Anvil (band)

Lore & Background

Anvil began in 1973 in a suburb of Toronto, when high school friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner began playing music together. They met through a friend, guitarist and neighbor Marty Hoffman, but "musical differences" caused his departure after their first show. In 1978, the first full line-up of the band included Kudlow (lead vocals, lead guitar), Reiner (drums), Dave "Squirrely" Allison (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Ian "Dix" Dickson (bass). At that point, the band was called Lips. In 1981, the band released an independent album called Hard 'N' Heavy. Shortly after that they were signed by Attic Records and changed their name to Anvil. Their independent album was re-released by Attic as their debut album for the company. After its release, British rock musician Lemmy asked Kudlow to play guitar for Motörhead, to replace "Fast" Eddie Clarke, but Kudlow declined. By 1983, Aerosmith manager David Krebs and assistant Paul O'Neill had signed a managing contract with Anvil and convinced Attic to release the band from its contract, so the band could sign with a major label. However, after initial interest, Krebs eventually stopped returning phone calls and did not get the band a major label recording contract; he released the band in mid-1986. In 1987 the band was signed with American label Metal Blade Records by William Howell, a fan who became a DJ with KNAC radio. The band released three records with Metal Blade, starting with Strength of Steel, which was the group's most commercially successful record in the United States; it peaked at No. 191 on the Billboard 200.

Reader's Guide

Anvil's significance lies in their influence on major thrash metal bands such as Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica, despite never achieving mainstream commercial success themselves. Their career trajectory—from 1980s popularity to 1990s obscurity, while continuing to record and tour—became the subject of the 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, which brought renewed attention. The film's critical acclaim led to opening slots with AC/DC and Saxon, festival appearances, and a re-release of their album This Is Thirteen. The band's persistence in the face of setbacks, including failed management deals and low attendance, has been compared to the fictional band Spinal Tap. As of 2024, Anvil has released twenty studio albums, with their most recent being One and Only. Their legacy is that of a cult heavy metal act whose dedication and influence outlasted their period of commercial visibility.

Did You Know?

• Anvil was originally called Lips before changing their name in 1981.
• Lemmy asked Steve Kudlow to play guitar for Motörhead, but Kudlow declined.
• The 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil was directed by former Anvil roadie Sacha Gervasi.
• Anvil's first network television appearance was on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in 2009.

From Lips to Anvil: A Suburban Origin Story

Anvil's roots stretch back to 1973, when two high school friends, Steve Kudlow and Robb Reiner, started making music together in a Toronto suburb. Their connection came through a mutual friend and neighbor, guitarist Marty Hoffman, who played alongside them for exactly one show before departing over what was described as musical differences. By 1978, the group had settled into its first complete configuration: Kudlow handling lead vocals and guitar, Reiner behind the drums, Dave "Squirrely" Allison on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, and Ian "Dix" Dickson on bass. At this stage, the band still went by the name Lips. Their breakthrough came in 1981 with the independent release of Hard 'N' Heavy, which caught the attention of Attic Records. The label picked them up, the name changed to Anvil, and the record was reissued as their official debut. In a remarkable early test of their ambitions, Motörhead's Lemmy invited Kudlow to step in for guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke. Kudlow turned the offer down, choosing to stay committed to his own band.

The Decade of Promise and Broken Promises

Anvil's 1980s were defined as much by what almost happened as by what did. After their Attic Records debut, the band was courted by Aerosmith manager David Krebs and his assistant Paul O'Neill, who secured a managing deal and convinced Attic to release them in pursuit of a major-label contract. The promise never materialized; Krebs eventually stopped answering the phone and quietly released the band in mid-1986. The salvation came from an unlikely source: William Howell, a fan who worked as a DJ at KNAC radio, who signed them to American label Metal Blade Records in 1987. Anvil delivered three albums under that banner, and their most commercially successful American record, Strength of Steel, reached number 191 on the Billboard 200. Earlier, their 1982 album Metal on Metal, produced by Chris Tsangarides, had earned critical acclaim and would later be cited as a landmark of the genre. Reviewers have since described Anvil as a pioneering force in heavy metal, a band whose raw energy and relentless work ethic helped shape the sound of the decade.

Playing to Empty Rooms: The Long Fade

The 1990s and early 2000s brought a harsh reality. After signing with Mausoleum Records in 1991 and releasing Worth the Weight in 1992, Anvil moved to Hypnotic Records in Canada and Massacre Records in Germany by 1996. Over the next several years they put out Plugged in Permanent, Absolutely No Alternative, Speed of Sound, Plenty of Power, and Still Going Strong, none of which generated significant buzz. Lineup churn continued, with guitarist Sebastian Marino departing in 1995 to join Overkill and being succeeded by Ivan Hurd. Kudlow was candid about how close the band came to dissolving: he said Anvil would not have survived without the German fanbase and the Massacre contract, recalling shows where the audience was essentially nonexistent. In 2006 the band reunited with producer Chris Tsangarides to record what became This Is Thirteen, but with no label willing to pick it up, they self-released it in 2007 exclusively through their own website. Hurd left around that time to settle down with Tiziana Arrigoni, the band's former tour manager. For nearly two decades, Anvil persisted in a state reviewers would later call obscurity, yet they never stopped recording, touring, or believing.

The Spinal Tap Comparison and a Second Wind

The 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by Sacha Gervasi—a screenwriter who had once worked as the band's roadie—changed everything. Rolling Stone dubbed it the year's most praised rock documentary, and its Sundance premiere featured Kudlow and Reiner sharing the stage with Slash and Anthrax's Scott Ian on "Cat Scratch Fever." The critical acclaim catapulted the pair back into the spotlight: they landed opening slots for AC/DC and Saxon, appeared at Download, Hellfest, Bumbershoot, and SXSW, and made their first network television appearance on Conan O'Brien's show in October 2009. VH1 Classic reissued This Is Thirteen, Bantam Press published their memoir with a foreword by Slash, and they even filmed a cameo for The Green Hornet. The band's trajectory—talent, setbacks, stubborn refusal to quit—has drawn frequent comparisons to the fictional Spinal Tap, yet their influence is undeniably real. Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica have all cited Anvil as an inspiration, and by 2024 the group had logged twenty studio albums, with Kudlow, Reiner, and bassist Chris Robertson (joined 2014) still touring.