Anvil
Anvil is Anvil

I consider myself a simple person; I've never been one to seek out those types of bands that continuously experimented in the music world, where a song lasted at least 10 minutes, on the contrary. I've always been satisfied with a sort of circle of bands where, upon listening, I already knew what to expect. And I was happy that way. Over the years, this habit hasn't waned, and even as I start to appreciate other changes in the sound of some albums I couldn't stomach before, when I hit play on a new album from a group whose entire discography I know like the back of my hand, I just can't help but be happy. After all, happiness lies in the little things.

With Anvil's new album, it was more or less like that. Founded back in 1978 by that madcap Steve "Lips" Kudlow, this band has never seen in almost 40 years of career the slightest change of sound in their albums. Defined by many as the AC/DC of Metal, the Canadian group has earned a certain fame over the years for its consistency in releasing albums every two/three years, but especially for its coherence. It should also be said that Anvil was among the founders of the Speed genre, along with Exciter and Accept, with the release of products like "Hard N' Heavy" (1981), and "Metal On Metal" (1982). They participated in various festivals in subsequent years that helped increase their popularity, but unexpectedly, their album sales didn't go as well. Determined not to abandon the music scene, Lips continued to churn out album after album, reaching the venerable age of 60 in 2016, still setting stages ablaze with his music, as simple as it is fun.

It's in 2016 that the band's sixteenth album, "Anvil Is Anvil", sees the light. I don't think I've ever seen a title more stupid and, at the same time, effective for an album. Dedicated to all those who urge Anvil to disappear from the scene for their now-separate music, Anvil responds like this, and I'd say they made their point clear. Equally simple cover, with the usual anvil that, mirrored, still represents an anvil. The title is, of course, always composed of three words, a tradition upheld from the first album to today, see to believe.

But enough with the questions and doubts, and speaking of Anvil, we shouldn't even have doubts. Funny, though, how Lips & co. seem to want to mimic Running Wild in a song like "Daggers And Rum", which turns out to be quite fun. We find the band more at ease with wild songs, say "Runaway Train" or "Ambushed", the latter featuring a nice guitar riff. Poor choice, however, the decision of making "Zombie Apocalypse" a single, a song that wants to present itself as a mid-tempo to be listened to with headbanging, but which is quite boring, and in listening to the album again, it will be inevitable to hit the skip button. Speaking of mid-tempo, though, "Gun Control" is very nice, featuring excellent drumming. And if, as mentioned, at the beginning of the album Anvil seems to imitate Running Wild, at the end we find "Forgive, Don't Forget", a piece that seems to come directly from an album by Twisted Sister or Lizzy Borden, as flashy as it is effective.

Listening to an Anvil album is exactly like talking to an old friend at the bar. You'll order the same things, sit in the same place, and always talk about the same old conversations, but with a smile. By 2016, this band has been heavily criticized, as already mentioned, for not knowing how to change, for staying musically anchored to the glories of the past. But if we think about it, what's wrong with that? There are millions of bands offering changes in sound and more intricate songs, and Anvil is nothing but a tiny group from the past that, with an album and a few concerts, always manages to satisfy the old nostalgics, like myself. And I will never stop thanking them because as long as there are bands like this, I will always know where to turn.