Anvil: The Story of Anvil

A story of perseverance, and man I can't help but like these guys and their spirit. The movie made me a fan and its definitely a good watch, especially for those of us in bands who have played nightmare gigs..... My band Inverter is playing with them in March in Providence, RI and I look forward to talking with these guys.

'The Story of Anvil', having now seen it in the theater and now on DVD, I feel is among the top rock movies ever made. There have been several comparisons to 'This is Spinal Tap' - the coincidence of Rob/Robb Reiner, and the humorous antics and life of the heavy metal world. But Lipps and Robb's story is real -- it's harder to imagine how much more drama and pain these guys can experience in their quest for getting Anvil "to rise" (as Robb said in the film). When the film came out, for me it was 'oh, Anvil - that early '80s heavy metal band, whatever happened to them?' and then I find out that, sadly, not much good has happened for them since the days of 'Metal on Metal', and when they were among the crop of hard rock/metal bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Bon Jovi, etc to emerge from that time. As someone who still plays rock music in bands and would love to hit the big time, I saw a piece of myself and others in my position (people in their 40's and older who still rock out, who know they are at least twice as old as any band that would get signed and likely have any real success in the music business) and saw the Anvil story as a cautionary tale (be careful if you say in your teens "I'm going to rock out forever, no matter what" because Lips and Robb took that to the Nth degree, now that they are in their early 50's and still rocking out, albeit without anywhere near the level of success as the other bands I mentioned) but also as a heartwarming story of deep friendship, mutual respect, and love between two friends that, as long as they both live, will keep on going.I'm not a big fan of Anvil's music - matter of fact I more or less have a similar take on it that George Tsangarides has -- their music, simply put, is not that spectacular. Ask just about any heavy metal fan and chances are bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Motorhead, Guns 'n Roses, Anthrax are "up there" and for good reason - they all have put out outstanding records many of which are revered and thought of as top albums in the metal/hard rock genre (as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, the Who, Led Zeppelin are considered in the 'classic rock' genre) whereas Anvil might be at best a 2nd, 3rd tier band like Zebra, Y&T, Autograph, Accept, and any number of lesser known bands that just didn't come up with quite as lasting, quality, memorable and respected music. At least Anvil had the gumption and guts to tell their story, and it is an amazing story - may they rock on forever, record companies and management be damned.

Back when I was a kid and Anvil was supposedly relevant, in the early to mid 80s, this band was the textbook definition of third (or even fourth) tier metal act.Not that I remember them that much... I can recall somebody taping me some songs from Metal on Metal (their supposed masterpiece) around 1985 and always fast forwarding the cassette when they came up. They weren't really that bad, they just sounded lame, like some lesser talented Manowar with boring songs and no charisma. My best guess is that back in the day, some people outside Canada listened to them simply because they weren't that many bands to choose from, and that their rapid slide into irrelevance was more a consequence of their lack of talent rather than management and record label woes.The movie makes a big deal about how important they were in shaping the early sound of thrash metal, but really, I don't see how this band could've influenced Metallica, Anthrax or anyone for that matter. While Venom, Diamond Head, Motörhead, Raven and Exciter had a seminal role bridging the NWOBHM with early thrash, Anvil was just a standard radio metal band that couldn't write good singles.Now, don't get me wrong. I do admire these guys, but not because of their musical legacy, and being a guy who quit his own band at 26 and music altogether at 30 because juggling between two careers was too hard, I can't feel nothing but respect for this duo.The Story of Anvil struck a chord on a lot of people because it's not really about an unsuccessful, over the hill heavy metal band: it's a testimony to friendship, never giving up on your dreams and the power music has on people.Back when I saw this movie in 2010, I was so moved by it that I bought Metal on Metal and Forged in Fire. Sadly, both albums confirmed me, at 38, what I already knew at 12: this band's just not that good, or even mildly interesting.That said, this documentary manages to be both a fun ride and an incredible study on human nature that any music lover will doubtlessly enjoy... and will be Anvil's ultimate legacy.Notable DVD Extras:Aside from a rather uninteresting commentary track, there are three enlightening deleted scenes. The first one features extra footage of Lips working as a caterer, the second, the story of Lips' older brother's medical problems, and the third, short "where are they now" style interviews with two original members who left the band in 1989. It's quite easy to see why said scenes were left in the cutting room floor: had the first two been included, the film's tone would've turned up too depressing, and the third one, while informative, would've hindered the documentary's narrative pace.

