Review | Anvil ‘Juggernaut Of Justice’

Juggernaut Of Justice

I am listening to the latest record ‘Juggernaut Of Justice‘ from the Rodney Dangerfield’s of metal, Anvil. Think about it, Anvil is hailed as a major influence on numerous metal musicians and bands that went on to eclipse them in size (and popularity) like the sun does the earth, why is that, what happened? Only founding members Steve “Lips Kudlow (guitar/vocals and Robb Reiner (drums) really know, or do they? At one point, early on Kudlow was asked by Lemmy to join Motorhead after the departure of guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke, really, Lemmy, Motorhead, that’s one hell of an endorsement of Steve’s guitar playing ability, but he declined. After all Kudlow and Reiner (friends since the age of 14) were going to be rocks stars together in a band.

Originally Anvil went by the moniker Lips no doubt named after Kudlow’s nickname (of which I have no idea how that came to be). Here’s a Dangerfield analogy for the band. I go on Wikipepia thinking I might find out how the nickname came to be, I see Kudlow and Reiner have no page dedicated to them. What! After being together for over 3o years, releasing 14 studio records records and having an award winning documentary (Anvil: The Story Of Anvil) made about them, no Wikipedia page, no respect.

After the release of their self funded debut record ‘Hard ‘N’ Heavy‘ in 1981 the band signed to Attic Records. At this point they went from Lips to Anvil (much better name). Their first release on Attic ‘Metal On Metal‘ is the record Anvil is probably best known for. In 1983 Aerosmith manager David Krebs signed the band and got Attic to release them from their contract so he could get them signed to a major label. Dangerfield moment, he eventually stopped communicating with the band and Anvil were left on their own, unsigned and without management.

In 1987 upstart label Metal Blade Records signed Anvil and they were on their way, so it seems. The bands first release on Metal Blade ‘Strength Of Steel‘ was their biggest success (charting at #191 on Billboards Top 200) really, 191 out of 200 was their biggest success. I never heard any Anvil songs on rock radio where I lived (San Diego, CA) in fact I didn’t become aware of Anvil like a lot of other people until the documentary. After three releases with Metal Blade the band languished in obscurity, bouncing from one label to another but always persevering.

Dangerfield moment. The making of the bands thirteenth studio record aptly named ‘This Is Thirteen‘ was documented in the movie along with Anvil’s touring misfires in Europe. After completing the recording of ‘This Is Thirteen‘ with producer Chris Tsangarides (Metal On Metal producer) and shopping it around to numerous labels with no success the band was resigned to selling it on their website.

In 2010 the band performed to sellout crowds during a headlining tour of Europe and the financial struggles seen in the documentary were turning around. Okay the boys are on their way, finally. Maybe some respect now. Maybe things are turning around later in the game as they did for the late, great comedian. Maybe.

I know this seems more like a history lesson on Anvil than a review of their new record ‘Juggernaut Of Justice‘ but I thought it was important for this review. Okay so on with the review.

‘Juggernaut Of Justice‘ recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Northridge, California with famed producer Bob Marlette and released on The End Records, (hmmm, interesting name, is there a hidden meaning there) is by far Anvil’s best record to date, both sonically and musically. I believe the Dangerfield monkey has finally been lifted off their backs. This thing is loaded with big crunchy riffs, thundering drums and ballsy low end that features high energy, hard driving songs like (Juggernaut Of Justice, When All Hell Breaks Loose, On Fire and Running) mid tempo rockers like (FukenEh!,  Not Afraid and Conspiracy) along with some sludgy heavy metal numbers (New Orleans Voodoo and Paranormal)

I am pleasantly surprised how intense these tunes are and the musicianship is impressive. Drummer Robb Reiner is a monster, not so much in the technical sense but in the force and power with which he plays. His double bass work is solid and his fills are fluid and precise like his drumming heroes from the glory days of big band legends like Gene Kroupa and Buddy Rich. And while we are on the subject of big bands, the instrumental number on this record ‘Swing Thing‘ (Anvil’s tribute to that genre) immediately made me think of one of my drumming heroes Neil Peart of RUSH (also a big fan of the aforementioned masters of the skins) and his segment during his live drum solo incorporating big band music through triggers that he plays along with. I thought “Rip off” and “Do I like this song”? And the answer was no and yes. It’s innovative and frankly, kicks ass.

Bassist and Anvil member  for the second half of the bands existence Glenn “G5″ Five (Glenn Gyorffy) quietly goes about his business in more ways than one (have you ever heard this guy speak?) he is there lending to Anvil’s big thick sound making for a true power trio with the emphasis on POWER!

The more I listen to ‘Juggernaut Of Justice‘ the more I like it. Maybe justice is finally being served to this never give up, never say die, hard working group, maybe.

Now on to Anvil main man and guitarist/vocalist Steve “Lips” Kudlow. I say “main man” because along with guitar and vocal duties he is the bands primary song writer. This guy has written a lot of songs, some good, some not so good, nonetheless the weight of the success of Anvil rides squarely on his shoulders. The pressure of this responsibility was evident during the movie about the band. I thought he was having a nervous breakdown at one point. Kudlow is definitely underrated as a guitarist. He writes hard rock and metal riffs that hold up with anything out there and can solo with the best of them. So why did it take so long for Anvil to find success? Some unfortunate circumstances along the way, for sure. I think the weakness in the band is in Kudlow’s inability to write vocal melodies that match the music he writes. I can’t quite put my finger on it, maybe it was poor record production, limited expoosure, or “Lips” average voice, or all of the above that has kept Anvil in check for the most part. Now history has proven over and over again that you don’t have to be a great singer to be successful in rock and metal (Lemmy, Udo Dirkschnieder, Phil Anselmo, etc) but there’s something about his vocal delivery along with his sometimes adolescent and downright goofy lyrics that has kept me from embracing the band over the years. Would the story of Anvil been any different if they had a vocalist that could really bring it? We will never know.

That being said Mr. Kudlow has taken things to another level on this effort, stepping up to the plate and hitting one out of the park, or being that the band is Canadian, hitting the back of the net. Anvil’s latest record ‘Juggernaut Of Justice‘ has made a fan out of me. This one is going on my iPod for sure.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Favorite Track: New Orleans Voodoo

Juggernaut Of Justice Track Listing:
01. Juggernaut of Justice – 3:40
02. When Hell Breaks Loose – 3:11
03. New Orleans Voodoo – 4:25
04. On Fire – 3:23
05. FuckenEh! – 4:08
06. Turn It Up – 2:57
07. This Ride – 3:12
08. Not Afraid – 3:44
09. Conspiracy – 3:20
10. Running – 2:54
11. Paranormal – 7:04
12. Swing Thing – 3:00
13. The Station (limited edition bonus track[1]) – 3:24
14. Tonight Is Coming (limited edition bonus track[2]) – 3:44
15. What I Want To Be (iTunes bonus track[3]) – 3:06

Anvil are:
Steve “Lips” Kudlow – Guitar/Vocals
Robb Reiner – Drums
Glenn “G5″ Five – Bass/Backing Vocals