Great Metal Albums of 1982: Anvil- Metal on Metal

The other night I was watching Anvil performing the title track to their 1982 album, “Metal on Metal” and it got me thinking about the now famous Anvil Documentary that came out a few years back. Many bands admitted that they were blown away by Anvil back in the day and seeing their performance on You tube, I now know why. They were just so full of energy and the way they played was just mind blowing. I wished I could have seen them back then. Fortunately, their first three studio albums were just as mind blowing, including this one.

While I can easily say that all the songs on “Metal on Metal” are mind blowing metal anthems, it is the title track that I like best. Seeing it performed live only makes it that much sweeter. It’s just metal as metal was intended. However, it is likewise for the rest of the album as well. I get the distinct impression that the band had a good time recording this one. “Mothra,” “Jackhammer” and “Heat Sink” all fall in line with the title track, all great head bangers. The instrumental “March of the Crabs” show that these guys can actually play. One thing I do find surprising is the closer “666.” I’m surprised that it hasn’t appeared on an American fundamentalist Christian hit list, just for the title alone. The other reason I’m surprised the album hasn’t appeared on the same list is that “Metal on Metal” is what metal was meant to be. If someone with no experience of metal, who wanted to hear it in its purest form, this would be one of the albums I would reach for.

Track Listing:

1. Metal on Metal

2. Mothra

3. Stop Me

4. March of the Crabs

5. Jackhammer

6. Heat Sink

7. Tag Team

8. Scenery

9. Tease Me Please Me

10. 666

Anvil

Steve ‘Lips’ Kudrow- vocals, guitar

Dave Allison- guitar, vocals on “Stop Me”

Ian Dickson- bass

Rob Reiner- drums

One observation I’ve made about Anvil today and was probably true back in the early 1980s, was that people either loved them or hated them. No prizes for guessing which side I’m on. Even when they played Bloodstock in 2012, these things were said. All I know is that their first three albums were all killer ones and though I didn’t experience them until 1984, I was glad for the opportunity.

Next post: Girlschool- Screaming Blue Murder

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