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Anvil (band)

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For the black metal band, see Black Anvil.
For other uses, see Anvil (disambiguation).
"Robb Reiner" redirects here. For the American filmmaker, see Rob Reiner.

Anvil
L-R: former bassist Glenn Five, Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner (2010)
L-R: former bassist Glenn Five, Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner (2010)
Background information
Also known asLips (1978–1981)
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Years active1978–present
LabelsAttic, Maximum, Massacre, Hypnotic, Metal Blade, The End, Roadrunner, Steamhammer
MembersSteve "Lips" Kudlow
Robb Reiner
Chris Robertson
Past membersIvan Hurd
Sebastian Marino
Ian Dickson
Dave Allison
Mike Duncan
Glenn Gyorffy
Sal Italiano
Websitehttp://anvilrocks.com/
Singer and Guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow at Rockharz Open Air 2019
Drummer Robb Reiner at Rockharz Open Air 2019
Bassist Chris Robertson at Rockharz Open Air 2019

Anvil are a Canadian heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 1978. The band now consists of Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar), Robb Reiner (drums), and Chris Robertson (bass). As of early 2019, the band has released seventeen studio albums, and had been cited as having influenced many notable heavy metal groups, including Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica.[2]

The band, in particular Kudlow and Reiner, was the subject of the 2008 documentary film, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by the screenwriter and former Anvil roadie Sacha Gervasi. Upon its release, the film garnered critical acclaim from many major publications, and has since brought the band renewed recognition, including opening slots with AC/DC and Saxon. Appearances at major heavy metal festivals, including Download, Loud Park and Hellfest, and independent music festivals like Bumbershoot and SXSW, also followed the release of the film.

Reviewers have described Anvil as a pioneering heavy metal band that was popular in the 1980s but then faded into obscurity in the 1990s, while refusing to stop playing, recording, and gigging.[3] Anvil's antics on and off stage, the setbacks they suffered, and their determination to keep going have been compared to the fictional band Spinal Tap.[3][4][5][6][7]

History

Formation (1973–1981)

The roots of Anvil began in April 1973 in Toronto, when high school friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner began playing music together. They met through a friend, guitarist and neighbour Marty Hoffman, but "musical differences" caused his departure after their first show.[8] In 1978, the first full line-up of the band included Kudlow (lead vocals, lead guitar), Reiner (drums), Dave "Squirrely" Allison (rhythm guitar), backing vocals), and Ian "Dix" Dickson (bass).[8] At this point, the band was called Lips.

Success in the 1980s (1981–1989)

In 1981, the band released an independent album called Hard 'N' Heavy. Shortly after, they were signed by Attic Records and changed their name to Anvil. Their independent album was released by Attic as their debut album for the company. Following its release, British rock musician Lemmy asked Kudlow to play guitar for Motörhead, to replace "Fast" Eddie Clarke, but Kudlow declined.[9]

By 1983, Aerosmith manager David Krebs and assistant Paul O'Neill had signed a managing contract with Anvil and convinced Attic to release the band from its contract, so the band could sign with a major label.[10] However, after initial interest, Krebs eventually stopped returning phone calls and did not get the band a major label recording contract; he eventually released the band from the managing contract allowing the band to find their own record deal in mid-1986.[11] In 2012, during an interview with Metal Shock Finland's Chief Editor, Mohsen Fayyazi, Kudlow said, when he was asked about Krebs:

...David had little or no knowledge of metal music. He managed Aerosmith and thought we were a great opener, but beyond that he couldn't find us a deal without including our first three albums in a deal. The company Attic refused to license or release those recordings in the USA. This made it impossible for David to go forward with us. He pulled us out of the contract with Attic and left us to die or what ever!! We wrote Strength of Steel [the band's fourth album, released in 1987] and recorded it on our own and released it through Metal Blade. Unfortunately this was 4 years after Forged in Fire which made the album 3 years too late...[12][13]

Free to pursue a recording contract, in 1987 the band was signed by American label Metal Blade Records by William Howell, a fan who is now a DJ with KNAC radio. The band released three records with Metal Blade, starting with Strength of Steel, which was the group's most commercially successful record in the United States, peaking at No. 191 on the Billboard 200.[14]

Obscurity (1990–2006)

In the early 1990s, Anvil were picked up by Maximum Records, an independent Canadian label that was formed by William Seip, Helix's manager at the time. From 1996, they were signed by Hypnotic Records in Canada and Massacre Records in Germany.[15] According to Lips, Anvil would have not continued had it not been for the German fans and the German contract. Germany was the only market for reasonable sales in that period, so the country kept the band running and gave them the opportunity to do more records.[16] In 2001, the band recorded Plenty of Power and continued touring. Lips remarked "We'll play gigs sometimes where there's no one there".[8]

Anvil! The Story of Anvil documentary, and This Is Thirteen (2006–2009)

