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 Steel Panther clawed their way out of the Sunset Strip and onto the global stage, rock ‘n’ roll has kicked 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 continuously flown the flag for heavy metal higher than anybody this century. 2009’s Feel The Steel announced their arrival as saviors of rock, showing 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 how it’s done! On its heels, Balls Out boasted collaborations with everyone from Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and Nuno Bettencourt to Dane Cook. The group unleashed a string of banging LPs, namely All You Can Eat [2014], Lower The Bar [2017], and Heavy Metal Rules [2019]. Meanwhile, they earned ink from Billboard, Classic Rock, Consequence, Metal Hammer, and more, tallying hundreds of millions of streams views in the process. They’ve logged countless miles on the road (and stolen groupies from) Aerosmith and Stone Sour in addition to leaving festivals such as Download begging for more.

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

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

Over the past two years, a lot happened. There was a Global Pandemic, the strip clubs closed, and the guys welcomed a new member to the fold. Following decades of friendship, Spyder joined on bass and performed on what would become On The Prowl.

“I’ll give you a million dollars if you could name a band who has more fun than we do. Of course, I will be the judge of your answer, but still, go on, I dare you,” exclaims Spyder. “I get to live the dream of playing music and doing it with my best friends of 25 years.”

This time around, they wrote and recorded in their respective home studios before longtime collaborator Jay Ruston [Anthrax, UFO, Avatar, Stone Sour] mixed the album.

“With our first few records, we had a label and all of these people with opinions,” Stix goes on. “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!’”

Fittingly, the boys introduced On The Prowl with “Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight).” A pulsating rhythm gives way to a rip-roaring riff as a primal call-and-response takes hold on the chorus before a wild guitar solo wails.

“We wanted to come out with an up-tempo, 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,” which might just be the most glorious celebration of the human anatomy ever committed to tape. Its soaring melody reaches for the most natural kind of ecstasy.

“We write songs to unite people,” exclaims Satchel. “Even if you’ve never seen 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,” admits Michael. “For her and my dad to create me was magical, and Satchel knows it. We’re thanking all of 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.”

Elsewhere, “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,” sighs Stix. “It’s meant to be timely, poignant, and, unfortunately, autobiographical.”

With lighters in the air, the acoustic guitar-laden “Ain’t Dead Yet” swoons towards a catchy call-to-arms. “There’s no other experience quite like a heavy metal gig,” Stix elaborates. “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—we have at least another five months, easily.”

They commemorate one of the greatest years of all with “1987” uplifted by a hulking hook and no shortage of fret fireworks.

“1987 was a great time to be alive,” says Satchel. “Nobody worried about cancelling 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,” Michael leaves off. “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 and it is our responsibility to stay the course of Steel Panther and be this place where you can let your fucking hair down,” concludes Stix. “Somehow, someway…we’ve become a voice for the voiceless.”