Anvil

Formed in Toronto, Canada in the late 1970s, Anvil emerged within the North American heavy metal wave, early on developing a taste for fast tempos and sharp riffs that steered them toward speed and proto-thrash. Around the stable core of Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums), the band went through multiple bassists but retained a sonic identity built on direct structures, emphatic rhythms and a pronounced sense of riff. After their debut album Hard ’n’ Heavy (1981), they followed with Metal on Metal (1982) and Forged in Fire (1983), which established them on the Canadian, American and European metal scenes. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Anvil released Strength of Steel (1987), Pound for Pound (1988) and Worth the Weight (1992), despite label difficulties and uneven exposure. The documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008), directed by former roadie Sacha Gervasi, revived attention around the band and reasserted their role in metal history. Since then Anvil has continued to tour and record regularly, notably Still Going Strong (2002), Juggernaut of Justice (2011), Anvil Is Anvil (2016), Legal at Last (2020) and Impact Is Imminent (2022), preserving a heavy metal continuity that embraces its roots while remaining focused on the Kudlow–Reiner tandem.