Steel Panther - Feel The Steel

One of the most interesting things about this record and band is sifting through its self-propagated mythology. The LA quartet not only claim to have been around in the city’s Sunset Strip heyday, they also allege it was they who were ripped off by the titans of the genre. But does the schtick work? Sometimes. The ludicrously pseudonymed rockers replicate with dead-on accuracy the titanic riffage and Aqua Net excess of the '80s, and lyricist Michael Starr's turns of phrase might, occasionally, make you smirk (sample lyric: “My heart belongs to you/but my cock is community property"). It’s unfortunate, then, that Steel Panther stretch the gag over 11 songs. Even compared to obvious reference point The Darkness, the band simply doesn’t have range. After a few listens, once you’ve giggled at songs like Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’, the joke begins to wear thin, and you’ll struggle to find substance beneath the sheen.