03. Anvil Metal on Metal 1982 (Attic)
Speed Metal
In a small town outside of destiny...
Overview
If ever I’m asked to pick out my favourite speed metal album from this period, then without a doubt it has to be Anvil’s second studio album
Metal on Metal.
Metal on Metal would be the second album by Toronto based Anvil, after having put out their debut
Hard ‘n’ Heavy the previous year. Anvil like certain other speedsters around this time and most notably from the UK with bands like Motorhead, Tank and Raven all serve as pivotal bands in the evolution of metal at the start of the 1980s and were all bands that essentially bridged stylistically the gap between the NWOBHM and the soon to burst on the scene thrash movement. As mentioned various times already, speed metal as a principal metal genre was extremely short-lived in a historical context, as something louder and meaner would soon come along in thrash. Therefore most speed metal bands would soon jump ship to either the thrash or power metal movements, but some bands like Anvil would keep a foot in both camps, whilst still plying their root speed metal sound. As an album
Metal on Metal nearly didn’t happen, as after their decent debut album
Hard ‘n’ Heavy, frontman Steve ‘Lips’ Kudrow something of a metal bad boy, had declined an offer to go to Motorhead to replace another bad boy in ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke who had left Motorhead to form Fastway. Motorhead of course would finally take in another bad boy in ex-Thin Lizzy man Brian Robertson to record their much maligned
Another Perfect Day album in 1983, leaving Steve ‘Lips’ Kudrow to luckily contribute to what would become Anvil’s masterpiece when it comes to their discography. Now when it came to playing ther brand of speed metal, Anvil were all about having fun despite their reputation as being a bunch of bad-ass musicians and it wasn’t uncommon for Steve ‘Lips’ Kudrow to hit the stage in bondage attire a la Fee Waybill and most of their tracks revolved around pornography as subject matter….. sweet! As said this band could really play especially drummer Robb Reiner, who is often regarded as a pioneer of the double drum bass technique, something of course that would become a mainstay of metal from the 1980s onwards. The album would have one of those typical 1980s covers that effectively demonstrated that this was a metal album, just in case there was any doubt! The album would be produced by Chris Tasangaridis who of course was one of the most consistent metal producers around and his credits are just too numerous to mention and he puts out a first rate performance on the album.
Verdict
Most speed metal bands often relied on well just speed, and if they were British it usually came with a rough ‘n’ ready attitude to match as well. But North America’s Anvil took speed metal on this their second album to unparalleled heights of power and excitement, by mixing it in with mainstream metal to produce a potent concoction. In many ways it’s a pity that Metallica made such a big splash the following year, as that would take the shine away from Anvil as an extreme metal band (or at least posturing as one)
Metal on Metal starts off in the ****ing loudest and meanest way possible, with the almost uber-anthem sounding title track “Metal on Metal” which is punctuated by one of metal’s meanest sounding riffs. From the second track “Mothra” no not the Danzig song, it becomes apparent that Anvil’s brand of speed metal is going to sound somewhat different to its British counterpart, despite the obvious Judas Priest nods on the song. This classic track shifts and changes before blazing out in blistering style and the band here play beyond a lot of their contemporaries over a thrilling five minutes. The album is chocca with speed gems like “Jackhammer” “Heat Sink” “Tease Me, Please Me” right down to album closer "666" which sounds like a proto-Megadeth song! Things are then slowed down for “Tag Team” and then pumped up again on “Scenary”. Tracks like “Stop Me” demonstrate that the band also had a superb sense of melody to almost power-pop proportions when they wanted to and “March of the Crabs” is a great two minute plus instrumental which resonates with the band’s trademark sound. Overall and in comparison to albums around this time from both Raven and Tank, Anvil demonstrate a superior level to those two bands as both artists and musicians, but then again I’m a big Anvil fan so I would say this. For many a year Anvil would be seen as one of those metal relics from the 1980s that fell by the wayside, despite the fact that they were constantly dishing out albums of dubious quality to a fairly loyal fanbase. But in 2008 their fortunes changed with the release of the "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" rockumentary, which would bring the band back from the dead as it were and see the band undergo something of a rebirth as an acclaimed metal act once again, as well as finally being recognized for their services in the evolution of metal from the early 1980s and
Metal on Metal surely stands as one of the best examples of this evolution.
Metal on Metal also happens to be my favourite metal album of the year even though I’ve put two other albums above it, but they are both largely there for their huge impact on the metal genre as a whole.
Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow- Guitar/Vocals
Dave Allison- Guitar
Ian Dickson- Bass
Robb Reiner- Drums
Production- Chris Tsangaridis