Review: Stainless- "Lady Of Lust & Steel"

Release date: 3/20/2026

Label: High Roller Records

Greg D.

One of my favorite gripes is when a heavy metal band goes out of their way to let people know that they aren’t a heavy metal band. It drives me nuts because more often than that not, it drips of weakness. However, much like a broken clock, on occasion it’s right on the money. Enter the debut album from Stainless. After dropping a single and an EP since forming in 2022, they find themselves laying down the full length law in 2026 on the fantastic High Roller Records. Stainless has stated they don’t believe themselves to be a “true” heavy metal band. For them, that’s not cowardice, it’s merely an advisory, and the music backs up the warning.

Review

It’s immediately clear, whether you know the band’s prior output or not, that this album is gonna walk the fence between steel & metamorphic. Stylistic touchstones would be “Fire Down Under” era Riot, 70’s Aerosmith, early 80’s Judas Priest, & the best Tesla. This album is a fresh blast of attitude that isn’t generally found within NWOTHM canon. Phony swagger is easy to suss out, but there’s something very legit about “Lady Of Lust And Steel”, and that title really does indicate a lot of what this band sounds like and stands for.

The album doesn’t waste time getting into it. Kicks off stomping with an absolute 1-2 punch of hard rocker “Restless an’ Ready” (check that tambourine!), and the much more metallic “Whorefrost”. Lots of great rolling double bass n’ D-beating in that latter track which will have you scratching your head saying: “This isn’t metal?”. By the time you finish that thought, you’ll have already run into the wah soaked funk rock intro of first single “(Don’t Cross Me) Fool”. For me, this is where the toughness of riff and attitude of voice take over this album. More of a trope with classic rock & hard rock than metal, guitarist/singer dynamic is so huge to separate bands from the pack. In Jamie Byrum and Larissa Cavacece, Stainless have a winning combination. The guitar playing is dynamite, and to properly walk that stylistic line, you gotta know your shit and how to play the nuance within it. Jamie Byrum gets the assignment, check out “Danger In The Night”.

It’s easy to make a big deal about having women in a heavier band, especially a frontwoman. Shouldn’t be, but that’s the way it is. It’s 2026, so the shock factor should be rightfully long gone, but it’s still less common enough in this scene to make note of because to not, might even be disrespectful. Part of what makes this album awesome is women presence, and pudding proof says it’s a powerful asset for Stainless. Yeah, I’m sure some gatekeeper dorks that never get laid will sh*t on it as a gimmick, but this band isn’t for those people. Those people can’t rock. Nods to an obvious suspect like Wendy O. Williams when talking about Larissa Cavacece are sure to pop up, and while it’s kind of lazy and not totally accurate (Larissa has better conventional pipes), it’s also apt and complimentary. She’s just got that Wendy O. “not fu**king around” vibe in her voice, and dudes just can’t sell & portray that like a woman can. If you can’t feel it when she says “Sex is all I smell” in the title track, then you just don’t sweat enough.

The song that puts Stainless over the top as far as what they’re going for is “Take A Listen Mama”. Like a more aggressive “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles, this thing grunts, grinds, slices, dices, and then pours whiskey into the wound. If you ain’t buying what Stainless is sellin’ by this point, then your money ain’t shit here. I don’t use the word “sultry” enough, but if I had to sum up this song in one word, that’d be it. It pulls the pace back a little on the album, which is great for sequencing so that you can get a little (heavy) breather in, before they rock your ass on outta here with “Vitamin Tease”, & “Rough Justice”.

Conclusion

Stainless drop a really nice and tight anchor into the album queue of 2026. It’ll be tough to move it from playlists as it’s not something that I think can be consumed in only one sitting, and subsequent meals will only lead to more subsequent meals. There’s always something to be said for albums & bands that, even if only slightly, are off the beaten path of the ordinary. This’ll be an eyebrow raiser among a lineup of more conventional headbanging albums, and amen to that. If this band hits the road hard, I don’t see how they don’t crack the pavement. Very much looking forward to following the ride.

The NWOTHM Score: 8/10

The ALBUM lineup:

Larissa Cavacece: Vocals

Jamie Byrum: Guitar/Drums

Clifton Martin: Bass

The CURRENT lineup:

Larissa Cavacece: Vocals

Jamie Byrum: Guitar

Eric Wallace: Guitar

Selina Cleary: Bass

Charlie Koryn: Drums

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