ANVIL Continues Its 'Natural And Honest' Approach To Making And Performing Music

Shawn Perry of VintageRock.com conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner of Canadian metal legends ANVIL at the Hall Of Heavy Metal History event on January 24 in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the impact ANVIL's documentary, "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil", had on the band's career, Lips said: "Obviously, it gave us a social conscious existence; people know the name. But what it comes down to it what gives it its longevity is the fact that it's a living, breathing entity that the movie was about. So here we stand 10 years later being inducted into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History. That's 10 years later; it's only part of the story now. And also it's like a second coming. We've put out four amazing albums in a row since the movie came out, we've been non-stop on the road, we've been able to quit our dayjobs — we're making a living from music. So, in many ways, it's complete justice for doing the hard work — for really doing the hard work. And actually and honestly — and honestly — inspiring people. We're not doing it because we're intentionally going out, 'Hey, man, let me show you what it's like to persevere, what it's like to go through hell, just so that you'll be able to go through yours.' We didn't think of it that way; we're just showing the world who we are and what we lived and what we lived for, and it was very natural and honest. So the approach is that still."

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" was the directorial debut of screenwriter Sacha Gervasi ("The Terminal") and was produced by Rebecca Yeldham ("The Kite Runner" and "The Motorcycle Diaries"). The film follows Kudlow and Reiner and their band, ANVIL, which released one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's "Metal on Metal". The album influenced an entire musical generation of rock bands, including METALLICA, SLAYER, and ANTHRAX, who all went on to sell millions of records. ANVIL, on the other hand, took a different path — straight to obscurity. The film was both entertaining and touching as it followed their last-ditch quest for the fame and fortune that has been so elusive to them.

ANVIL's latest album, "Pounding The Pavement", was released last month via SPV/Steamhammer. The disc was produced at the Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn in the northwest of Germany, where ANVIL found not only the necessary peace and seclusion to concentrate on their recordings, but also met in studio owner Jörg Uken the ideal producer for their ambitioned work.