This band was one of the bands of my youth that really solidified myself as a musician. Love these guys!!

Such a great story... I love these guys for chasing their passion their entire lives despite all the challenges. Even though I told my wife it was a documentary when we watched it, she still didn't believe me until she checked it out. It's just that perfect.

Greatest rock doc since "Kiss,The Second Coming".Makes you realise that even rock stars who aren't in the same league as Kiss,Van Halen,Metallica etc,aren't all millionaires,or at least comfortably well off.To see them (Anvil)struggle to find the $13,000 needed to make their 13th studio album was an eye opener for me. All in all,this dvd (complete with their 13th studio cd) is a must see. Hearing their early stuff makes you realise how much these guys influenced some of todays top rock/thrash acts.Rob and Lips,both shine in this documemntary,which is littered with excellant music,tragedy and success.Highlights includes Lips backstage at the Swedish Rock festival,and seeing him in awe of meeting some other rock stars.The Prague episode is so funny(fights,goulash,and Rob explaining not in 1,2 or 3 words why Anvil aren't successful!) as is a few nights later when Lips says to Rob that that nights gig is "sold out!" (Not).....The Transylvanian "MONSTERS OF ROCK" (!) is another must see scene.The finale will have you ....well,watch it and see.Also includes great extras!

Not a big metal fan, but I loved this documentary about 'Where are they now?' rock band Anvil. Perhaps the hard truth is that they'll never recapture the 15 minutes of fame they had in the early '80s and aren't going to conquer the world, but you've got to admire them for keeping the dream alive rather than just accepting the mundane drudgery of their post-rock careers. Really got to like the two main protagonists and best friends, lead singer Lips (Steve Kudlow) and drummer Rob Reinner. Touching accounts of their family lives too, which are expanded upon in the additional DVD material as 'deleted scenes'. You don't have to be a metal fan to enjoy this documentary, in fact you could even hate it and still find something in this film. Great stuff! If you haven't seen it, rectify this state of affairs now!

I'm not a heavy metal fan, in fact some heavy metal fans frighten me but this is way beyond the music. A heartfelt true story of two musicians still trying to make the big time after about 30 years and their passion for playing their music to people and their faith in themselves. This should be manadatory viewing for all X-Factor and similar show hopefuls because this is the reality of trying to make it in the music business.I love the film, the DVD is well worth buying as it not only has the director's commentary but also the bands commentary separately. My wife also likes it very much, the characters are very engaging and extremely likable, I think it should appeal to a wide audience. If I had to find fault which is very difficult, I would say that the band's music shown in the film is not fully representative of what Anvil does, I have since listened to other tracks and would categorise them more as a heavy rock band than heavy metal, some of the tracks are very melodic and Lips is a very accomplished lead guitarist which doesn't come over so much in the film, no doubt becuae of time limitations and the fact that their fanbase is heavy metal orientated.I highly recommend this, I even bought the t-shirts !

I really enjoyed this film even though I'm not into thrash metal at all - the music doesn't really matter.Anvil is essentially a feel good film and teaches us a good lesson in never giving up on your dreams and working hard to achieve them. There are some really cringe worthy moments in the film, such as playing a gig to a room of about 4 people, one of whom is sitting in an armchair throwing his rock horns and another good scene when the band are playing at a wedding reception.Full of characters and scenes you couldn't make up and plenty of laughs, this is well worth a watch.

I've watched a few documentaries on bands, some of them really are dull. Spinal Tap really picked up on that one. Anvil however is real.... I've played in bands for years so I know the score, people change along the way to fulfill their dream in the music industry. The guys from Anvil keep their childhood dream along the way and do not change but the industry changes.. Buying this DVD is supporting their dream. Watching the DVD is a journey that you will never forget...PROBABLY THE BEST MUSIC MOVIE EVER MADE......