Steel Panther - Twenty Twenty $ex Tour

History falls on two sides of one line (and no, it was not a line of blow).

There was the age before Steel Panther—but let’s be honest, no one gives a shit about any of that. And then there was the age after Steel Panther, which is all that matters.

Since clawing their way out of the Sunset Strip and onto the global stage, Steel Panther has made rock ’n’ roll kick ass once again. They brought hairspray and spandex back to the dudes and the topless chicks back to those dudes’ sweaty shoulders (before those same chicks ended up on Steel Panther’s bus).

Steel Panther have flown the flag for heavy metal higher than anyone this century.

Their 2009 debut Feel The Steel announced their arrival as saviors of rock, featuring guests such as Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, and Scott Ian of Anthrax. Its follow-up, Balls Out, boasted collaborations with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Nuno Bettencourt, and Dane Cook. The band continued their reign with All You Can Eat (2014), Lower The Bar (2017), and Heavy Metal Rules (2019). Along the way, they earned praise from Billboard, Classic Rock, Consequence, Metal Hammer, and more, while racking up hundreds of millions of streams and views. They’ve logged countless miles on the road with Aerosmith and Stone Sour and left festivals like Download begging for more.

Now the quartet—Michael Starr (lead vocals), Satchel (lead guitar), Spyder (bass), and Stix Zadinia (drums)—reach another level on their sixth full-length album, On The Prowl.

“Our main goal is to be the biggest heavy metal band we can be,” says Michael Starr. “We’re ready to attack with our music. That’s what we’re doing with On The Prowl.”

Over the past two years, the world changed. A global pandemic hit. The strip clubs closed. After decades of friendship, Spyder officially joined on bass and performed on what became On The Prowl.

“I’ll give you a million dollars if you can name a band who has more fun than we do,” says Spyder. “I get to live the dream of playing music with my best friends of 25 years.”

The band wrote and recorded in their home studios, with longtime collaborator Jay Ruston (Anthrax, UFO, Avatar, Stone Sour) mixing the album.

“With our first few records, we had a label and all these people with opinions,” says Stix. “There’s a lot more freedom now. We recorded it in our own houses. There was a feeling of pride and accomplishment. We realized, ‘Oh shit, we don’t need to go into debt to record an album.’”

They introduced On The Prowl with “Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight),” an up-tempo blast driven by a pulsating rhythm, rip-roaring riff, primal call-and-response chorus, and a wild guitar solo.

“We wanted to come out with a high-energy song,” adds Stix. “As much as we give fans what they hope for, we also try to give them something fresh.”

Elsewhere, “Friends With Benefits” locks into a head-nodding groove before serving up a tribute to the best kind of buddies.

“We have a bunch of girlfriends who come with special benefits,” notes Michael. “We can get graphic, dirty, and deep, but everything is surrounded by love. We love hanging with random chicks. There are male friends with benefits too—like guys who have free cocaine.”

Then there’s “Magical Vagina,” a soaring, melodic celebration of human anatomy.

“We write songs to unite people,” says Satchel. “Even if you’ve never seen a vagina, you know what a magical vagina must be like. They’re out there like unicorns. You can’t always find them, but when you do, you appreciate it.”

“I think Satchel wrote it about my mom,” jokes Michael. “For her and my dad to create me was magical. We’re thanking all the moms for breastfeeding and pumping out metal kids. After coming out of a vagina, all you do when you get older is try to get back into one. It’s crazy, bro—circle of life.”

“On Your Instagram” soundtracks the struggle of endless scrolling only to be unceremoniously catfished.

“You don’t always get what you see on social media,” says Stix. “It’s meant to be timely, poignant, and unfortunately autobiographical.”

With lighters in the air, the acoustic-driven “Ain’t Dead Yet” swoons into a catchy call-to-arms.

“There’s no other experience quite like a heavy metal gig,” says Stix. “It’s sexy, cathartic, fun, ridiculous, and over-the-top. If you come to a Steel Panther show, you can be a freakazoid for ninety minutes and not worry about being judged. We’re not going to stop until we drop dead on stage.”

They commemorate one of the greatest years of all with “1987,” driven by a hulking hook and fret fireworks.

“1987 was a great time to be alive,” says Satchel. “Nobody worried about canceling people, and everybody laughed. Van Halen was freshly broken up, but we were optimistic the original lineup would be back. You could tell what someone listened to by the clothes they wore. I still wear spandex, so that’s all that matters.”

For as much as the world has changed, Steel Panther haven’t—and we should all be thankful.

“The best feeling in the world is to bring a smile to someone’s face,” says Michael. “The whole idea of Steel Panther is to have fun and escape reality. You can come to one of our shows with your friends, drink some beers, have a laugh, see some titties, and fucking rock out.”

“To quote the great Uncle Ben—no, not the rice one, the one from Spider-Man—with great power comes great responsibility,” concludes Stix. “It’s our responsibility to stay the course of Steel Panther and be this place where you can let your fucking hair down. Somehow, someway, we’ve become a voice for the voiceless.”