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ANVIL
Hope In Hell

Steamhammer (2013)
Rating: 4/10

The Anvil machine marches on. Hope In Hell is the 15th studio album by these Canadian headbangers; the band is seemingly on a revival trip after the success of the 2008 documentary Anvil: The Story Of Anvil, although record sales would suggest that the interest is waning rapidly. Hard to believe that these rock ’n’ roll stalwarts were once higher on the bill than Metallica and Slayer, but it has to be admired how Anvil have stuck to their guns.

Steve “Lips” Kudlow (vocals / guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums) may not be the Lennon and McCartney of metal – if anything they’ve become the Chuckle Brothers of their trade – but you know exactly what you’re getting with an Anvil opus even before you’ve slapped it on the turntable. And maybe it’s that simplicity and straight down the line attitude that endears me to them, but there are only so many times I can sympathise.

Hope In Hell is the first Anvil record to feature former Cities bassist Sal Italiano who replaces long-standing member Glenn Five, but Lips and Reiner are very much like Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses) and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) in that they’ll forever remain embedded in Anvil lore while others come and go.

And so to the record. Well, it’s another standard Anvil affair of course, bolstered by Bob Marlette’s production. Opening track is the plodding title track, featuring a catchy riff and sturdy drum sound – Lips’ vocals are still stuck in that mid-80s style, but for the most part his guitar enables the track to succeed as a mid-paced stomper, despite the rather naïve lyrics.

‘Eat Your Words’ however is a completely different kettle of metal, a raging headbanger that goes straight for the throat with its thrashy structure and basic chorus. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the record despite the insufferable lyrics.

Unfortunately, Anvil just doesn’t have the quality to produce top notch metal in quantity. ‘Through With You’ is simply a more metallic ‘Smoke On The Water’ (Deep Purple) with its main riff, but lyrically it really is childish in its attempts at angst as Lips barks “See you next Tuesday, what I say to you” over a mediocre chug.

Sadly, Anvil have become a bit of a parody, and tracks such as ‘The Fight Is Never Won’ and ‘Pay The Toll’ just lack the cutting edge to be taken seriously as strong metal tracks. It seems that through the comedy and tragedy of the documentary, Lips and Reiner have become those vulnerable characters instead of attempting to churn out something more serious. I’m guessing the duo doesn’t see the cracks in their own masks, but the paint has peeled to the extent of revealing incredibly worn frowns resulting in archetype metal that sounds frighteningly dated.

‘Flying’, ‘Call Of Duty’ and the atrociously titled ‘Badass Rock ’N’ Roll’ are metal-by-numbers songs that wouldn’t even make the grade in 1985, let alone now. Meanwhile, album closer, with its Motörhead–styled brashness, almost saves the day until Lips’ awful vocal performance and terrible lyrics.

One only has to revert back to track eight, aptly titled ‘Time Shows No Mercy’, to expose the frailties behind the Anvil machine. I’ve no doubt these guys will march on through the turmoil, but with sales of less than 1,000 in the first week of release in the US, there’s suggestion Anvil just haven’t got a hope in hell.

Neil Arnold

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