Band:	Steel Panther
Album:	Balls Out
Style:	Glam metal, Hard rock
Release date:	October 31, 2011
Guest review by:	Ace Frawley

01. In The Future
02. Supersonic Sex Machine
03. Just Like Tiger Woods
04. 17 Girls In A Row
05. If You Really, Really Love Me
06. It Won't Suck Itself
07. Tomorrow Night
08. Why Can't You Trust Me
09. That's What Girls Are For
10. Gold-Digging Whore
11. I Like Drugs
12. Critter
13. Let Me Cum In
14. Weenie Ride

The first thing to make clear about this album (and Steel Panther) is that this is a deliberate parody - a joke. Like all comedy/humour, not everyone is going to find it funny. For some, they will be shocked, perhaps appalled at the lyrics on this album. At times I have found myself amazed at the crudeness of the songs, but in some respects, this only works because the sort of behaviour they are joking about does/did happen in some circles. The circles in question here are the rock and roll excesses and misogyny of the 1980s glam metal scene, but I'm sure it still occurs in the rock star scene today. The jokes almost exclusively centre around the exploitation of women as sexual objects. Drug use is the exception to this in the song "I Like Drugs". In many ways, it was the 1980s glam metal scene that gave heavy metal, generally, a bad name and tarnished its reputation for a lot of people. I think the parody presented here by Steel Panther allows us to look back on that time and enjoy the music and at the same time share a laugh at how ridiculous it all became.

And now to the songs themselves. First, they are very catchy, with some great hooks and melodies that can easily get stuck in your head. Despite the jokes, these guys can really play. They remind one of Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Warrent et al so it's not original or ground-breaking stuff. The song "Just Like Tiger Woods" is built around an infectious riff that makes it instantly catchy. There are hard rocking songs like "Supersonic Sex Machine", "Tomorrow Night" and even a slow ballad to end the album in "Weenie Ride". There are even some guest appearances, with comedian Dane Cook on "In the Future" and Chad Kroeger and Nuno Bettencourt on "It Won't Suck Itself".

So, if you want a break from all the serious, dark, aggressive and gloomy aspects of metal and want to have a good laugh, then this is the album for you. A word of warning to the guys - the crudeness of the humour may not be appreciated by others, so perhaps have a listen through your headphones first before turning it up loud on your stereo for your girlfriend to hear. The same applies to turning it up loud in the presence of your grandparents, parents, in-laws, neighbours, or mothers.