Feel the Steel

Feel the Steel is the debut by Steel Panther, a band that loves 1980s glam metal utterly while entertaining as parody at the same time. Released on Universal Republic in October 2009. It's the record on which a band that had spent years sharpening its craft as a covers act in Los Angeles clubs finally emerged with original songs. The line-up is Michael Starr, Satchel, Lexxi Foxx and Stix Zadinia; by this point they had appeared in TV commercials and dramas and were already a known quantity in certain circles. Glittering guitar, piercing high notes and choruses piled on to excess vividly recreate the era's formal beauty. What matters is the certainty of the playing and songwriting underneath the joking. The opener “Death to All But Metal” and the ballad “Community Property” became singles, and the album reached No. 98 on the Billboard 200 and No. 48 on the rock chart. The lyrics are thoroughly crude, and that deliberately tasteless humour will divide listeners sharply. But making you laugh while genuinely lifting you — that duality is what keeps this from being a mere novelty.