ANVIL? WHO IN THE $#%#%%^^@!! IS ANVIL?
For those of you who are new to the metal game (meaning within the last 15 years, the name Anvil may sound like a really cool metal act, but probably not one you are familiar with (or may be the group down the street that didn't realize there was already a band with that name).
In the very early 80s two Canadian teenagers Steve "Lipps" Kudlow and Robb Reiner (no not the producer who played 'meathead' on "All in the Family") began a band in their garage and swore to go until they made it; until very recently, they hadn't. Now in their 50s the band is finally getting the recognition they deserve due to the documentary "Anvil: The Story of Anvil"
The movie found critical acclaim at Sundance last year and has propelled the group back into the limelight, but I can hear you now, why oh headmaster do they deserve to be in the spotlight, aren't they just another 80s metal act? and that dear children is why I'm the teacher and you're still learning.
You see, Anvil was the band that the OTHER bands listened to and emulated. Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer all wanted to be Anvil. Anvil toured with some of the biggest names in metal during the mid 80s, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, DIO, etc and yet, they never went anywhere. Part of that reason had to do with the business, but part of it was due to being WAY ahead of their time. Go find the first couple of Anvil albums and listen to them.... I'll wait.... not bad but nothing special I hear you say, well, you would be right, if those albums were released now. You see, if you look closely at the release dates you'll notice they are from 1982 and 1983.
For some perspective, that was BEFORE Quiet Riot hit the charts with their remake of "Cum on Feel the Noize" by Slade. While there is no real proof that they invented double bass, they sure as Hell were one of the first to play that fast and record it. In many ways Anvil was to the Thrash movement of 86' what Black Sabbath and Deep Purple were to the metal acts of the mid 70's. The harbingers of thing to come.
I won't bore you with the business dealings, but suffice it to say, Anvil WAS signed early on, but due to marketing and distribution problems and the fact there wasn't yet a market for their style of music, they sat on the shelf, and when the time was right, the company had already cut them loose. So instead of ushering in a new era of fast metal, they watched other bands reap the benefits of their labors.
Which brings us up to the present - (I realize there was a big jump, but if you want to get the really juicy details, watch the film - it's better anyway). Anvil, in light of the new publicity has release the 13th album - "This is Thirteen". Aside from a rather boring title (and title track) the music enclosed is pretty good. For a band that hasn't really been at the forefront for almost 30 years, they haven't lost too much. Yeah, it's not as polished as say, Metallica or even as "real" as Megadeth, but if you listen with a discerning ear, you can hear the work, the blood, the sweat, the tears - and some more tears, it took to make this album.
I really hope this is the break the guys have been looking for, they deserve it, they've had to watch the era of their music come and go from the sidelines, and even now, with the amount of fame they are garnering, they will never be able to go back and capture what they really wanted, to rule the airwaves as metal gods, but maybe, just maybe, they can finally get onto the iPods of a younger generation....who can say, I was there when justice was served and the grandfathers of thrash were finally given their proper rewards.
In drums, for the learned, it starts out as:
