Balls Out
| Balls Out | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Steel Panther | ||||
| Released | October 28, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | August 2010—May 2011 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal, heavy metal, comedy rock | |||
| Length |
47:37 54:55 (with bonus tracks) | |||
| Label | Universal Republic | |||
| Producer | Jay Ruston | |||
| Steel Panther chronology | ||||
| ||||
Balls Out is the third and second major-label studio album by American heavy metal band Steel Panther. It was released on 28 October 2011 on Universal Republic Records.
Production and release
In an interview in May 2011, guitarist Satchel said that the band had begun recording new material in August 2010, and by May 2011 had completed all fifteen songs planned for the album.[1]
The album was officially announced on 19 July 2011[2] and the title was announced on 22 August.[1] The album is produced by Jay Ruston, who previously worked with the band on their album Feel the Steel.[3]
On 6 September, it was announced that the album's release date had been pushed back from 18 October to 31 October,[4] though it was released in Europe on iTunes on 28 October.[5]
The first singles of the album are "If You Really, Really Love Me" in the United Kingdom and "17 Girls In A Row" in the United States.[6]
Guest appearances on the album are made by Dane Cook on "In the Future" and by Chad Kroeger and Nuno Bettencourt on "It Won't Suck Itself".[3]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [8] |
| Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles | [9] |
| Kerrang | [7] |
| Revolver | (4/5)[10] |
| Rock Sound | [7] |
| Rockstar Weekly | [11] |
Commercial
The album debuted at #41 in Canada,[12] and debuted at #40 on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 12,000 copies in the United States.[13]
Critical
Balls Out has received generally positive reviews from critics alike. Metacritic has given the album a score of 68, based on four reviews.[7] Allmusic gave Balls Out a rating of three out of five stars, and said that "[a]s a hair metal album, Balls Out is finely crafted and well produced, evoking the glossy sound of the era, but as a joke, it’s pretty one-note, so either you’re going to get it or it's going to grate on you."[14]Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles gave the album a rating of nine out of ten stars, saying that "[f]rom start to finish, Balls Out is 14 bundles of fun."[9] Canadian music and entertainment website Rockstar Weekly gave the album a perfect 5 stars saying "For those lucky enough to understand the joke, Balls Out is the standout album of the year. It just plain kicks ass."[15]
Track listing
The track listing of Balls Out was announced on 26 August 2011.[6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In the Future" (featuring Dane Cook) | 1:28 |
| 2. | "Supersonic Sex Machine" | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Just Like Tiger Woods" | 3:41 |
| 4. | "17 Girls in a Row" | 3:41 |
| 5. | "If You Really, Really Love Me" | 2:25 |
| 6. | "It Won't Suck Itself" (featuring Chad Kroeger and Nuno Bettencourt) | 2:54 |
| 7. | "Tomorrow Night" | 2:58 |
| 8. | "Why Can't You Trust Me" | 4:01 |
| 9. | "That's What Girls Are For" | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Gold-Digging Whore" | 3:55 |
| 11. | "I Like Drugs" | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Critter" | 3:38 |
| 13. | "Let Me Cum In" | 3:30 |
| 14. | "Weenie Ride" | 4:21 |
Total length: |
47:37 | |
| Japanese bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 15. | "Do You Wanna Do Me" | 3:18 |
| 16. | "Handicapped Slut" | 4:01 |
Total length: |
54:55 | |
Personnel
- Michael Starr – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Satchel – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Lexxi Foxxx – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Stix Zadinia – drums, percussion, (piano on "Weenie Ride"), backing vocals
- Jay Ruston & Steel Panther – production
- Michael Lord – orchestration on "Weenie Ride"
- Jay Ruston – engineering & mixing
- Nick Rucker – additional overdub engineering
- Ara Sarkasian – assistant engineer
- F. Scott Schafer – photography
Guests
- Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) – co-lead vocals on "It Won't Suck Itself"
- Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) – guitar solo on "It Won't Suck Itself"
- Heidi Murphy – female vocals on "It Won't Suck Itself"
- Dane Cook – narration on "In the Future"
- Joe Lester, Matt Nelson, Brett Anderson, Eden Blackman & Jay Ruston – background gang vocals
Recorded at Clear Lake Audio, Burbank, California. Overdubs mixed at TRS West, Sherman Oaks, California.
References
- 1 2 "STEEL PANTHER: New Album Title Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ↑ "STEEL PANTHER To Release New Album In October". Blabbermouth.net. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- 1 2 "STEEL PANTHER: New Album To Feature Guest Appearances By NICKELBACK, EXTREME Members". Blabbermouth.net. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ↑ "Steel Panther announce tracklisting for second album 'Balls Out'". NME. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ↑ "Balls Out". iTunes. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- 1 2 "STEEL PANTHER: 'Balls Out' Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 http://www.metacritic.com/music/balls-out/steel-panther. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/balls-out-r2295224
- 1 2 "STEEL PANTHER Balls Out". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ↑ http://www.revolvermag.com/reviews/review-steel-panther-balls-out.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ http://www.rockstarweekly.com/cd-review-steel-panther-balls-out.html
- ↑ "Nielsen SoundScan Charts". Jam! Music. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ↑ "STEEL PANTHER's 'Balls Out' Cracks U.S. Top 40". Blabbermouth.net. 9 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/balls-out-r2295224
- ↑ "CD Review: Steel Panther - Balls Out". Retrieved 25 November 2011.