In 2006, the band recorded with Chris Tsangarides, who previously produced their acclaimed 1982 album Metal on Metal. After failing to find a major label that was willing to distribute the band's new material, the album, titled This Is Thirteen, was self-released in 2007,[17] and was available exclusively from the band's official website.[18]

The band's history to that point has been documented in the documentary film Anvil! The Story of Anvil, released in 2008.[19] Rolling Stone called the movie "the year's most praised rock doc."[20] The band played "Cat Scratch Fever" with Slash and Anthrax's Scott Ian at the Sundance Film Festival, where the movie premiered.[21] The high praise for the movie[22] put Anvil back into the public consciousness,[23] propelling them to play several festivals, including the Download Festival in 2009 at which they headlined the Tuborg stage.[24]

Regarding the movie, Lips said:[25]

It stands as a prime example of what an industry—particularly the music industry—can put an artist through. At the same time, I take responsibility for our actions in the past. We were just sustaining who we are. Now someone's come along and brought it to a new level. Now we're getting praise for never selling out and sticking to our guns. It's a celebration. We got our notoriety on our own terms. We've done what we want. Not what someone told us to do.

Following the success of the Anvil documentary, VH1 Classic Records re-released This Is Thirteen on CD and vinyl on September 15, 2009, with a newly recorded song, "Thumb Hang", which had been written by the band during the 80s. Guitarist Ivan Hurd left the band at this point to settle down with his new wife. The double-vinyl LP contains re-recorded versions of Anvil classics "Metal on Metal" and "666".[26]

Lips from Anvil at the Headbangers Open Air, Germany 2014

In 2009, Bantam Press released the book Anvil: The Story of Anvil, authored by Lips and Reiner with a foreword by Slash.[27] On March 28, 2009, Kudlow and Reiner were the featured guests on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show. Anvil played the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma in 2009, and opened for AC/DC at their first few summer Black Ice World Tour shows (North American leg II). They also supported Saxon on a leg of UK shows in November.

Anvil appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on October 6, 2009, the first network television appearance of their career, to coincide with the release of Anvil! The Story Of Anvil on DVD in North America; on the show, the band performed "Metal on Metal".[28]

On October 8, 2009, Anvil filmed a cameo performance in a rock club for The Green Hornet.[29]

Bassist changes (2009–present)

From June to July 2010, the band went on a headline tour of Europe, selling out venues in the UK, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as festivals in Finland, Sweden, France, Italy and Germany. Lips confirmed on this tour that he had in fact paid back his sister the loan to pay for the production of This is Thirteen.[30]

The band released Juggernaut of Justice, their 14th studio album, on May 10, 2011.[31] Lips said that the band drew from "about 20 songs written".[32]

Following the release of the album the band completed yet more tours in Europe and North America, often playing alongside artists such as Alice Cooper and Saxon. The band released a new greatest hits album Monument of Metal: The Very Best of Anvil. Anvil also started re-releasing their old material, starting with Strength of Steel, Pound For Pound, and Worth the Weight later that same year.

In January 2012, Glenn Gyorffy quit Anvil, citing creative differences. Lips confirmed that another player had been found to fill in on the remainder of their tour dates.[33] Anvil embarked on their 2012 Winter Tour of the US with Sal Italiano on bass; he had formerly been a bassist for an Iron Maiden tribute band. During Lips' interview with Metal Shock Finland, he said:

We hired an old friend to do the tour and are currently working with a new, improved bassist. There was no major issue in fixing this at all, and in fact, everything was sorted out within a few hours of Glenn departing. Glenn tried to make it difficult by leaving without proper notice, but we've been preparing for this for quite some time. This did end up for the better, as it is a huge improvement with our new guy, both musically as well as personally.[13][34][35]

May 2013 saw the release of Hope in Hell, a new Anvil studio recording again produced by Bob Marlette, who—according to Lips—contributed a lot to songwriting skills and arrangements. The whole album was written by Lips and Reiner alone. Lips said that in some songs he was inspired by his love of heavy "rock'n'roll", which made him feel he "found his way home"[16] to the time when they did their first record. In an interview with The Drummer's Journal, Lips outlined how the record was written "as if it was 1983 again."[36] The band toured to promote the new album—in fall 2013 they played Europe, and in summer of 2014 they played some European festival gigs.[16]

In 2014, Anvil parted ways with Sal Italiano and replaced him with Chris Robertson, who was already acting as the band's rehearsal bassist and a member of their road crew.

