We took a look at Feel The Steel at the beginning of the month, and that was a joyous cacophony of raunchy sex, hairspray, and some fine Hair Metal tribute. The band would continue this trend for the next few release, until the album I’m examining in this review. 2017's Lower The Bar: would it still live up to the band’s usual standards of loving tribute to the 80s & all things comedic & dirty? Well, let’s not waste anymore time, and find out if the bar has been lowered!
Background
By the end of the 2010s, Steel Panther miraculously made a name for themselves. Feel The Steel in 2009, Balls Out in 2011, and All You Can Eat in 2014......they somehow managed to Grab Heavy Metal & nostalgia by it’s giant balls, and has kept it’s grip nice & tight since. Alongside an acoustic album in 2016 (Live from Lexxi's Mom's Garage) and a appearance on the Adult Swim call-in show FishCenter Live, they knew not to rest on their asses despite all the drugs, booze, and women. So they got into the recording studio, jamed as hard as they could, and on March 24th 2017 (Originally was intended for a February 24th release), Lower The Bar was released.
Reception for Lower The Bar was pretty good all over the place. In the U.S., it reached no. 40 on the Billboard 200, and made it to no. 1 on the Top Comedy Albums part of the Billboard. Meanwhile, it reached to no. 10 on the charts for Australian & New Zealand, no. 15 on the Ö3 Austria list, and it’s lowest perform position at no. 127 on the French SNEP chart.
Basic Description
Meh?
I find myself somewhat conflicted with actually labeling Lower The Bar with that word. Steel Panther aren’t a bad band, and their releases aren’t bad. Despite being a comedy/parody group, their devotion to Hair Metal & the 80s metal scene is incredibly genuine and very heartfelt (It’s ironic I use that word, considering how filthy & politically incorrect they are). Feel The Steel is incredibly enjoyable, Balls Out is incredibly enjoyable, All You Can Eat is incredibly enjoyable, and Lower The Bar is no exception. However, something seemed off to me as I devoured the music on this record. If anything, this release reminded me why Hair Metal eventually lost it’s popularity by the end of the 80s. By the end of that decade, there were so many hair bands, there was basically no room for experimenting & trying new things with the style. If it was intentional to sound repetitive as part of their act, as maybe a subtle nod to what the style was like by the end of the 1980s, then it’s genius! If it’s not intentional, then maybe it’s time for Steel Panther to change up their act a little.
Best Track
Poontang Boomerang.....for 2 reasons. 1: the music video is ridiculous! Basically, it plays out like a Hair Metal equivalent of MTV Cribs. Michael Starr is showing off his house, but beforehand kicks a girl out of his pad because his cat Poontang (One of the reasons the song has it’s name) meowed that she’s bad news. Sure enough, said girl comes back looking for blood, but is defeated by Poontang being used as the titular boomerang. Yeah it’s stupid, but for longtime Steel Panther fans, this is pretty much normal. 2: this song is massively catchy. Michael’s singing is great as usual, Stix bangs on the drums like a guy on a hooker, Lexxi is smooth with the bass, and Satchel knows his way with the guitar. If you’re humming even a tiny part of it, then it did it’s job.
Poontang Boomerang
Worst Track
Coming from someone that genuinely loves these guys, my only fault I can find with this album, and by extent their entire discography, is that......they all sound the same (Like I talked about earlier). If you’ve heard Lower The Bar, you’ve pretty much heard every other release! Likewise, If you listened to Feel The Steel, you heard SP’s 3 other records. The quality here is still fantastic as everything else, but it’s the same subject matter you heard 3 times prior. I still laugh all the same, but I wished they experimented at least a little.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Lower The Bar
Overall Impression & Rating
Lower The Bar isn’t a bad album by any means, but it is the release that will make or break the band for you. After 4 albums of effectively doing the same thing, if you’re still with them by this release, then you’re definitely going to be in it for the long haul. More casual fans will probably be turned off by Lower The Bar, but regardless of which side you’re on......it’s certain one of the more divisive releases of Steel Panther’s career.
Lower The Bar gets a 7 out of 10.
And that was Lower The Bar. Still a fine album from Steel Panther, but this one will be the tipping point for some fans. Next month I’m ending Hair Metal Hysteria on a high note, but before that I’ve got an anime review that absolutely screams Hair Metal. Until then, always ask for the best, and never lower your standards!
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