Album Review: Anvil Is Anvil by Anvil

I saw Anvil play to 15 people in Kansas City last year at the Riot Room. I heard about it as if by accident — The Well bassist Lisa Alley told me Anvil was playing a block away from their in-store performance — and booked it over to see one of the greatest cult metal acts of all time and the most underrated thrash band of the ’80s. Years removed from the 2008 documentary that revived their career, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, only a handful of diehard fans were in attendance, half of them wearing Anvil shirts.

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‘Yo-ho-ho, we be the scurvy scum... Yo-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho give us a bottle of rum...’ With their belated discovery of pirate chic, as demonstrated on Daggers And Rum, the opening song of their 16th studio record, Anvil offer comprehensive evidence that they remain heavy metal’s most lovable band. A beat off the pace, maybe, but still dancing to their own drum.

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This classic Canadian metal band, whose 2008 The Story Of Anvil documentary brought them both the public spotlight and many a Spinal Tap comparison, have been riding the crest of a wave of late. Since their late-70s formation they’ve had more ups and downs than a day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and their survival throughout the 90s wilderness puts the mighty Tap in the shade. Influencing the likes of Megadeth, Anthrax and Metallica along the way, their 16th album continues to mix traditional metal with their lust for life – new bassist Chris Robertson fitting in well alongside guitarist/vocalist Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner.

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