Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: Canada
Label: Steamhammer
Year : 2016
Anvil have released a new record. I’m feeling rather awkward listening to it. How am I supposed to speak about it, to explain to you what I’ve listened to…? Should I speak about how “loose” the record sounds despite the fact that it’s Anvil? Should I say there’s no track worthy of Anvil’s legacy? Or should I mention the fact that there are at least two tracks that try to ruminate hymns of the past, but never manage to deliver something good? For instance, “Up, Down, Sideways” reminds me of “666”, and “Die For A Lie” sounds like a copy of “Jackhammer”. I don’t believe we should pay respects to the past, however we should do it in ways that are effective; i.e. in “Worth The Weight” (which was actually a great record), “Bushpig” was similar to “Motormount”, however, nobody felt betrayed, as it’s a great track.
So, what’s the deal here? On one hand we have a good production and a band that has a performance of professional level; on the other hand though, there are no decent tracks… Where’s that badass attitude Anvil used to have? The record is a disappointment given the fact that Anvil have offered Heavy Metal so many things? Even though they’ve influenced countless artists and bands and their name is an object of worship and utter respect by metalheads, that doesn’t mean that just because the logo of such a band adorns the cover art of a new record automatically makes you blindly like it.
I don’t know whether Anvil can surpass the historical releases of the past (oh well, I know they can’t, but I’m not willing to admit it), but this record is certainly unworthy of their legacy.
3/6