Album Review: Steel Panther – Lower the Bar (Open E Records)

Pussy and dick and tits, oh my! The comedy glam rockers are back with their fifth studio release, Lower the Bar. It’s out now on Open E Records and it’s pretty much what you would expect.

In typical Steel Panther fashion ‘Lower the Bar’ opens with sleazy innuendo and 80’s riffage with ‘Goin’ in the Backdoor’. Immediately you could be listening to any of their albums. Though the sound is retro the guys are trying to stay relevant with references to Tinder on ‘Poontang Boomerang’. My soul hurts a little from actually having to write that sentence.

It is a pretty formulaic album, a mix of party rock, ballads and persistent sex jokes. I can’t help but ask a question – hasn’t this got old yet? A band like this surely has a shelf life. There can’t be longevity in trying to sustain a single joke for a whole career. It is honestly surprising that it has seen them to their fifth album. Seriously five studio albums of this?! Try telling a fan that you don’t find them funny. You will be treated like you have some form of humour leprosy and your nose just fell off.

That’s not to say that there is no musical integrity to be found here whatsoever. ‘Now the Fun Starts’, has a slow bassy vibe, reminiscent of Velvet Revolver. If you ignore 90% of the lyrics, it’s an enjoyable change of pace. ‘Wasted Too much Time’ has a great riff running through it, again a bit of careful editing and there is a good song here.

Essentially if you’ve enjoyed their work up until now, you’ll probably still get a kick out of ‘Lower the Bar’. Tracks such as ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘Pussy Ain’t Free’ hold up the party vibes. ‘That’s When You Came In’ fills the obligatory ballad slot with the usual smut. By the time you get to the final track ‘She’s Tight’, you’ll be convinced you’ve heard it all before. In this songs case it could well be because it’s a Cheap Trick cover that has somehow managed to pull it’s opening riff straight from Poison’s ‘Talk Dirty To Me’.

Maybe this will appeal to you, but for those sick of the shtick I’d give this one a miss. Just so we are clear, I get the joke. I just don’t like it.

Steel Panther – Lower the Bar Full Track Listing:

1. Goin’ in the Backdoor
2. Anything Goes
3. Poontang Boomerang
4. That’s When You Came In
5. Wrong Side of the Tracks (Out in Beverley Hills)
6. Now the Fun Starts
7. Pussy Ain’t Free
8. Wasted Too Much Time
9. I Got What You Want
10. Walk of Shame
11. She’s Tight

Steel Panther are lowering the bar at all major streaming sites & record stores.