Anvil
Past And Present (Live)

LA RECENSIONE

Canada does a few things but does them well: like Icewine, the sweet wine made from grapes left to freeze on the vine, produced in limited quantities and with extraordinary sweetness, similarly, Anvil strikes with their hardness and roughness, a powerful sound without frills, essential and ear-splitting.

This live album condenses some of their best productions, frozen and concentrated to perfection: I remember buying it years ago at Mariposa for 5,000 lire, on sale, and after listening to it, I asked myself why they were in the "losers" section. I never left them after that.

The drumming intro of "Concrete Jungle", the gallop of "Toe Jam", the rollercoaster of "Motormount", the incredibly powerful "Jackhammer". All made fascinating by Lips' voice, modulated like a glove (of iron), at times angry, at times essential and metallic, and by a great and incredibly unknown drummer like Robb Reiner.

Note: bands are also made by drummers, and drums are as important as guitars, especially in metal, there's no doubt about it. Remove Copeland from Police and they won't be the same, likewise Bonham, Paice and the like. When the drums are not buried beneath the track but rather put in the foreground, every record benefits, even the most ragged ones. Without reaching the level of those mentioned, Reiner is exactly what was needed for the essence of Anvil metal. Listen with an ear keen to the clanging metal.