PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Following the re-releases of Strength Of Steel,Pound For Pound and Worth The Weight at the end of 2011, Steamhammer/SPV Records will be re-releasing the 4 Anvil albums that followed them, once again to show the world that Anvil are not just about Metal On Metal and The Story Of Anvil documentary!
Plugged In Permanent, Absolutely No Alternative, Speed Of Sound and Plenty Of Power will come in high class “2 in 1 ” double cd packages for the price of a single cd. Each cd will include new booklets with liner notes from Robb Reiner and Lips plus new photos. Release date will be April 23rd 2012.
Plugged In Permanent was Anvil’s 1st release for Massacre Records in 1996, the cover of which had an anvil smashing into an acoustic guitar so as to poke fun at MTV’s Unplugged series. The album was released almost 4 years after Worth The Weight with the band coming close to splitting up. In 1994 they hired Mike Duncan on bass to record the album following the departure of Ian Dickson but after the album was recorded, Mike left . To add further stress, guitarist Sebastian Marino left the band in 1995 but Ivan Hurd joined the band to play on the album. The bassist vacancy was filled by Glenn Gyorffy (G5 ). His picture was used on the album rear cover but Mike was credited on the track listing.
The album’s 1st 3 tracks are some of Anvil’s fastest songs,raising the bar immediately. Racial Hostility is self explanatory, 2nd track Doctor Kevorkian deals with the pioneer of voluntary euthanasia which the band shot a video for. 3rd track Smokin Green deals with illegal substances highlighted by Lips’ lyrics ” Every waking moment of every single day, i roll a big fat joint to get me on my way”. Destined For Doom brings the pace down but it is still crushingly heavy. In fact some reviews back in the day said it was too heavy, so Anvil had tshirts made with the slogan ” Too Heavy For Wimps” printed on the front! The faster Killer Hill is next, the subject matter being mountain biking featuring shared crazy guitar leads from Lips and Ivan. The pace is kept up for Face Pull, I’m Trying To Sleep and 5 Knuckle Shuffle until the O.J Simpson case inspired Truth Or Consequence chugs in. Final track Guilty is almost pedestrian in comparison but is as heavy as Destined For Doom with a grinding guitar riff over Robbo’s thumping drums in the chorus.
Absolutely No Alternative was the 1st album with Glenn on bass and literally kicks off with Old School judging by the drum fills Robb Reiner fits in between Lips’ lyrics on another speed metal workout. Green Jesus, the 2nd track, highlights money frustration with record companies in a tempo similar to Smoking Green. A strafing guitar intro by Lips to Show Me Your Tits precedes another high tempo ditty. The song’s subject is about a woman’s rights to be topless in public during hot weather, the same as men are allowed to. The heavy riffing on No One To Follow slows the pace with yet more fiery lead breaks by Lips until the lightning fast Hair Pie’s innuendo ups the ante yet again. Rubber Neck’ s subject matter about freeway pile ups, Piss Test’s story about impending drug tests and Red Light’s account of Anvil’s experience’s in Amsterdam/Holland are a sure fire headbanger’s trio with Ivan and Lips trading solos for all their worth! The political lyrics of Black Or White over a chugging riff and more insane guitar solos are followed by the final track Hero By Death, another slow burner with yet more dual guitar breaks.
The Speed Of Sound album was planned as a faster album to Absolutely No Alternative as a reply to reviews saying it was not fast enough, leading to Lips playing all the rhythm guitar parts due to apathy from Ivan Hurd. Originally out in 1999, it roars in with the title track’s jet engine sample opening that portrays the subject matter with the band hammering away as if their lives depended on it! Blood In The Playground stomps its way along with a riff similar to Future Wars from 1983’s Forged In Fire album. Family breakdowns are dealt with next in the mid-paced Deadbeat Dad containing some classic Lips riffs! The fairer sex once again is the topic of Man Over Broad, a clever play on words indeed. The tolling bell and slow build up to No Evil surprisingly heralds an almost black metal tempo with Robbo playing at blast beat speed. Bullshit’s staccato riffs and gang chorus are followed by the tongue in cheek lyrics of Mattress Mambo, with some fine bass work by Glenn. Lips’ vocal delivery rides along the riff that runs through Secret Agent, another mid paced song. Life To Lead’s opening could be Anvil’s version of Motorhead’s Overkill as Glenn’s bass rumbles in after the drum beat, the song finishing in more outrageous soloing by Ivan and Lips. Album closer and fan favourite Park That Truck blasts in and out with Lips’ angriest vocal on the album.
