Stephen
Steel Panther is always going to be a love/hate type of band - the way they go offensive on their lyrics, bringing up the classic theme of sex, drugs, and rock and roll can't be appreciated by everyone. Some call them a parodical clown, some call them a modern day glam heroes, but whatever it is, Steel Panther was built for fun, that's the spirit that they want people to catch and don't take anything too seriously, a motto that listeners should bear in mind while venturing to the adventure land of 'Balls Out'.
Opened up with a funny intro, Panther launched a great riffs on 'Supersonic Sex Machine'. You can't deny that Michael Starr has some serious awesome vocals and check out Satchel's stunning solo. This is a band with seasoned musicians and they knew how to handle their roles pretty well. 'Just Like Tiger Woods' is a semi-ballad track with Def Leppard touch while '17 Girls In A Row' has that sleazy naughty riffs that reminds me of Poison's 'Unskinny Bop' meets Motley Crue's 'Slice of Your Pie'.
Panther might not sound original but who does these days when all the great hooks were already invented in the past? All those influences from Crue, Dokken, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, and any 80s major act were piled up inside, but they mixed it to form a unique Panther style. 'It Won't Suck Itself', probably the coolest song title, is a heavy metal tendency track and also my fave. 'Tomorrow Night' is big on riffs and huge on chorus. 'Why Can't You Trust Me' is a superb ballad, the best here and much better than the first single, 'If You Really, Really Love Me' which is quite average.
'That's What Girls Are For' was raised on Def Leppard and it's also fun to magically cast the spell G-O-L-D-D-I-G-G-I-N-G-W-H-O-R-E at their gig. 'I Like Drugs' is a party track, the chorus reminds me to Kiss' 'I Just Wanna' a bit, I love it along with 'Critter', another uptempo monster. 'Weenie Ride' is a soothing piano ballad with a totally LoL lyric.
Overall, I still prefer the debut over this one, but this is somehow heavier and riffs-oriented. Need at least 2-3 intensive spins to enjoy the arrangement, but overall a fun ride from start to finish, although you do need a good sense of humor to enjoy. At least, it's a music for everyone, and you might be surprised to see that even John Petrucci listed this in his top ten albums of 2011. I guess he found the massive slogan of "three holes are better than hole-in-one" are useful when he's about to go golfing.