voila_la_scorie I hadn't bought any Anvil albums since Metal on Metal and Forged in Fire, and aside from these two, I had no idea of what the band had been doing all these years until that movie about them came out. I thought about buying a newer Anvil album at the time, but it never became a priority until this year when I heard there was another new album coming out. After a few months, I finally got it.

After ordering it, I checked a review on Angry Metal Guy that said it was a bit better than their last few albums. Anvil are known for being one of those bands that stick with one formula and every album adheres to it. Anvil are a core old school metal band, and all of their albums don't deviate except where some albums might feature more speed metal and others might have more connection to metal's hard rock and blues-based roots. As one reviewer on Rate Your Music said, all the albums are pretty much the same, so comparisons will mostly be about production value and song-writing.

I was pleasantly surprised. No, there was nothing unexpected, but right from the get go I noticed the excellent sound quality. Metal albums can suffer various production problems such as dense or muddy sound quality, lackluster drum or vocal recording quality, tinny guitar sounds, or overly compressed sound. This album is very rich and clean with all instruments clear in the mix. The bass might seem in the background a bit, but if you listen for it, it's right in there providing the weight for the guitar riffs and adding some accent points here and there.

The songs are mostly quite fun (the "Lockdown" song about COVID-19 runs dry because of the theme, I find), and there are a few tracks that perk up my ears with each listen such as "Ghost Shadow" and "Gunfight". Lips sounds very gruff and tough. His vocals aren't a winner for everyone, and I've read a few criticisms about them on older albums. But for me, he does a fine job for the music on this album. Actually, I find it impressive knowing the age of both Lips and Rob because this album is full of energy!

I have since picked up a few older albums and I can say that Impact Is Imminent is not as intense as some, e.g. Plugged In Permanent. But as an album with which to become reacquainted with Anvil, I think it's certainly good enough. Rather than a tepid response, I am inspired to hear more, so that's a plus sign.

Reviews of this album generally fall between the Angry Metal Guy view of not a great album, no reinventing of the wheel, but at least somewhat interesting to a rather impressive piece of work for a band's 19th studio release.

I watched a podcast interview with Lips and Rob and Sacha Gervasi, who made the Anvil movie, and I learned that the two instrumental tracks on the album, "Teabag" and "Gomez" are both nicknames for Sacha. When he was fifteen, Sacha got himself invited to work as a drum tech for Anvil for three weeks during his summer holiday, and being English, he was given the nickname. Later on he earned the nickname "Gomez" when he announced that he had the best train set in Hollywood, and Lips and Rob said he was like Gomez Adams.

Impact Is Imminent might not exactly be a must have album for everyone, but Anvil fans shouldn't miss it and for those who has a casual acquaintance with the band's music should at least check it out.

Time Signature Metal house...

Canadian metal legends Anvil have another album for you in the form of the weed-celebrating "Legal at Last".

Musically, we are dealing with old school heavy metal falling somewhere between Motörhead and Black Sabbath, with tracks like 'Legal at Last' and 'Chemtrails' being reminiscent of the former and 'Plastic in Paradise' and 'Said and Done' leaning towards the latter. Shying away from any type of sophistication, Anvil's main contribution on this album to the universe of rock lies in simple, but not simplistic (because there are a couple of tempo shifts and things like that), hard rocking metal songs revolving around solid and dynamic drumming coupled with balls-out rocking riffs. Oh, and there's a bass too.

This is not an album where Anvil reinvent themselves, and some might criticize their lyrics for being banal, but these old boys have something to say, and so - let them say it. Personally, I don't really care about weed and things like that, but if that's important to Anvil, let them write songs about it. In terms of the music on the release, the album is pretty good, I think: booming metal by boomers, I guess.

In sum, there's not much new under the sun on this album, but if you enjoy old school rock 'n' rolling heavy metak, you're bound to have a good time listening to Anvil's "Legal at Last".

aglasshouse DISCLAIMER: because this is Anvil, a band that holds a very special place in my heart, my words are bound to be much less formal and a bit loose as I will tend to ramble. Be warned.

