Anvil is:
Steve “Lips” Kudlow: guitars, vocals
Robb Reiner: drums
Chris Robertson: bass
Damn. What can be said about the legendary Anvil that has not been said a thousand times before by media outlets, long-time fans and even critics? Hell, even larger-than-life heavy hitters like Motorhead and Metallica have consistently over the years praised and respected Anvil for holding true to what makes them great and not kowtowing to outside influences to put them at the will of any record company, promoter or music outlet. These guys play for two reasons: 1). They love what they do and 2). For their fans. Anything past these two things is just icing. Since 1978, this band has been producing quality, Traditional Heavy Metal with their distinctive thumbprint, their way 100%. Call them the biggest underground band in the world or a highly underrated and underappreciated A-Lister because it doesn’t really matter in the end. They are still going to slam into you like a runaway ice cream truck and either hurt you or (if you have my sense of humor) truly appreciate everything that they have done and continue to do. No amount of turmoil, band disruption, criticism or boundary can slow down, much less stop Anvil from putting out high-speed quality Metal and then relentlessly tour to get said killer music in your face, up close and personal (what you can expect at one of their shows can be found here). Much and continued sincere respect for Anvil!
Well, come January 11th, 2018, fans have a lot to look forward to as Anvil guitarist and lead vocalist Steve “Lips” Kudlow, drummer Robb Reiner and bass player Chris Robertson release of their 17th (!) studio album entitled Pounding the Pavement via SPV/Steamhammer and then, once again hitting the road for a year to get this thrashing Metal beast in your face (dates below with more to be announced as 2018 progresses)! This album was produced at the Soundlodge Studios in Rhauderfehn in the north west of Germany by owner, Jörg Uken where members of Anvil had the seclusion to focus on the new album and what it stood for: making a survivable income playing music from your soul. From the press release, Kudlow clarifies the writing and direction Anvil have chosen with their new album, saying: “The songwriting process started immediately after the work on our previous album, Anvil Is Anvil, had been completed, so our thoughts instantly turned to the future again. After Anvil Is Anvil had been cut, everybody knew what we had just delivered and what Anvil’s future should sound like.” That said, Pounding the Pavement is a natural evolution on this line of songwriting. Anvil obviously did not fundamentally change the successful formula that has worked so well over their long careers. This is still fast, guitar theatrics driven Metal laced with trademarked biting wit, sarcasm and passion relatable to everyone. This is outrageously apparent in the opening track “Bitch In The Box” going through the frustration of dealing with GPS. I can only imagine what Anvil has been put through due to this infuriating device since they are on the road so much of the year. The first time I listened, I about laughed myself to tears because it is so damned true. This, my friends, is the magic of Anvil. The following track, “Ego” takes a very snarky, sarcastic and impatient view of the obvious. When I spoke with Kudlow when last we met, he made his frustration with egomaniacs crystal clear to me. He is a Metal God at this point and has zero ego. He is, however, extremely proud of Anvil’s longevity and being able to continue killing it after four decades and has no more tolerance for inflated egos thrown in his face. Amen to that! Could not agree with him more! Next up, “Doing What I Want” could be Anvil’s tag line and war cry. Steve sums it up best, stating: “Despite all adversities that the life of a musician entails, we still find ourselves in a very privileged position. We can basically do what we want to do. Nobody interferes, nobody tries to steer us in one direction or the other. Which other artists can say that of themselves? Even the biggest bands in the world envy us and tell us: ‘You damn bastards have always been able to do what you want.’ And that’s precisely what we’ve done again on Pounding The Pavement.” Again, not wanting to completely reinvent the wheel, there are also a number of inherently fun Anvil tunes that die hard, old-school fans are going to love like “Smash Your Face”, “Rock That Shit”, “Let It Go”, “Black Smoke” and the bonus track, “Don’t Tell Me”. Just because you are charging forward does not mean that you have turned your back on the past. Kudlow explains: “Of course we always allow inspirations from earlier recordings to seep in, but always with an emphasis on evolving the characteristic Anvil sound. Lots of fans keep asking us to play the way we did in the so-called good old days. That’s why I try from time to time to pick up on that exciting feel of our older material. Mind you, it’s always exclusively about the basic atmosphere of that time, never about copying an older song.” Maybe my favorite song on the album is the instrumental masterpiece and title track for Pounding the Pavement. Impressive everything on this track. Ripping guitars, a really cool and unique bass line and drums from hell resound with that distinctive Anvil sound we have all come to know and love. Another notable track is “Nanook Of The North” chronicling the fate of the Intuit which is based on an old documentary. On writing the song, Kudlow explains: “As a Canadian band, we wanted to focus on more Canadian topics. I remembered a course at the College of Movie History, where I saw one of the first TV documentaries ever. I did some research on the internet and came across that strange overtone singing the Inuit do. I was totally awed and knew immediately what I had to do: write a song with that typical tribal feel. That college documentary was made some time during the 1920s and is called ‘Nanook Of The North’, named after the protagonist of the documentary. So I had found my title and the subject of the song.” A final anomaly on Pounding the Pavement can be found in “Warming Up” that takes the Swing and Blues base of 50’s Rock ‘n Roll but adds a Metal twist that only Anvil could pull of with such style and pizazz. Just bad-ass!
