Steel Panther, a homage to the hair metal bands of the 80s, are known for their ludicrously over-the-top music, antics, and artwork. But apparently not everyone is in on the joke with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK banning the artwork for their new album Balls Out for being ‘overtly sexual’.

According to Classic Rock, the poster was banned by the ASA after receiving numerous complaints, including from Imkaan, a charity which represents women from ethnic backgrounds who have been victims of abuse and violence.

The poster features the album artwork for Steel Panther’s Balls Out album, featuring a scantily-clad women dangling two big silver balls between her legs. You can see the artwork below:

A statement issued by the ASA explains their position and how they came to the decision. “We considered that the main image on the poster was overtly sexual,” they wrote.

“We noted that the pose of the woman showed her with her legs apart, her hand between her legs and her breasts partially exposed and considered that her facial expression was suggestive of an orgasm and sexual activity.”

“In addition to this, we considered that the album title Balls Out was sexually suggestive particularly when viewed in the context of the poster, where the woman was seen dangling two silver balls between her legs in a way that we considered was suggestive of male genitalia.”

Universal Records, the bands record label, denies that the poster is offensive to women and says that they would take more care in choosing poster spots in the future.

So what do you think? Should the poster have been banned? Sound off in the comments and vote in our poll.

Steel Panther are travelling to Australia to perform as part of the Soundwave 2012 Festival tour.