Heavy Metal Rules

Heavy Metal Rules is the fifth album, putting Steel Panther's love of 1980s glam metal, excessive humour and unexpectedly certain playing straight to the front. Released in 2019 and produced by Jay Ashton. High vocals, twin-guitar-style phrasing and flashy choruses build a deliberately overblown rock pleasure. At ten tracks it's more compact than what came before — one respect in which it differs. The provocative humour in the lyrics still chooses its listener, but the songwriting is serious, and the riffs and solos show a deep understanding of the era's form. The title track is an anthem that simply states the band's creed, and it has real pulling power live. From the opener “Zebraman” through “Let's Get High Tonight” and “I'm Not Your Bitch” to the closing “I Ain't Buying What You're Selling,” there's no filler. In 2021 bassist Lexxi Foxx would leave, and the band would hold open auditions for a replacement. Enjoyable not only as parody but as melodic hard rock — an unapologetic record.