Review Summary: Vagina jokes just aren't as funny anymore. Period.
Other than metalcore, it’s fair to say that Glam has been the largest target of ridicule in the world of heavy music. Since its conception in the 70’s, the stereotypes of glam rock have always been made fun of due to the flamboyancy of the attire, makeup and concepts. Essentially, people thought it was everything rock shouldn’t be. However, once the masses were able to see through the bravado, they understood that bands such as Motley Crue, Skid Row and Twisted Sister could actually write stadium-crushing rock songs that were equally as potent as the songs their more ‘masculine’ counterparts like AC/DC and Motorhead produced.
Nowadays, glam rock has grown out of style; 2017 is not the same as it was in 1980. Nevertheless, there are a number of bands who still retain the nostalgia of downing a bottle of Jack down Sunset Strip while someone else’s oversized hairdo blows in the wind from the sunroof of a limousine. Steel Panther are one such band and their sex-focused, single entendre, porno-parody of glam rock still remains as catchy as crabs.
The undemanding nature of Steel Panther’s third album,
“Lower the Bar”, is its best asset. From the pounding drumbeats, bouncing riffs and direct lyricism, everything has been tailored to sound incredibly straightforward and unabashed. Therefore, this simplicity makes the album, and all Steel Panther material, infectiously catchy. Kicking off with ‘Goin’ in the Backdoor,’ which describes the apparent necessity of anal sex, Steel Panther quickly establish a hard rhythm section and a towering chorus with brief spoken word intersections reminiscent of Van Halen. Sliding into action with placid guitars, then twisting into bendy riffs and soaring solos performed by Russ “Satchel” Parrish, ‘Poontang Boomerang’ is also a one-directional track focused on being as anthemic as possible. While the songs on Steel Panthers fourth are undoubtedly catchy, it’s nothing dissimilar from anything they’ve ever recorded.
Whereas previous albums serve obvious references to various glam bands,
“Lower the Bar” does grasp a small handful of new tricks that, for once, can only be applied to Steel Panther and not the bands that they originate from. Predominantly, this is because that band uses modern influences to cement their place and relevance in modern music. The egotistical lyrics Michael Starr wails in ‘That’s When You Came In’ make references to the false personalities people display on Facebook and the aforementioned ‘Poontang Boomerang’ describes a Tinder hookup gone wrong, where the lovely damsel refuses to leave. Slight increments of gazing psychedelic synth also force their way into ‘Wrong Side of the Tracks (Out in Beverly Hills)’ to create this gleaming, glittery ambience.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of aspects to
“Lower the Bar” that a lot of people will swipe left on. Despite spotlighting the fantastic vocal range Michael Starr has, ‘Now The Fun Starts’ destroys the momentum Steel Panther have established over the first half of the album with its slow, pumping bass. ‘Wasted Too Much Time’ is a power ballad with a unifying chorus of “I wasted too much time…***ing you” however, the tender, contemplative tempo yields a disappointing climax. Much like masturbation,
“Lower the Bar” is enjoyable enough although when it’s overused it loses its excitement and realistically, it never really comparing to the real deal.
There’s a certain talent that comes with recording songs about sex so single-mindedly unfazed at the reaction they’ll provoke while simultaneously making them sound catchy, anthemic and hard hitting. Steel Panther have nailed this before but,
“Lower the Bar” sounds like they’ve genuinely settled for adequate. They haven’t lowered their standards; they just need to aim higher.
