Artist SpotlightSteel Panther

Wed Jan 06 2021

As political correctness suffocates and squeezes the last drop of fun from popular culture, four men boldly plant their flag into the ground in the name of heavy metal... Now, Steel Panther, Michael Starr [lead vocals], Satchel [lead guitar], Lexxi Foxx [bass], and Stix Zadinia [drums]have certainly waved the flag for sex, drugs, and metal to the point of keeping this holy trinity alive since emerging in 2000. However, they fulfill this mission to its fullest potential on their fifth full length, the aptly titled Heavy Metal Rules. The solos screech louder, the vocals soar higher, the drums hit harder, and the bass (or thumps) mightier than ever before. “You’re going to hear something familiar, but you’re also going to hear something new,” says Michael. “We grew as musicians and as people. Heavy Metal Rules Is the perfect phrase to describe how we feel,” explains Stix. “It’s not just music; it’s a lifestyle. We’ve been able to create an environment for ourselves where nothing is off limits. There are no boundaries. We push it, because we like to push it. In this day and age, people are open to pushing it, because everything is so politically correct. We are the last bastion where you can go if you want to get your freak on. We’re the most truthful band on the planet.” The planet continues to welcome them time and time again. 2009’s full length debut, Feel The Steel, brought the balls back to rock as Balls Out let them fly free in 2011 as Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, guitar god Nuno Bettencourt, and Dane Cook joined in on the madness. Three years later, All You Can Eat arrived to a 4 out-of-5K review from KERRANG! and kudos from Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor who described it as “top to bottom so good.” 2017’s Lower The Bar earned praise from Metal Hammer and Classic Rock as the group’s cumulative streams surpassed 100 million and views leapt past 100million by 2019. Along the way, they shook stages alongside everyone from Aerosmith to Alter Bridge and Stone Sour and incited flashing from crowds at Download and countless sold outheadline gigs. In 2019, they hunkered down in Lexxi’s mom’s garage alongside frequent collaborator and regular producer Jay Ruston [Anthrax, Stone Sour] to cut Heavy Metal Rules