STEEL PANTHER Is Recording Four New Songs At DAVE GROHL's Studio

In a new interview with Rob Chapman's "Lo-Fi Podcast", drummer Stix Zadinia of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER confirmed that he and his bandmates have entered Dave Grohl's Studio 606 with longtime producer Jay Ruston to begin recording their first new music since 2023's "On The Prowl" album. Asked when fans can expect the effort to see the light of day, Stix said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We don't have a release date." He then explained: "We manage our band. We are the merch company. We are the record company. We're maybe one of the biggest DIY bands — except for METALLICA. But we don't have a label. And we have a booking agent, but we do it ourselves. So we are not on any sort of label timetable. And so what we decided was, 'Look, we have the time now. Let's go track four songs.' We will probably go back and do another four, and whether we do another four or not and do a full-length release, I'm not sure. I don't know if we're gonna drip singles out like people are doing now. I don't know. I don't know if we're gonna do an EP. So the future for us of how to get this out and when to get it out, we're a little uncertain, but if I had to guess, I would say it will be top of '26. Maybe a single will come out before then, for Christmas. But we're gonna go back in and track four to eight more songs over the next few months."

Stix added: "This process is different, 'cause usually we go in, we go, 'Okay, here's the 14 songs. Let's go. Here's the studio time. Boom.' And we go do it. This is a little bit different, and it's a little more freeing because we can really put our energy into a smaller amount of songs so you can spend more energy per song."

Zadinia also talked about the experience of recording at Studio 606, saying: "That board, that's the infamous Sound City Neve board, complete with Paul McCartney's signature on it. And so being in that room, I guess Dave Grohl built that studio 20 years ago — it's 20 years old now — he built it for rock. Honestly, dude, it's probably the best rock room in L.A. And I've been to Abbey Road and the BBC studios, and I've been to those kinds of places, and I would say, pound for pound, if you're gonna do rock and roll drums and guitars and basses, 606 is — you can make an argument for it being in the best room in the world."

Ten months ago, STEEL PANTHER's debut album, "Feel The Steel", was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales in excess of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

"Feel The Steel - 15th Anniversary Edition" was released worldwide on November 15, 2024. The 15th-anniversary edition features two tracks that were only released on the original Japanese import: "You Don't Make Me Feel Dumb" and "I Want Your Tits". The album was produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, COREY TAYLOR).

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Seventeen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February 2023.

In September 2022, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

In January 2025, Stix was asked by the "Iron City Rocks" podcast if he thinks STEEL PANTHER would have had the  same staying power without songs that contain what some critics say are racist, misogynistic and lewd lyrics. Stix said: "No, there's no way. I think that had we come out with lyrics that were, like, typical of a band in 1983 or in 1987, I don't think it would have flown, because what we sing about, I think people latch on to the lyrics and I think lyrics matter.

"We're in a really weird time, and I think when we put our first record out, the really weird time — and I use air quotes with that — was starting around then," he explained. "But we had been grandfathered in because of what we had established since the '90s. And the '90s were not the really weird time as far as the political correctness. So we became this place for people to be able to come, have so much fun and not worry about offending people. And we just wrote songs that we wanted to write, and nothing was ever really intentional and it was all super from the heart. Now, I think an interesting question would be if we came out in 1985, how would we be viewed with the lyrics that we have? But I think it could have been insane 'cause I think our songs are just as good [as], if not better than, most of the bands back then. And I know that might sound blasphemous, but if you don't think that about your own band, then what are you doing in that band?"

Zadinia added: "I'm proud of that — I'm proud of not playing by the rules. And I'm proud of doing just what comes from the heart for us 'cause, ultimately, we get to keep playing these songs for people who wanna come see it, who listen to it, who may use it as a tool for that escapism. And I'm proud of that. I think it's more satisfying than if we were being told what to do, what can go on a record. We are our true own bosses, and it's awesome."

Photo credit: David Jackson