What’s left to say about Anvil that hasn’t already been said? In 1981, when I was nine years old, listening to The Beatles and riding my Schwinn Stingray around the neighborhood, Anvil was busy unleashing their debut, Hard and Heavy. Now, here we are 43 years later. I’ve gone through many different bikes, but Anvil is still writing the same album. Like AC/DC, they’ve locked into a tried-and-true formula that keeps the fans coming back to the smithery. It’s taken a small army of AMG writers to keep up with the band’s output and this time, my number came up. As “delightful” Doc Grier said in his 2022 review of Impact is Imminent, “Once you’ve reviewed Anvil, you can’t get yourself to do it again.” As fun as this has been, I hope that’s true. I’ve probably listened to more Anvil in the past month than I have in the past 40 years. Most of what I know about them comes from the infamous 2008 documentary. The question, as ever, is “How has Anvil endured all these years?” Cue the flying V and let’s see what One and Only can tell us.
Is it ironic that the opening title track—a song all about being unique—contains some of the most generic riffs and sing-along tropes you’ll hear all year? I honestly can’t tell if their tongues are in their cheeks or if they’re being sincere. Such is the enigma that is Anvil. And yet, I’ve had that fucking song stuck in my head for a week so, who’s the real sucker here? I’ve learned that there are no complex layers to peel away with Anvil. It’s simply about dropping your inhibitions and rocking hard. Exhibit A(nvil): “Rocking the World.” Like Judas Priest’s “I’m a Rocker” or Metallica’s “Whiplash,” it celebrates the joys of touring and playing loud music to adoring fans—clearly the thing that keeps Anvil going above all else.
Lyrically, much of One and Only is the equivalent of a Tony Robbins webinar. It’s filled with vapid motivational speaker cliches that will appeal to only the most desperate of listeners. “Feed Your Fantasy” urges you not just to have your dreams, but to make them come true. Crazy, I know. “Heartbroken” assures us, in a slow and plodding sort of way, that grief shall pass. Even more painful is that every line must be followed by a predictably terrible rhyming couplet. Pairing “humanity” with “insanity” or “rules” with “fools” was already out of style in 1987.
Musically, this album is what you’d expect: plug-and-play riffs, formulaic song structures, and simple but catchy melodies. As “stately” Steel Druhm said in his 2018 review of Pounding the Pavement, “You always get a few fun tunes per release.” In this case, I’d go with “Condemned Liberty” with its pummeling opening guitar riff and “Fight for Your Rights” with its high-octane double-bass drive. A fun fact I learned while researching this album is that Steve “Lips” Kudlow was considered for the guitar slot in Motorhead. You can hear the influence in “Fight for Your Rights” and “Dead Man Shoes.” In his review, the Great Ape Boss also said, “What Anvil album would be complete without a few shit bombs?” In this case, there are plenty to choose from. Once upon a time, Lips used to sing songs. Somewhere along the way, he traded his slightly velvety pipes for a very uniform, staccato delivery that makes all the verses on One and Only sound the same. I guess in listening to “Gold and Diamonds,” the one song on the album that he attempts to sing, you begin to understand why he stopped.
The press release accompanying One and Only opens by referring to the band as “one of the most influential in heavy metal history” and that “authorities on the subject regularly vote Anvil among the top positions.” I’m curious who these authorities are and where they’re casting their ballots. Still, despite even the most cringy of moments—such as the opening lyrics to “Run Away”—Anvil continues to exude a contagious, almost mystical charm. That empathetic metalhead deep inside you wants to get your better judgment drunk on Molson and scream along. As “gregarious” Gardenstale stated in his 2020 review of Legal at Last, it’s “Anvil doing Anvil in the style of Anvil.” The same applies for One and Only. This is no Invincible Shield, but I give them credit for keeping the energy alive after all these years.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: AFM Records
Website: Facebook.com/anvilmetal
Releases Worldwide: June 28th, 2024
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