Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Despite having influenced a number of major metal acts, among them Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Motörhead and Slash, the Canadian metal band Anvil has remained largely under the radar for most of their careers. Their dedication in spite of this would later inspire a rockumentary in 2008 called Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Anvil!), which documents the trials and tribulations the band faces around the recording of their thirteenth album, This Is Thirteen. While a previous viewing of this film inspired me to pick up a few Anvil albums myself, all of which I still own, I decided to give it another viewing shortly after watching the Spın̈al Tap duology, due to comparisons between the two bands, and found that it still holds up as a powerful story.

We are first introduced to Anvil as a band that, despite being praised by their contemporaries, have never managed to achieve the same level of fame, necessitating the members to take other jobs to scrape by while making music. The focus is primarily on the founding members and constants, singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, as relationships are strained and their friendship is tested. In many respects, the film can be viewed as a dramatic counterpart to This is Spin̈al Tap, as the band is seen dealing with poor management, low turnouts in large venues and the difficulties in recording and selling a new album, with some scenes backed by snippets of actual Anvil tracks. Incidentally, Anvil! happens to feature some coincidental connections to that film, including a shot of a dial that goes to 11, the band taking a trip to Stonehenge while recording in England, a climactic packed show in Japan and both films featuring a Rob(b) Reiner (hearing his name again in close viewing proximity actually threw me for a second); retroactively, Lars Ulrich from Metallica even appears, as in Spin̈al Tap II: The End Continues.

And yet, the band’s dedication to continuing down the path of rock in spite of it all is oddly inspirational. Compared to my initial viewing as a teenager, the film hits even harder as an adult on account of Lips and Reiner’s infectious motivation to create music while they still can. This is helped by the continuing support of their families, who are equally impressed by the band’s dedication and the founding members’ enduring friendship. As a testament to this, while Anvil! ends with a tease for the band’s fourteenth album, Juggernaut of Justice, as of this review, they are still active to this day and even released their twentieth album, One and Only, in 2024.

Whether you’ve heard of the band or not, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a documentary well worth seeing. It may even encourage you to pick up an album or two just to hear what they’re like.