Monday, February 19, 2018

Promotional Video Review: STEEL PANTHER Death To All But Metal by Dave Wolff

Death To All But Metal
From the full length Balls Out released on Universal Republic Records January 1, 2011
Country of origin: USA
Genre: Glam metal
Video release date: June 16, 2009
When I randomly found this video posted at a friend’s Facebook profile, what made me interested was the song title. The first time I heard of the band was seeing their appearance at Comedy Central’s roast of Gene Simmons a few years ago. Now I don’t normally listen to this style of music but I got more of a kick out of watching it than I expected. If you like parody-based heavy metal bands like Bad News, Tenacious D and the immortal Spinal Tap this is right up your alley so to speak. What’s more, the parody angle is presented with the crude locker room humor of the Mentors, which people still find entertaining in that non-PC way. Steel Panther started as Metal Shop in 2000 and to date have released five full albums (Hole Patrol in 2003, Feel the Steel in 2009, Balls Out in 2011, All You Can Eat in 2014, Lower the Bar in 2017) and a handful of videos. Again this is not my usual cup of tea but I couldn’t help but laugh while listening to the lyrics and watching the antics in the classroom setting chosen for the video. It hearkens to the likes of Twisted Sister’s I Wanna Rock with a dash of Troma Entertainment added for good measure. I’ve made a lot of comparisons here (though I forgot to mention Kevin Smith) but they should give you an idea of what you’ll see. There is also an appearance by actress/comedienne Sarah Silverman as the school principal who falls under the band’s spell and get freaky. I find her a hottie so seeing her was a pleasant surprise. What I liked most of all was the Metallica reference written into the song and the band hilariously trashing corporate pop icons Goo Goo Dolls, Enimem, Dr. Dre, Papa Roach, Blink 182, Britney Spears, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, 50 Cent and Kanye West, and the labels that pushed them to mass popularity. I would recommend this and a live video I found of the band’s Hellfest 2017 appearance. -Dave Wolff

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