Ever since the release of the 2009 Netflix documentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", the sad tale of misfortune about the talented 80's group Anvil has garnered them the success and support that they've been seeking so dearly for almost 40 years. The members of Anvil have been very keen on stating how ecstatic they are to have found their success on numerous occasions through interview after interview. Hell, their newest effort is titled "Pounding the Pavement", a title that frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow postulates is referring to him "rustling up business for forty years and staying at it". That must mean, undoubtedly, that the product of this newfound success that is even titled as an acknowledgement to said success should be a glowing symbol of Anvil's victory. It should.

When bands like Slayer and Metallica started out, it only took them five or less years to have the hype of mainstream popularity hefted onto their shoulders. As such, they were rather quick to the mark to familiarize themselves with not only the expectations for themselves, but the expectations other put onto them. Anvil, a band so good during the same time that it influenced the two aforementioned examples, received no such popularity. Though stagnant in this regard, Anvil was nonetheless able to forge on, providing continued quality for the past several decades. But now that Anvil has gained a somewhat of a higher level of popularity, with them providing live show after live show with an attendee count higher than anything they would have gotten in the 80s, the staleness that usually hits a band after an extended amount of time under the same level of popularity has hit Anvil drastically in a matter of a few years.

Yes, it's rather unfortunate, but this album is likely the worst Anvil album yet. It's surreal to say as just two years ago Anvil is Anvil hit the scene and was, although a run-through of Anvil's signature traditional heavy metal sound, a still creative and rather entertaining release. Songs like 'Up, Down Sideways' and 'Fire On The Highway' remain exemplary tracks in the band's repertoire.

However with a lapse of creativity and a far more boiled down production, Pounding the Pavement lacks much of the charm and authenticity of it's predecessor. For one, this has to be the absolute worst Anvil lyricism yet, and that is definitely saying something. This is made clear with each time Anvil moves anywhere close to the political spectrum, such as on 'Ego' (likely the most laughably bad anti-Trump anthem put to music- "change your diapers", yikes) or on 'Don't Tell Me' (a lambasting of "fake news"). It isn't helped that Lips' vocals are seemingly more on the forefront of the sound, giving him ample opportunity to let loose his extremely cringe-inducing lyrics and similarly downsizing his fellow bandmates' place in the fray. With all that taken into account, Lips' vocal delivery isn't even that good. While adopting different tones and inflections on Anvil is Anvil (such as the Mustaine-esque one on 'Fire on the Highway'), his delivery seems to remain very bound to his default rasp that gets extremely grating, especially as it's not quite intimidating enough to come off as genuine.

Aside from the lyrics and vocals, Pounding the Pavement missteps in quite a few other areas. The aforementioned production muddies the overall sound quite badly. Chris Robertson's bass is almost completely drowned under the drums and guitar, giving him little room to be heard at all. Secondly, the charming songwriting that usually propels Anvil out of the halls of mediocrity have fused them to the spot on this one. On one end of the spectrum the songs are completely hook with little to no filling, i.e. trotting out the same (relatively boring) riff ad nauseum for three or so minutes. The other end sounds like what I believe my friend Khaliq put best: "a glam metal band comeback- and not a good glam metal band". 'Doing What I Want' is very true to the latter, with pseudo-swagger being backed by a contrived staccato riff. Other tracks like 'Rock That Shit' have a horribly cheesy arena-rock tone that would fit something done by latter-day Poison.

The magic that Anvil had on previous releases might be a bit sparse here, but it doesn't mean that some things weren't objectively done right, particularly concerning the Anvil trio itself. Robb Reiner. All that needs to be said is that name. Reiner is perhaps the most underappreciated and balls-to-the-wall drummers to ever grace heavy metal, and his performance on this record is the biggest driving force keeping me going through it. On the other hand bassist Robertson, I believe, will never ascend to the greatness that was Glenn Five, nor will he get a truly explosive track like 2001's 'The Creep'. Definitely not with this sort of songwriting or production. It seems like that even in songs where his bass must be at the forefront like 'Warming Up', he's pushed unceremoniously into the background as he tries desperately to follow with Reiner and Lips. In the guitar section, Lips is still rather on top even if his riffs are fairly contrived. It is still wise for him to follow the advice that many have given him over the years and obtain a second guitarist as to add dynamics that Anvil so badly needs.

