A number of years ago, before a certain film came out, a drinking companion and rather good metal writer said to me “you’re not a real metal fan if you don’t know the riff to Metal on Metal.” At the time, far too few people around the world would have been able to hum those oh so influential chords, whilst old gits like me would dust off old vinyl and tapes to relive our youth. Then a film came out, and all of a sudden, the globe again rocked to the sound of an old Canuck battering his flying V with a dildo, and long term fans rubbed shoulders at ever bigger and better attended concerts with non metal followers who had just come to bask in the spirit of persistence that is Anvil! So, having stuck with Anvil through thick and thin, as well as ever thickening waistline and thinning hair, what does ‘Juggernaut of Justice’ the fourteenth album, bring to fans new and old?
Album opener and title track ‘Juggernaut of Justice’ motors out of the speakers in classic Anvil style, Rob Reiner’s drums being as solid as ever, and Lips’ vocals as good as they ever have been. Some writers in the music press may sneer at Lips for not having a massive vocal range or sustain, but this is metal folks, and what counts in my book is the ability to give passion to the words, not just impress with the number of octaves, and that passion comes out in every note, every bit equalled in the guitar work that is sharp and heavy. ‘When All Hell Breaks Loose’ fires in with an almost punky delivery in the pounding drums and simple strident guitar riffs and the almost discordant solo, whilst on ‘New Orleans Voodoo’ new boy Glenn 5 (hey, he’s only been in the band 15 or so years) positively struts to the front of the mix with his stomping bass work.
Come ‘Turn It Up’ Lips shows off the guitar riffs that influenced a whole generation of thrash and speed metal bands, as well as firing out some of this best solos in years, combining a speed and technical flair that is developed even more on follow up ‘This Ride’. After all this metal, the album is rounded off with ‘Swing Thing’, which really feels like an excuse for Rob Reiner to show of his jazz chops, complete with a brass section. After all their trials and tribulations, these guys deserve a bit of self indulgence, they’ve earned it.
Now entering their thirtieth year on the road, Lips and Reiner may no longer pump out the sexual deviancy of ‘Jackhammer’ from days of yore, and to some their songs of metal, the road, and the joy of playing may sound clichéd, but don’t forget, these are the guys that helped create the sound that only became clichéd through imitation and dilution. Anvil have delivered an album that any musicians of half their age would be hard pressed to match in sheer energy and exuberance, and they have layered this with skilled playing honed over many years, many miles, and many gigs. Anvil are to be hailed, not just for their persistence, but their achievement. This is not just an album for oldsters to dig out their old denim cut-offs and nod along to; this is a celebration of rock and metal. Here’s to the success of ‘Juggernaut of Justice’, and here’s to the next album!
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Spenny Bullen
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