Anvil
One And Only – AFM Records
Along with Accept, Exciter and Raven, Canada’s Anvil paved the way for thrash metal with their fast and furious sound. But, as with most pioneers, they got usurped by those who followed and refined their sound for mass consumption. Left in the dust they might’ve been, yet they carried on through many ups and down (as documented in that film) and released consistently good albums. Like Shonen Knife or the Ramones, there’s a reassuring quality to a new Anvil album and while they’re not reinventing the wheel, they’re certainly dependable and latest album One And Only serves up a dozen oven ready rockers. It’s an unswerving dedication to heavy metal that gives Anvil a timeless quality and songs like ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ and ‘Run Away’ sound as if they could have been released at any point in the last 45 years and you kind of know they’ll still sound fresh 45 years hence. Yet, don’t pigeonhole the band as generic; there’s plenty of variety on offer with ‘Heartbroken’ made in the mould of Black Sabbath and ‘Condemned Liberty’ being as hard as anything Pantera released. One And Only finds Anvil speeding along towards an unknown destination, and proudly shows why they’re indeed the one and only.
Review by Peter Dennis