Album Review: Steel Panther - 'Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage'

Steel Panther are a joke that some people are in on and others are not. It’s like there’s a secret club to be initiated. Some weird, real life Stonecutters construct? A couple of your close friends will go out of their way to convince you that their lyrical content is redeemable in its humour; but your other friends will sneer from the other side of the table, telepathically cursing the parody outfit with squinted eyes.

It all comes down to this: to be a fan of Steel Panther, you have to be down with both their sound and their lyrics. Musically, they distinguish themselves with their knack for composing, what with the sick solos and catchy melodies that stick in your head when you beg them not to. The issue, though, lies in the polarising nature of their lyrics, which are more difficult to get on board with for the large majority of female listeners, in particular.

‘Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage’ is a release for the portion of society that do actually dig what Steel Panther do. You’ll hear this live album exclusively in the corner of the metal scene where distasteful requests of women at shows don’t offend anyone, and where chants that could seem disrespectful simply don’t count. To Steel Panther’s merit, their instrumental talent does make the overall sound of this album superior to a lot of other live releases. While it’s not always what you’d typically expect from an ‘acoustic’ show, the solos like that on ‘Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World’, the notes that frontman Michael Starr kills and the straight-up axe mastering that ensues can’t go unrecognised. From skilful incorporations of pianos and strings that retain the metallic integrity of each song to an apt closure with ‘Death To All But Metal’, it’s clear that Steel Panther sure know how to wield their weapons instruments. As for freshie, ‘That’s When You Came In’…well, it’s exactly what you’d expect it to sound like.

This isn’t a release aiming to entice any potential future members of the Steel Panther fan-clan to hop on for the ride. Instead, it treats the outfit’s weirdly loyal fan base to a solid playthrough to indulge in while they anticipate an even-more-offensive upcoming studio full-length.

If you’re still a sixteen year old boy discovering the pleasures of distasteful obscenities, have a great time listening to this album with the volume on low so your parents don’t hear how edgy you are. If you’re an old fan looking to indulge in some parody metal, step right on up. If you’re in disagreement with the devaluing way that this band approaches women in general (whether it's intended as jest or otherwise), maybe just pop on ‘Death To All But Metal’ at a stretch.

1. Show Intro/Say Yeah!

2. Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World

3. Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)

4. If You Really, Really Love Me

5. Gloryhole

6. Bukkake Tears

7. The Burden of Being Wonderful

8. Weenie Ride

9. That’s When You Came In

10. Michael Don’t Know

11. Community Property

12. Grindy and Sexy

13. Death To All But Metal