed up like David Lee Roth – big fake hair, spandex – without knowing who Diamond Dave is even though they’ve heard Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ on the Father’s Day rock CD their kids bought them. Yes, I’m harsh but I will take my hat off to Steel Panther for their perverse perseverance, because while most of their albums, apart from the first two, feel anticlimactic and repetitive, the guys do know how to put on a show. Only this time round there is no Lexxi Foxx who has been replaced by Joe “Spyder” Lester on bass.

To be honest, the departure of Foxx hasn’t caused any kind of upheaval, and as one has come to expect from the California glamour boys they continue to trudge on through the glam metal wastelands parading their toilet humour via a batch of solid tracks which march into the ears only to be flushed away the following day.

At times, On The Prowl slips towards White Lion at their most metallic, while the usual Whitesnake and Van Halen streaks creep in. The supercharged ‘Friends With Benefits’ is evidence of the band’s power and suggests that if they were to ever become more serious that they could be an even more respected act. But the Panther, in spite of such metallic mayhem, has no time for straight-faced stances. Instead, we get the ballad ‘On Your Instagram’ that’ll get the lighters in the audience swaying, while opener ‘Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight)’ is an absolute sizzler in the Satchel department.

Elsewhere, the nostalgic ‘1987’ is a love song to that magical time that many of the band’s fans are probably too young to remember, and ‘Magical Vagina’ is another bombastic sing-along ballad. As with any Steel Panther opus there is that air of repetition in regards to song structure and subject, but again it’s the axe work which takes it beyond the realm of parody. ‘Is My Dick Enough’ (featuring Dweezil Zappa) and ‘Pornstar’ showcase the band at either end of its sleazy spectrum – the former shouts from the rooftops, while the latter is an acoustic sway of sorts that builds like countless numbers of long forgotten steamy 80s rock ballads.

On The Prowl is childish, but at times cleverly constructed lyrically and of course always willing to party, and that’s exactly what the fans want… nothing more, nothing less.

Neil Arnold

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