After a rather lacklustre debut album, Anvil strike back harder here with their follow-up, Metal on Metal.
For an album that has garnered historical significance over the years,
there are still moments here that seem 'unworthy' of such praise, and
yet there is enough here to make you wonder just what the fuss had been
all about around the time of its release.
This is all pretty
straight forward harder material, led by the eponymous title track
"Metal on Metal", which opens the album with a headswinging stoush of
drum beat and riff. At least on this album, the title appears to be more
relevant than it did on the debut release. "Mothra" sets off at a much
faster pace than the opening track, and a lengthier one at that. "Stop
Me" tends to drag along, especially given the extended length of the
song. Lips seems to be moaning most of the way through rather than
singing, but perhaps that is because the track makes you feel that way
inclined. "March of the Crabs" is a beauty, an instrumental that is
untainted by vocals and travels at a speed that enhances the track.
Especially prominent is Robb Reiner's drumming, it is great on this
song. the speed is retained into "Jackhammer", which is possibly my
favourite song on the album. These tracks are where it is easy to see
Anvil gaining a heavy audience.
"Tag Team" soldiers along in its very
structured mid range beat. Then comes the surprisingly catchy
"Scenery", which channels Dio and Vivian Campbell in its simplistic yet
enjoyable riff and melody chain. "Tease Me, Please Me" continues the
reverting back a little to the lyrical chaste of the first album, before
the bombardment of "666" concludes the album.
As always, it is a
difficult thing to try and rate and review an album at a time subsequent
to its initial release. I don't mind this album, but I have only heard
and owned it in recent years. It will never be one that I love, and to
be honest that could well have been the case if I had gotten this on its
release, because despite the good tidings it receives from many
influential bands since this, to me it is just an average plod through
the park. The album begins without any major hooks or anything overly
special in the riffs throughout the songs. Lips' vocals are good enough,
but the background singers tend to detract from the overall effort
rather than enhance it. As with all of Anvil's albums, I think Robb
Reiner's drum work is terrific, and the middle section of the album is
where its magic lies, with the songs moving along at a faster pace and
the guitars and drums doing their best work.
Metal on Metal
came along at a time when metal was beginning to find its place in the
world market. While this album gives some indication as to why the band
was well thought of at that time, it also tends to underline why they
perhaps didn't go as far they could possibly have done so. There are
moments here that shine, but just not bright enough to make up for those
moments that are rather average.
Rating: Nothin' to say but you said a lot, and in the end that's what you got. 3/5.
Anvil's debut album is one which is typical
of debut albums of the era. Put together with the best of the material
the band had been playing at gigs over the past five years or more, this
is a mixed release of songs that don't always congeal together. Because
it is written over several years, there is not the same tightness over
the course of the album that happens when the writing process occurs
over a short period prior to recording. In this instance, the style of
songs isn't as defined as it would be in future releases. It was
originally released independently under the band's original name of
Lips, but when they were signed up by their record company, they changed
their name to Anvil, and it was re-released.
Much of the lyrical
content is questionable, if only because it is quite inane, suggestive
and downright forthright in its "have sex with me in fifty different
ways" message. Really, bands that followed like Motley Crue and Ratt and
Poison all at least tried to be amusing in covering their lyrics with
clever insinuations, but most of the stuff here is just right in your
face. The lyrics here aren't really even comical. Who knows... maybe
they worked and they got what they were asking for? I don't know, but
these songs are difficult to sing along to because you feel so stupid
even saying the words.
Steve Kudrow handles the majority of the
singing, though "I Want You Both (With Me)" and "Oh Jane" have the lead
vocals performed by second guitarist Dave Allison. The guitaring by the
two is fine, if a little uneven. At times it can feel as though they
just choose to go off and do their own thing, and completely forget that
there is a song going on that requires each to be playing the same
chords. Robb Reiner's drumming however is exceptional, holding
everything together no matter what is happening in the other
departments.
Apart from the opening track "School Love", "Bedroom
Game" and a quite reasonable cover version of the Rolling Stones' "Paint
it, Black", the remainder of the songs here would barely class
themselves in the metal category. It was following the release of this
album, and before Metal on Metal
arrived the following year, that Anvil found their mojo, and the style
of music they began to produce became, for a short time, a benchmark in
the metal scene. Very little of that can be found here on Hard 'n' Heavy, which though not completely devoid of harder rock tracks is completely barren of non-childish lyrical content.
Rating: Feeling each other 'cause that's your style 2/5.