These Metal Monsters have done it, yet again, with Pounding the Pavement. Never ceases to amaze that a band celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year is still this passionate about what they do. Not even approaching the “long in the tooth” moniker, Anvil continues to effectively evolve while maintaining their signature sound and fun vibe without ever becoming bitter and angry. This band remains a true testament to a pure and unrelenting love of music and consistently delivering the goods as they see fit. Always loved Anvil and definitely loving this album!
Tracklist for Pounding the Pavement:
“Bitch In The Box”
“Ego”
“Doing What I Want”
“Smash Your Face”
“Pounding The Pavement”
“Rock That Shit”
“Let It Go”
“Nanook Of The North”
“Black Smoke”
“World Of Tomorrow”
“Warming Up”
“Don´t Tell Me” (bonus track)
ANVIL Live 2018:
01.02.NL-Leiden – Gebr. De Nobel
02.02.NL-Venlo – Poppodium Grenswerk
03.02.NL-Hengelo – Metropool
04.02.NL-Tilburg – Little Devil
06.02.GB-London – Underworld
07.02.GB-Stoke – Eleven Music
08.02.GB-Newcastle – Trillians
09.02.GB-Grimsby – Yardbirds
10.02.GB-Glasgow – Cathouse
11.02.GB-Wigan – Pure
13.02.GB-Belfast – The Limelight
14.02.IE-Dublin – The Academy
16.02.GB-Buckley – Tivoli
17.02.GB-Bridgend – Hobos
18.02.GB-Brighton – Green Door Store
20.02.GB-Bilston – Robin 2
21.02.GB-York – Fibbers
22.02.GB-Evesham – Iron Road
23.02.GB-Weston – The Bear
24.02.B-Kortrijk – De Kreun
25.02.F-Paris – Le Trabendo
27.02.F-Colmar – Le Grillen
01.03.E-Irun – Sala Tunk
02.03.E-Madrid – MON
03.03.E-Valencia – Paberse Club
04.03.E-Barcelona – Sala Boveda
10.03.I-Florence – Circus
11.03.I-Brescia – Circolo Colony
13.03.CH-Solothurn – Kofmehl
14.03.D-Munich – Backstage
15.03.D-Essen – Turock
16.03.D-Mannheim – 7er Club
17.03.D-Münster – Sputnikhalle
18.03.D-Berlin – Musik & Frieden
20.03.D-Flensburg – Roxy
22.03.SE-Gothenburg – Sticky Fingers
23.03.SE-Finspang – Hugo
24.03.SE-Uppsala – Katalin
25.03.SE-Stockholm – Fryshuset Klubben
28.03.NO-Oslo – Olsen Pa Bryn
29.03.NO-Haugesund – Flytten
30.03.NO-Hamar – Gregers
31.03.NO-Odal – Odal Rock Club
04.04.D-Frankfurt – Nachtleben
05.04.D-Hamburg – Markthalle
06.04.D-Siegburg – Kubana
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