Movie Review: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Sacha Gervasi, VH1 Classic Documentary on Canadian Thrash Metal Band
Mar 20, 2009
In 1984, a gang of up-and-coming hard rock and metal bands played the Super Rock festival in Japan. Among the acts were such soon-to-be-famous groups as The Scorpions, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Dio . . . and a Canadian speed metal band called Anvil.
Anvil never achieved the rock n' roll dream their contemporaries enjoyed, despite unleashing 1982's Metal on Metal, considered one of the most influential thrash records of all time.
Fast forward 25 years, and lead singer/guitarist Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner are still trying to get in the game, working miserable day jobs while hoping and working for the big break that eluded them all those years ago. That's the band Sacha Gervasi documents in his new film Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
It's also the story of 'Lips' and Robb sticking together despite all the downs (and occasional ups) that hit the band.
The Story of Anvil: Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner's Canadian Metal Band
Just how influential was Anvil to the thrash-metal world? Director Gervasi starts by asking famous musicians like Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Lemmy (Motörhead), Slash (Guns n' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Tom Araya (Slayer) to talk about the band. Enthusiastically, and without any trace of B.S., they all sing Anvil's praises as one of the founding members of the thrash metal movement.
"They were a great band, yeah," said Lemmy. "I always liked Anvil."
"When we saw Anvil, we knew what we had to do if we wanted to get anywhere," admitted Ian.
"They shoulda made it a lot bigger," says Slash.
That's important to hear because, at times, Anvil! plays like a cross between This is Spinal Tap and The Wrestler, with 'Lips' and Robb soldiering on despite all that life has dumped on them. Members of the audience started laughing whenever 'Lips' talked about his hopes and dreams; the fact that the comedy is unintentional adds a sad edge to this flick.
Whether it's their families telling each other that 'Lips' and Robb should give up, an A&R rep at EMI Canada smirking while he listens to their demo, or scene after scene where the band plays half-empty dives where scummy bar owners try to avoid paying the group, Gervasi is unflinching in his depiction of how Anvil's dream has crumbled.
In one humiliating scene, 'Lips' tries to re-introduce himself to former Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker ("He's like the Beethoven of shred guitar!" Lips proclaims beforehand) only to have the German-born axeman stare blankly back at him.
What saves Anvil! (both band and movie) from becoming complete parody is the fact that 'Lips' and Robb have each others' backs. Despite battling over mixes and during grueling tours, they still hang together.
"Robb's the closest person I got in the whole world!" 'Lips' yells in one intense scene.
"You won't jump off a cliff," Robb says when 'Lips' threatens to kill himself. "Because I'll stop ya."
They're also frighteningly good musicians. Even when playing empty bars, Anvil still thrills the meager audience. In a sequence showing them recording their 'comeback' CD This is Thirteen with producer Chris Tsangarides, 'Lips' and Robb still rock like it's 1984. Which is both blessing and curse for the band.
The Final Analysis
"It doesn't matter how good you are, rock n' roll is about being at the right place at the right time," opines Lemmy. "I guess Anvil never got those breaks."
Will Anvil finally get those breaks? It's hard to say. Gervasi offers the band a form of redemption by showing them rocking a packed Japanese metal fest (despite the fact they're opening the show at 11:35 am), and telling how Anvil has now gone independent, selling their discs on their website, Anvilmetal.com.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a powerful reminder of the lure of dreams, even when everyone else says those dreams should be discarded. It gets an 8/10.
(Click here for an exclusive interview with 'Lips' and Robb of Anvil)
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