Anvil This Is Thirteen
By
Peter Atkinson,
Contributor
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 @ 8:08 PM
VH1 Classic Records
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It's pretty cool that long-suffering Canadian metallurgists Anvil are finally getting their "15 minutes" thanks to the "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" documentary after 30 years of eating shit and anonymity. Christ, they deserve a lifetime achievement award - or something of the sort - just for their moxie and stick-to-it-iveness, because few bands have plugged away at it for this long with so little to show for their efforts.
Indeed, just seeing the indignities Anvil endured in their movie would probably be enough for some struggling bands to say, "fuck it, it's not worth it." But Anvil are either too dumb or too proud to quit. And God bless 'em for it.
Yet along with the usual reasons why Anvil never took off - bad business decisions, worse management, record company scumbaggery - is the fact that many of their dozen or so albums weren't really all that good, especially when compared to the output of other bands (Slayer, Metallica, et al) that came up at around the same time and went on to achieve speed metal glory. And though Anvil could bring it live - and certainly raise a few eyebrows as band leader Steve "Lips" Kudlow employed dildos to play his guitar - the material they churned out was pretty much grade-school, goof-ball thrash, typified by the likes of "Butter-Bust Jerky," "Show Me Your Tits" or "Mothra," that just got lamer and crappier sounding after their first three albums way back in the early '80s.
Now that Anvil are getting some attention, the band's latest album, This Is Thirteen - which, speaking of indignities, they didn't even have a label deal for and have been selling at gigs and online for two years - is finally getting a proper release. But with band mainstays Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner now in their 50s, I can't say the prospect of aging rockers cranking out puerile metal had me all that enthused for the album - especially given the relative slagging it got upon its initial "release" on this very site in March 2008 - see the article here.
But This Is Thirteen turns out to be a somewhat pleasant surprise. Not only are Kudlow and Reiner "acting their age," in a manner of speaking, they're writing better, ballsier material and have reunited with producer Chris Tsangarides to put together the best sounding album they've done in ages.
Musically, Thirteen isn't much of a stretch from what Anvil were churning out in the Metal On Metal days of yore - a fairly even blend of bare-bones thrash and thudding mid-tempo anthems that remain unapologetically simple and stubbornly old school. Don't look for any contemporary contrivances or fanciful shenanigans here, this is old-fashioned butt rock, like it or lump it.
Thirteen lumbers out of the gate with the plodding six-plus minute title track, but things kick up nicely with "Bombs Away," which lives up to its name with its charging tempo and Kudlow's propulsive riffs. And either way, the sound is crystal clear and big and beefy, with plenty of snap in Reiner's drums and teeth in Kudlow guitaring.
The up-tempo numbers are generally the most entertaining here, with "Flying Blind," "Ready to Fight," the galloping "Shoulda', Woulda', Coulda'" and "American Refugee" offering crunching hooks and catchy sing-a-long choruses that will set heads a-bobbing. The slower fare, like the aforementioned title track, "Burning Bridges" and the bonus re-recording of the way old "Thumb Hang" tend to be repetitive and, as in the case of "Big Business," over-simplified and obvious - and with Kudlow's warbly voice, kinda grating.
Though they put on a brave face in the movie and generally seem good humored in public, Anvil show they do have something of an "Axe to Grind" about the industry and the business that have been crapping all over them for all these years. They don't pull any punches on the self-explanatory "Feed The Greed," "Big Business," "Burning Bridges" and, of course, "Axe to Grind" - even though Kudlow's voice can hardly be considered surly or menacing. But it certainly rings true. And while their tune may change now that they've become "famous," at least they got it off their chest while they could.
So while Thirteen is hardly what one might consider a metal classic, it makes for a respectable introduction to metal's most lovable losers for people who may have seen the movie and are wondering what the fuss is all about. And for all those who had written Anvil off after all those years of treading water and catering jobs, the band definitely still have some life left in them and - for once - perhaps the possibility of better things to come.
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Purchase your copy of This Is thirteen in the KNAC.COM More Store. Click here.
