Too bad he's unable to elevate the film above a glorified home movie and out of the shadow of mockumentaries past (a quick stop at Stonehenge and an amp that actually goes to eleven are particularly troubling).
Gervasi - best known for writing Steven Spielberg's 2004 ode to product placement "The Terminal" - has been a friend of Anvil since his youth, and he's given complete warts-and-all access here. Gervasi chronicles Anvil's recent lackluster tour of Europe (missed trains, defaulted payments), led by a manager they apparently found on the internet, followed by the recording of the band's thirteenth studio album. The film focuses instead on the band's current plight: being 50 years old and still operating a struggling metal band.
The documentary never quite explains why fame and fortune eluded the band (though Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich posits the "Canadian element") and the soundtrack's short snippets of the band's songs do little to shed little light on their talent. But despite hitting the tour circuit and releasing a dozen albums, Anvil never achieved more than the status of a cult footnote. An early album, 1982's perfectly-named (and catchy!) "Metal on Metal", was apparently worshiped by such Heavy Metal heavyweights as Anthrax, Slayer and Metallica (representative band members appear early in the film). Lead guitarist Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner (See? How can that be true?) are the remaining members the titular metal band. The resulting cognitive dissonance actually distracts from the experience of this mildly moving film about two 50-year-old men still hammering away at the dream of their youth: to be Heavy Metal titans. In fact, watching "Anvil" requires something of a reversal of your suspension of disbelief you have to suspend your suspension to enjoy the movie. But in a world where any kid with a Macbook and an internet connection can Forrest Gump himself into stock footage shaking hands with Kennedy, it's hard to know when the wool isn't being pulled over your eyes. Comparisons to Rob Reiner's quintessential mockumentary aside, I choose to accept the film as reality. Director Sacha Gervasi's modest tribute to the best Canadian metal band you've never heard of is so similar to 1984's "This is Spinal Tap" that it's hard to believe it's true. The album is rounded off by another instrumental piece called “Gomez” which musically is a complete surprise with the appearance of a brass section jamming along with the band in a fun rocker of a song.Īnvil’s new album “Impact is Imminent” will be released on 20 th May via AFM Records.Watching "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is something of a post-modern nightmare. “Teabag” is an instrumental little rock jam. Immediate favourite songs on the album include the very fast and excellent “Ghost Shadow” as well as tracks such as “Someone to Hate”, “Bad Side of Town”, “Fire Rain”, “Explosive Energy”, “The Rabbit Hole” and “Shockwave”. Perhaps the dynamic addition in recent years of Chris to the Anvil mix has caused the two co-founders to up their game. It goes without saying that Robb’s drumming and Lips’ vocals and guitar riffs are still the driving force behind Anvil’s music. For example, Chris’ bass playing is on a new level for the band and his background vocals add texture to some fantastic songs. But on this album, perhaps more so than on other recent albums, there are nuances, layers and cool details here and there that enhance the quality of the music. On the surface, Anvil’s music is meat-and-potatoes metal. The pandemic also made its mark on the album in the aptly named track “Lockdown” (with excellent, to-the-point lines such as “Trapped in quarantine/by Covid-19/Stop this calamity!”). What it is different this time is that the band due to the pandemic which stopped all usual touring could take their time to write and record the album.
On “Impact is Imminent”, the band’s 19 th studio album, we get served no fewer than 14 songs. The bass player position belongs to Chris Robertson since 2014. Founding members Steve “Lips” Kudlow (lead vocals and guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums) are always there and they sound better than ever on this album. The band formed in Toronto, Canada in the 1970s and they debuted with the album “Hard ’n’ Heavy” in 1981. That is how they have built a now four-and-a-half-decade long career. Their songs often have tongue-in-cheek lyrics but there’s also some social commentary. And that’s a good thing! Anvil’s take on heavy metal is straightforward metal music, performed as a trio with guitar, bass and drums. Not much has changed in the world of Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. Canadian metal force Anvil shows us how it’s done on the band’s 19 th album.
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