» Cdreviews  
« back

Anvil - Back To Basics


*
=Staff's pick

Fuel For The Fire
Keep It Up
Song Of Pain
You Get What You Pay For
The Chainsaw
Can't Catch Me
Go Away
Bottom Feeder
Cruel World
Fast Driver


Genre Heavy Metal
Lips
Vocals
Tracks 10
Lips
Guitar
Runningtime 43 Min.
Ivan Hurd
Guitar
Label Massacre Records
Glenn Five
Bass
Release 29 March 2004
Robb Reiner
Drums
Country Canada
-
Keyboards
Similar artists ---

Is this a joke? I have not been into Anvil the past 15 odd years, but in the beginning of their long running carer, they released some decent heavy metal albums, namingly Metal On Metal, Forged In Fire and Strenght Of Steel. But this is just.... utter crap. If this is the result of the development they have undertaken lately, I am honestly glad I have been missing out on them until now, because it's nothing but a total waste of time listening to this.

In an attempt to play "back to the roots" heavy metal of the 80's, we get simple tracks of highly average standards, even for the standards of two decades ago, and riffs that are so weak and thin that they are barely stumbling forward, and refrains that are embarrassing to listen to, and that impression is only enhanced by the fact that what Lips is conducting, I am not sure can be called "singing". The man can't hold many notes, and the vocals are shaky and weak.

Keep It Up and You Get What You Pay For are really among the worst I have heard from, what I assume, is a band that is sincere in playing metal/rock. The songs The Chainsaw and Can't Catch Me furthermore contain so lousy choruses that you might think this is a rehearsal by a few friends at your local office for the upcoming annual party at the company. There might be one, or at most two, riffs that are acceptable, but that is honestly it. The rest just keeps reaching one low watermark after the other until the very end. Cross my heart - Spinal Tap have released way better songs then Bottom Feeder on this album.

I have frenetically searched the net in order to find somewhere where it says that this is in fact a prank album, made for fun, but since I so far have found no such information, I have to accept that a band today can release something like this and still keep a straight and serious face. Avoid this.

See also review of: Pounding The Pavement , Anvil Is Anvil , Hope In Hell , Still Going Strong

Production
Vocals
Compositions

7

2,5

1

 
Summary



1 chalice of 10 - Tommy

Related links:

www.anvilmetal.com
www.myspace.com/anvilmetal
www.facebook.com/anvilmetal