Song-wise, there's a few standout tracks here. The title track instrumental is a classic gallop of a tune, hitting quite a few good strokes in its grooving runtime. The cowbell is a nice, earthy touch too. 'World of Tomorrow' is a big, monumental track that's kind of funny with this hard-ass riff being the background to moments like Lips weakly shouting "peace and love!!!!" Nevertheless its pounding nature and the impressive clashing guitar tones towards the second half make it stand out quite well. Other than that, the tracks have a bad tendency to bleed into one another, or stand out in a not-very-positive way.

That ends this ramble. I must stress that I did very much want this album to be as good as Anvil is Anvil was. It just wasn't. Hopefully, this is not a signalling of Anvil breaking their near-perfect forty-year streak of good albums, because that would really be a shame. Knock on wood.

Originally written for The Frying Pan: https://fryingpanmedia.blogspot.com/2018/01/music-review-155-anvil-pounding.html

Unitron Anvil brings on the thrash!

Canadian heavy metal act Anvil is one of those bands that often gets forgotten yet maintains a strong cult following. Since their inception, Anvil has never stopped delivering fist-pumping heavy metal and has always been consistent, think the traditional metal equivalent to Overkill. The band has made use of a few other metal genres over their career, but it rarely took dominance within the band's own sound. There are a couple albums in their career where they have more of a lean towards thrash/speed metal.

Anvil were no strangers to thrash metal by 1992, as they dabbled in thrash on 1988's Pound for Pound, but Worth the Weight shows the band take that influence further. One possible hint towards a more thrash-y edge are the longer track lengths, with two of them going over the seven minute mark. Some of the lyrics also take a darker tone, but Anvil wouldn't be Anvil if they didn't keep their humor and slight-sleaziness in a couple tracks.

The general sound of this album is somewhere between the band's own sound, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, and Megadeth. The best example of this comparison is in my favorite on the album, "Bushpig", which is one of the greatest speed metal tracks I've ever heard. The guitar and drums just race by like a speeding car, while Steve "Lips" Kudlow nails both Dave Mustaine's sneer and King Diamond's heady screeches all the while being the Lips Anvil fans know and love. The guitar solos rip throughout the album, and the speed of much of the album is contrasted with colossal grooves. Check out "AZ #85" for proof of that, the crunching stomp of Robb Reiner's drums pound like a nail while the solos rapidly shred.

The production has that early 90's thrash album vibe to it, having that powerful and punchy sound that made albums like Cowboys From Hell, Horrorscope, and Persistence of Time so heavy. This production really makes the grooves so much punchier, and the speed so much more sharp. "Sins of the Flesh" highlights this sound well, with the bass getting a bit of time to shine during a bridge. The band would actually continue to have this awesome production on many of their future albums.

While the classic Metal on Metal or This is Thirteen would generally be the best place to start for getting into Anvil, Worth the Weight would be an excellent entrance point for a thrasher looking to get into the band. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!

Unitron Anvil IS Anvil, it's only fitting that a band like Anvil would have such a title. Anvil is Anvil, and they've never really been anything but themselves. Throughout all the changing trends in metal, the band has always stayed true to their own heavy/speed metal sound. They do inject a taste of some different styles when they need it, but the band never really strays from their own path.

Anvil is Anvil is no different, with a kickass blend of classic heavy metal, speed, and a bit of thrash for taste. With opener "Daggers and Rum", the band makes a pirate metal anthem to rival the likes of Running Wild and Alestorm. Lips's vocals are as great as always, his guitar slays like a pirate sword, Robb Reiner's drums pound like cannonballs, and Chris Robertson's bass thumps throughout. Along with the previous track, "Up, Down, Sideways" also ranks among the band's best tracks. Just try to not get addicted to that chorus! "Die for a Lie" is a groovy headbanger, "It's Your Move" is about as classic as it can get, and "Fire on the Highway" is simply yet another killer track.

Featuring an album cover similar in style to those of Surrealist Rene Magritte, Anvil is Anvil does exactly what the title explains. Just like the painter kept his own style for the most part, Anvil keeps on delivering the classic metal goods. If you're an Anvil fan, you'll most likely enjoy this offering. Anvil IS Anvil, and don't you forget it. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!