CallemasI - 11/5/2009 6:53:02 AM Fair enough...truly sorry 'bout the name calling.
motleyfied70 - 11/3/2009 9:31:57 PM And my point is..their music and lyrics are cornballish, very Spinal Tappish, to say the least. And it's no surprise that nobody took them seriously in the 80's. And they fact that they're more well known now, more out of sympathy than anything else is somewhat sad. I did see the documentary and it was interesting, but not enough to make me want to help support them. In my opinion there were many more bands back in the day that were more deserving of success that never got it, but you don't see all those bands begging for the public's sympathy. The end.
CallemasI - 11/2/2009 9:45:41 AM Ok, Motley, time to come clean. Bro , I am not mad at you. I do not think you are gay, nor do I care. That being said, as I agree many of Anvil songs do not need to be heard a second time, I am still really happy to see this kind of success for a local band. As such, I purposely picked a fight with anyone that didn't like them, in the hopes it would generate interest in the board, and perhaps expose someone new to them.As any publicity is good publicity.Anyway, I understand you're mad, and if you feel played, well you were.What made you continue to come back and exchange gay references to someone you don't know, on a board of a band you dont like, is for you to answer. I certainly wouldn't have wasted my time. I continued to generate this exchange simply in the hopes people would continue to frequent this page, and contibute to Anvils 15 minutes of popularity.Once again, I am not angry. I don't think you're gay, and as I have a busy week ahead with this H1N1 Pandemic going on, I will not have the time to continue puppet mastering. As such, if you feel the need to lash out some more, I understand. I just won't respond, as once again, I could care less what you like, who you are , or what you do. If you need to keep this going, I will have to work out some monetary compensation from Anvil. Hopefully, they are appreciative of keeping their link fresh, and having people pop in to see what the daily trash talk is for today. I'm sure they'd thank me....ooops, I mean us!! .You should check out the documentary. You may realize the type of noteriety this is generating, surpasses wether you like them or not,and brings Heavy Metal into the light of day, for those who have never been exposed. Anyway, stop wasting your time, life's too short!
ddverni2000 - 11/2/2009 5:55:05 AM I never listened to ANVIL in the 80's, but i saw the movie and it was great. I went out and bought this is 13, and i like it. the vocals are ok, but the music is very good.
motleyfied70 - 11/1/2009 9:14:08 PM HAHA you Anvil loving queer...why don't you meet up with the guys and tongue-punch their assholes while you're at it? ANVIL SUCKS!!
CallemasI - 11/1/2009 2:04:56 PM You would know, spandex wearing faggot! Guess what, so do you!
motleyfied70 - 11/1/2009 8:18:21 AM You're about as straight as Rob Halford at a gay pride parade, you ball sucking loser! Also, guess what? ANVIL SUCKS!!!
CallemasI - 11/1/2009 5:55:22 AM The fact remains you admit you're a spandex wearing faggot.If I had a dime for everytime you've "stooped down' I'd be rich! She want to be lez , you want to be gay, we'll that's your business, I'm straight so bitch have it your way!
motleyfied70 - 10/31/2009 1:49:15 PM Don't need to do any stuffing, just ask your mom (stooping down to your level now), but she does love it when i STUFF it in her greedy lil mouth!
CallemasI - 10/30/2009 5:17:15 AM And as long as you admit it, my work here is done! Tell me do you stuff your spandex, or does Dad accept you for who you are?
CallemasI - 10/30/2009 5:15:24 AM Hey Morning, big gay! Full night last night?
motleyfied70 - 10/29/2009 9:19:17 PM And with that, I urge you to go play "hide and go fuck yourself"
motleyfied70 - 10/29/2009 9:14:36 PM Calle, you really seem to like these guys! LOL What a fuckin' loser! I'd rather wear spandex than listen to these homo trolls!
Brjoro - 10/29/2009 1:10:17 PM Great movie, but the reviewer is dead on here, other than their first three records, most of what they've done hasn't been very good. But movie is worth seeing, very interesting look at a bunch of guys who kind of know their moment is past but don't know what else to do!
