FEEL THE STEEL!

Heavy metal’s crown princes of parody are enjoying some serious success. Steel Panther’s latest album, this year’s “All You Can Eat,” hit No. 1on the Billboard Comedy chart and No. 24 on the prestigious Top 200 albums chart. The Los Angeles band also landed its biggest tour to date, opening for metal legends Judas Priest. The tour includes a stop on Friday, Oct. 17, at the Izod Center in East Rutherford.

Steel Panther’s comedic, over-the-top looks and stage show, and its laugh-out-loud raunchy lyrics, are a sincere yet tongue planted firmly in cheek tribute to the excess of the 1980s hair metal glory years. The band evolved from glam metal tribute bands Metal Shop and Metal Skool to writing original material – Steel Panther released its debut album, “Feel the Steel,” in 2009.

The band’s songs may be funny, but Steel Panther’s musicianship is no laughing matter. Starr, under his real name Ralph Saenz, has been a fixture on the LA scene for 20 years and has sung for L.A. Guns. Guitarist Satchel (Russ Parish) was in Priest singer Rob Halford’s solo band, Fight, and was an instructor at the Guitar Institute of Technology.

We recently spoke with singer Michael Starr.

How did Steel Panther come about?

It was a pretty natural progression. We always have written music. We started playing in cover bands and really enjoyed doing it. Three or four years into it we said, ‘let’s start writing some stuff.’ Everything happened so organically and has fallen into place. It’s been great and we can’t believe its happened. We went from a cover band to internationally touring band in three years. Now we’re touring with Judas Priest. It’s insane.

Would you say that your high-caliber musicianship sets you apart as being more than a simple novelty act? Your songs are hilarious and in many aspects you’re a modern day Spinal Tap, but you’re also serious musicians.

Absolutely. That’s one thing that separates us from a Spinal Tap. We take what we do extremely serious as far as musicianship is concerned. Singing on key, playing onstage, getting the audience involved, having charisma. But at the same time we have a lot of fun. We do care, but we don’t care. We’re not faking it but we’re having fun. I think that’s one of the things that has really propelled us. We have nothing to lose.

Who were you favorite bands back in the glory days?

My favorite band was Van Halen. They were great musicians and David Lee Roth was an amazing performer. He would crack jokes onstage. It was a fun experience. If you went to see the band it was a party. Jani Lane with Warrant would crack jokes onstage, change words in the songs. It was fun. Those were the bands I was always drawn to as a kid. This is why we’re doing what we’re doing. The four of us in the band all feel the same way.

You may be playing to fans that don’t know Steel Panther on the Priest tour. Does that change any aspect of your performance?

Not really. We pretty much forge forward the same way we would do it in front of a crowd that knows who we are. We’ve had a lot of experience playing festivals before a bunch of people that have never seen us and we just do what we do, no matter what. It’s challenging too, because you have to realize that just because they’re not screaming your songs, it doesn’t mean they don’t like you. Usually by the end of our show people are fans or hate us. Nobody leaves are show going, ‘they’re pretty good.’ They just go, ‘I hate them’ or ‘I love them.

’Looking forward, how long do you think Steel Panther will continue?

I think we’ll probably go until we die, because this is all we really know. There’s nothing else for us. When I was a little kid I knew what I was going to do. I wanted to rock no matter what. I still feel the same way.

IF YOU GO: Steel Panther, opening for Judas Priest. 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17. Izod Center, East Rutherford; 201-935-3900 or izodcenter.com. $42 to $101.