Stainless Lady of Lust and Steel Review
Stainless
Lady of Lust and Steel
High Roller Records
2026
There’s clearly something brewing in the Pacific Northwest -Washington and Oregon have been cranking out legit Metal at a ridiculous pace lately. Portland’s Stainless are the newest offenders. Formed in 2022, they’ve already knocked out an EP and a 7”, and now they’re ready to swing with their debut full-length “Lady Of Lust And Steel” via High Roller Records.
What does Stainless deal in? Straight-up, no-apologies ‘80s Heavy Metal. Krokus, Chastain, Judas Priest, Accept all in the DNA with a shot of Plasmatics-style attitude thrown in for gasoline. Yes, it’s female-fronted, but this isn’t a gimmick band riding nostalgia points. This is leather, hooks, attitude, and volume, the way it was meant to be.
I went in blind on the first spin and didn’t even clock the vocals at first, and that’s honestly the best compliment I can give. The band doesn’t lean on identity; they lean on songs. By the second track it felt like I’d stumbled into a record store in 1985, pulling some unknown import off the rack and immediately wondering why it wasn’t huge. Massive choruses, confident pacing, and riffs that stick. If you need blast beats or modern extremity to stay interested, move along. But if you lived for those budget Metal comps and mystery purchases, Stainless absolutely scratches that itch.
Vocally you’ll catch flashes of Pat Benatar, Lorraine Lewis, and Betsy Bitch-era grit, but there’s also a Marc Storace sneer in the delivery that keeps things from sounding too polished. The guitars do the real heavy lifting, hooks everywhere, memorable melody lines, and just enough AOR shine to nod toward Dokken and Ratt without watering anything down. It’s catchy, but never soft. The leads are dialed in perfectly: warm tone, tasteful effects, and zero sterile modern gloss. Everything breathes.
I’ve heard a thousand retro bands at this point. Most feel phoned in, Stainless doesn’t. This sounds like a record made by people who live this stuff, not tourists visiting it for aesthetics. That’s the difference, and it shows.
This debut deserves attention. I’ve already preordered it, and if they hit town I’m there. Don’t be surprised if this ends up on a lot of year-end lists, mine included. Ignore it and you’re missing one of the more convincing Traditional Metal records in recent memory.
Standouts – “Vitamin Tease”, “Whore Frost”, “Take A Listen Mama” and title track “Lady Of Lust And Steel”.