4th and final album of these re-releases Plenty Of Power from 2001 starts with a sample of a mechanical digger that is on the front album cover, the lyrics suggesting that there is no stopping Anvil with their current line up which is confirmed by the 2nd track Groove Science, Lips’ lyrics highlighting his satisfaction. ” Mixing of rhythm and riff,multiplied by the players i’m with, personal complete alliance, GROOVE SCIENCE! “. The catchy riff and chorus of Ball Of Fire is single material, a look to the future of the earth being destroyed by a comet. An almost boogie woogie riff runs through The Creep, the lyrics inspired by a crooked promoter that Anvil had on a U.S tour in late 1999. A guitar riff that builds and builds on Computer Drone,a song that narrates internet addiction with a monotone drum beat until the song kicks into a pounding finish. Beat The Law brings back the speed with an almost nwobhm riff with wrist snapping drum fills by Robbo! Glenn’s lumbering bass intro to Pro Wrestling is followed by another stop/start killer riff, speeding up between verses. The Greek mythology of Siren Of The Sea tells of the creatures disguised as women who sang on rocky coastlines to lure sailors to their death, with Lips hitting some high vocals in the chorus to emulate them. The song is another mid paced thrasher with dual lead breaks. The heaviest track on the album is next up, the morose Disgruntled that deals with dead end job frustration. Another killer Lips riff is backed by Glenn’s bass and more inhuman drumming by Robbo. As the title then states, Real Metal’s lyrics by Lips is a f**k you to those who try and put Anvil down with lines like ” You thought that metal was a trend, i’ve got some news for you my friend. Anvil music is what i am, i really don’t give a damn! ” and ” Listen close i’ll tell you why, i’ll play this music till i die! “. The song starts with a Sabbath type riff before heading off into speed metal territory with the song ending with the cymbal intro that they used at the beginning of Metal On Metal. Final track is probably my favourite as it has until now only been available on the Canadian release of Plenty Of Power. Left Behind ‘s tale of man’s destruction of the planet is Lips’ best vocal on the album over another Sabbath like riff, a much heavier track than Dirty Dorothy which is on my version of Plenty Of Power.
Track Listing for Plugged In Permanent :-
Racial Hostility.
Doctor Kevorkian.
Smokin Green.
Destined For Doom.
Killer Hill.
Face Pull.
I’m Trying To Sleep.
Five Knuckle Shuffle.
Truth Or Consequence.
Guilty.
Track Listing for Absolutely No Alternative :-
Old School.
Green Jesus.
Show Me Your Tits.
No One To Follow.
Hair Pie.
Rubber Neck.
Piss Test.
Red Light.
Black Or White.
Hero By Death.
Track Listing for Speed Of Sound :-
Speed Of Sound.
Blood In The Playground.
Deadbeat Dad.
Man Over Broad.
No Evil.
Bullshit.
Mattress Mambo.
Secret Agent.
Life To Lead.
Park That Truck.
Track Listing for Plenty Of Power :-
Plenty Of Power.
Groove Science.
Ball Of Fire.
The Creep.
Computer Drone.
Beat The Law.
Pro Wrestling.
Siren Of The Sea.
Disgruntled.
Real Metal.
Left Behind.
Band line up for Plugged In Permanent :-
Lips- Vocals/Guitars.
Robb Reiner- Drums.
Ivan Hurd- Guitars.
Mike Duncan- Bass.
Band line up for remaining 3 albums :-
Lips- Vocals/Guitars.
Robb Reiner- Drums.
Ivan Hurd- Guitars.
Glenn ( G5 ) Gyorffy- Bass.
I award the 4 re-releases a metal on metal 10/10!
