Anvil

Toronto, Canada's Anvil ranked among the earliest North American groups to extend the sonic and aesthetic reach of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Drawing from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and additional acts based across the Atlantic, the band nevertheless delivered performances that exceeded those influences in volume, velocity, and weight, thereby establishing foundations for the thrash movement that dominated heavy metal's underground throughout the 1980s. The group's second and third long-players, Metal on Metal and Forged in Fire, generated considerable impact within metal circles during 1982 and 1983, yet widespread fame eluded them despite admiration from fellow musicians and dedicated listeners. Isolation by geography, complications with labels and management, plus evolving musical fashions combined to sideline the outfit, confining their audience mainly to devoted fans and vinyl hunters within just a few years. Unfazed, Anvil pressed ahead, maintaining a schedule of recordings and performances as opportunities arose. A 2009 documentary by the band's onetime teenage roadie finally connected them with the wider listenership that had remained out of reach during their peak years. These persistent metal practitioners delivered their 19th studio album, Impact Is Imminent, in 2022.

Childhood companions Steve "Lips" Kudlow on vocals and guitar alongside Robb Reiner on drums established Anvil in Toronto during 1978, having already collaborated on music since adolescence. First operating under the name Lips, the lineup expanded with bassist Ian Dickson and rhythm guitarist Dave Allison before issuing the independent 1980 release Hard 'n' Heavy, which showcased their taste for sexual explicitness. Beyond eccentric behavior, Anvil's musical input proved substantial; their quickest tracks ranked among the first examples of speed metal committed to vinyl, while jazz-schooled drummer Robb Reiner introduced elevated performance benchmarks to the style, notably pioneering the double bass drum approach that later became standard across much extreme metal. After inking a deal with Canadian independent Attic Records, the group adopted the name Anvil and reissued Hard 'n' Heavy with refreshed artwork in 1981. Their influential follow-up Metal on Metal embraced a markedly quicker and heavier approach, captivating the metal underground. Anvil secured support slots alongside Iron Maiden and Motörhead plus other acts, and appeared at major festivals in Japan and England. The 1983 successor Forged in Fire sharpened Anvil's core sound while incorporating greater musical diversity, expanding their growing audience further.

Progress halted abruptly at that point. When the band's manager sought an improved American contract, Attic was asked to terminate the existing agreement, yet no fresh label offer emerged. During the ensuing contractual uncertainty, heavy metal surged in popularity, as pop-metal acts with strong hooks dominated commercial airwaves while self-declared Anvil admirers such as Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax (the last of whom began by covering Anvil material) propelled the genre toward unprecedented intensity that surpassed prior Anvil recordings. Attic compiled Backwaxed in 1985 from hits and unreleased material, but the proper successor to Forged in Fire, Strength of Steel, appeared only in 1987 after the band licensed it to Metal Blade. Lacking creative spark, Strength of Steel largely extinguished Anvil's remaining forward motion. They regained some ground with the heavier Pound for Pound in 1988, which included signature explicit tracks such as "Safe Sex" and "Toe Jam" plus the hockey anthem "Blood on the Ice," though the moment had passed. Dave Allison departed in 1989, succeeded by Sebastian Marino, after the release of that year's Past & Present: Live in Concert.

Marino's sole Anvil album arrived as 1991's Worth the Weight, a darker and more thrash-oriented effort than earlier work. It likewise failed to gain traction and preceded an extended period without new recordings. Ian Dickson exited in 1993 and was replaced by Mike Duncan; Marino joined Overkill in 1995 and gave way to Ivan Hurd, while Duncan left a year later for bassist Glenn Five. Reconfigured in this manner, Anvil signed with Canadian indie Hypnotic Records and released the return album Plugged in Permanent in 1996, sustaining the intense, earnest direction of its predecessor. Absolutely No Alternative followed in 1997 and revived the group's tradition of explicit songs through numbers such as "Show Me Your Tits" and "Hair Pie." Speed of Sound surfaced in 1999 and featured Reiner exploring the blastbeat technique he had helped originate. Subsequent releases, however, shifted toward a lighter, more classic metal orientation across 2001's Plenty of Power (containing a tribute titled "Pro Wrestling"), 2002's Still Going Strong, and 2004's Back to Basics.

In 2005 former roadie Sacha Gervasi, whom the band had encountered as a teenager during an English tour, reached out to Anvil. Gervasi had become a screenwriter, notably authoring the Steven Spielberg-directed The Terminal, and proposed documenting his longtime associates. The resulting Anvil! The Story of Anvil followed the group's European touring and the recording of their 13th album, This Is Thirteen, which reunited them with early-1980s producer Chris Tsangarides. Lacking a label, Anvil chose to sell the album directly via their website to retain maximum revenue. After Hurd's departure, the film gained traction on the festival circuit in 2008 and opened in the U.K. during February 2009. Within two months it became the highest-grossing rock documentary in U.K. history and was acquired by VH1 for American release. Anvil! The Story of Anvil reached U.S. theaters to strong reviews in April 2009, with the band performing at screenings nationwide. A remastered reissue of 1989's Past & Present appeared on Roadrunner in 2010, followed by Juggernaut of Justice in 2011. After nearly 35 years of activity, the band's 15th album Hope in Hell arrived in 2013. Anvil returned in 2016 with the confidently titled Anvil Is Anvil, recorded in Germany under producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and featuring new bassist Chris Robertson. Two years later the group issued its second album with Robertson, Pounding the Pavement, again tracked in Germany but this time with Jörg Uken (God Dethroned, Dew-Scented). For their 18th album the band revisited Soundlodge Studios in Germany with Uken and Pfeiffer handling mixing and production; Legal at Last emerged on AFM Records at the start of 2020. Two years afterward Anvil released their 19th long-player, Impact Is Imminent.