Steel Panther

About

Also known as: Danger Kitty, Metal Shop, Metal Skool, Metal Sludge All-Stars, National Lampoon's Metal Skool

Steel Panther built their reputation the old fashioned way: years of weekly residencies on the Sunset Strip, playing hair metal covers and winning over crowds with equal parts shred and absurdist humor. What started as Metal Shop in 2000, then Metal Skool, became Steel Panther in 2008, and the rename coincided with a major label deal that produced their debut album Feel the Steel. That record hit number one on the Billboard Comedy chart, featured guest spots from Corey Taylor, M. Shadows, and Justin Hawkins, and put tracks like "Community Property" and "Death to All But Metal" into regular rotation for fans of both metal and comedy. Their second album Balls Out debuted at number one on the UK iTunes Rock chart, beating out Megadeth, Metallica, and Lou Reed in the same week, which about sums up their chaotic appeal. Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe invited them along on the Mirrorball Tour, they played Download Festival in front of over 100,000 people, and their live DVD British Invasion captured a sold out show at Brixton Academy. The band's profane, satirical take on glam metal excess is the whole point, and they lean into it without apology.