The album Anvil Is Anvil was released on February 26, 2016. The band's seventeenth album, Pounding the Pavement, was released on January 19, 2018.[37] The band's 18th album, Legal at Last, was released on February 14, 2020.[38] [39]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Members

Current members
Former members
  • Dave "Squirrely" Allison – guitars, backing vocals (1978–1989)
  • Ian "Dix" Dickson – bass (1978–1993)
  • Sebastian Marino – guitars (1989–1995)
  • Mike Duncan – bass (1993–1996)
  • Ivan Hurd – guitars (1995–2007)
  • Glenn "Glenn Five" Gyorffy – bass, backing vocals (1996–2012)
  • Sal Italiano – bass (2012–2014)

Timeline

Other media

Books
  • Anvil: The Story of Anvil by Steve Kudlow and Robb Reiner (Foreword by Slash) Bantam Press (March 13, 2009) ISBN 0-593-06364-3
Film

References

  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "Review: Anvil – Metal on Metal". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  2. ^ Rodman, Sarah (April 12, 2009). "Metal band Anvil lives!". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Alter, Ethan (March 20, 2009). "Film Review: Anvil! The Story of Anvil". Film Journal International. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  4. ^ Yabroff, Jennie (April 10, 2009). "'Spinal Tap' and Its Influence". Newsweek. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  5. ^ Burns, Kenneth (September 18, 2009). "Anvil! is a touching documentary about a flailing band – Heavy-metal poignancy". Isthmus.
  6. ^ Lane, Anthony (April 20, 2009). "Rock Solid". Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Spera, Keith (January 22, 2010). "For metal band Anvil, overnight success was just 32 years and one documentary away". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c "Anvil a hard act to follow". Jam!. March 15, 2001. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  9. ^ Anvil: The Story of Anvil by Steve Kudlow and Robb Reiner (Foreword by Slash) Bantam Press (March 13, 2009) ISBN 0-593-06364-3 page 12
  10. ^ Anvil: The Story of Anvil by Steve Kudlow and Robb Reiner (Foreword by Slash) Bantam Press (March 13, 2009) ISBN 0-593-06364-3 page 151
  11. ^ Anvil: The Story of Anvil by Steve Kudlow and Robb Reiner (Foreword by Slash) Bantam Press (March 13, 2009) ISBN 0-593-06364-3 page 187
  12. ^ "Exclusive Interview With Legendary "LIPS", ANVIL: Glenn tried to make it difficult by leaving without proper notice but we've been preparing for this for quite sometime". Metal Shock Finland. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "ANVIL Frontman: GLENN FIVE 'Tried To Make It Difficult By Leaving Without Proper Notice'". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  14. ^ Charts, AllMusic
  15. ^ "Anvil Massacre Releases". Massacre Records. 2009. Archived from the original on October 15, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  16. ^ a b c "Interview with Lips: Without Germany – NO ANVIL". entertaim.net. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  17. ^ "ANVIL in London: Interview, Performance Footage Available". Blabbermouth.net. February 20, 2009.
  18. ^ "This is Thirteen". anvilmetal.tk. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  19. ^ "Movie Review: Sweetness and humor lighten load of 'Anvil'". Sacramento Bee. May 1, 2009. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  20. ^ "Anvil Exposed: Canadian Metal Vets Rock With Slash, Talk Doc". Rolling Stone. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  21. ^ "'Anvil! The True Story of Anvil': The Year's Great Rock Movie?". Rolling Stone. May 1, 2009. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  22. ^ "'Anvil': For Heavy-Metal Vets, It's A Hard-Rock Life". NPR. April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  23. ^ Anderson, John (May 18, 2008). "Heavy Metal, Light on the Success". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  24. ^ "Rock band Anvil on a roll as docu hits theaters". Reuters. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  25. ^ Poseur, Nameless (October 21, 2010). "Anvil's Steve "Lips" Kudlow". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  26. ^ "News". Anvil band. 2009. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  27. ^ ""Anvil! The True Story of Anvil" Book". anvilbook.co.uk. May 1, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  28. ^ "Tonight show". anvilmetal.tk. 2009. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  29. ^ "Anvil to Appear in Green Hornet". News in Film. 2009. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  30. ^ "AnvilMetal.com News". Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  31. ^ "This Is Anvil!". Slate. April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  32. ^ bravewords.com. "ANVIL – 20 Songs Written For New Record". Bravewords.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  33. ^ "ANVIL's Longtime Bassist GLENN FIVE Quits". BlabberMouth. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  34. ^ "Exclusive Interview With Legendary 'LIPS', ANVIL: Glenn tried to make it difficult by leaving without proper notice but we've been preparing for this for quite sometime". Metal Shock Finland. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  35. ^ "ANVIL's Steve 'Lips' Kudlow On Departure Of Bassist Glenn Five – 'It Is A Huge Improvement With Our New Guy, Both Musically And Personally'". bravewords.com. January 17, 2012. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  36. ^ Hoare, Tom. "More Than Fun & Games Robb Reiner and Lips of Anvil" Archived June 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, The Drummer's Journal, New York, October 27, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  37. ^ "ANVIL To Release 'Pounding The Pavement' Album in January". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  38. ^ "ANVIL To Release 'Legal At Last' Album In February". Blabbermouth.net. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  39. ^ Kelleher, Jack (February 17, 2020). "Anvil Legal at Last". exclaim.ca. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
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