METAL ON METAL

Back in March of 2009, I sat down with Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and Robb Reiner from iconic Canadian thrash metal band Anvil and the subjects of one of the greatest rock documentaries ever made: Anvil! The Story of Anvil, a film that was truly a lifetime in the making.

In the mid-80’s when Anvil were playing alongside the likes of Whitesnake, The Scorpions and Bon Jovi, they toured with a 15 year old roadie from England named Sascha Gervasi who eventually became a Hollywood big shot and when on to write The Terminal for Steven Spielberg. A few years ago, he decided to look up his old pals from Anvil and was surprised to learn that while the band had seemingly evaporated into the mists of time, they’d never broken up and were continuing to put out records.

Gervasi followed them around for about a year, documenting an ill-fated European tour and the group’s struggle to record and find distribution for their 13th studio album. What emerges is one of the most hilarious and moving portraits of a rock band ever captured on film. This flick rocked the festival circuit and the DVD release on VH1 Classic finally jettisoned the band into popular consciousness.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil has been described as the real life Spinal Tap but it’s more than that, it’s a moving testament to the importance of friendship, loyalty and holding onto your dreams especially when the world is telling you to let them go. In other words, this is the sort of movie Disney would make if their target audience was middle-aged headbangers.

Slooshy well!

— Stuart F. Andrews

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