I remember the April afternoon when I first saw the Anvil! The Story of Anvil at a theater in Manhattan in 2009. That documentary served as my introduction to these Canadian metal blacksmiths. I had been curious to see them ever since. Fourteen years later, I finally got my chance at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar. Better late as hell than never, right?
When I arrived in Greenpoint, I immediately procured a table at the superb Acapulco Restaurant & Deli next door to the bar. The tortilla chips with the homemade red sauce and the steak tostadas provided a filling banquet. While enjoying my meal, I also caught the remainder of Gremlins 2: The New Batch on the restaurant’s T.V. I almost forgot that so many media personalities were in that movie, such as Hulk Hogan, as well as the late Christopher Lee. For sure, the feast and the film sent a sublime sign for what became an evening of eighties-driven metal.
DJ Alex Kayne did it up big-time to keep the atmosphere in the venue amplified, getting everyone ready for a lively time with Anvil and Midnite Hellion, spinning some icons like Iron Maiden and some newer artists such as Lamb of God.
Touring again with Anvil for another national circuit is Trenton, New Jersey’s very own Midnite Hellion. For those of you that are in the know when it comes to our music, you might remember Cross the Line from 2018’s Combat Bullets, Vol. 1.0 compilation. Midnite Hellion wasted no time messing around and turned in a great set. They played a lot of tracks from their newest album, Kingdom Immortal, opening with H.M.O. Rapscallion, Speed Demon, Cross the Line, and The Fever. The last two were from their 2011 The Fever demo. The energy they had was boundless.
At around 8:00 PM, it was time for Anvil! The show began with March of the Crabs, an instrumental that has been a concert staple and fan favorite, with the bonus of Lips walking down the stage into the crowd and tearing up his guitar. Amusing the New York pounders, he jumped on stage as the band thrashed the audience with 666. What followed was a fun set of classics and high points that you had to be there for, whether it was Lip’s zany vibrator solo during Mothra or the sweet drum solo from Rob Reiner in between Swing Thing. Lips also told a humorous and lighthearted anecdote about Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister before crashing into the fast and noisy Forged in Fire. Whether you watch it on Youtube or witness it in person during this tour, it was a magnificent story. Just thinking about that story makes me feel like Lips should write a book!
Steve’s voice sounded as savage as ever. Lips seemed to be having a blast on that stage in front of generations of screaming metalheads. The musicianship between Chris Robertson and Rob Reiner produced some of the best they have ever had. The crowd could tell by how locked-in the trio was.
Lips and company circled back around as Anvil reached the summit of the evening with probably their most well-known and respected cuts, Metal on Metal. Of course, what would an Anvil gig be without Lips sending everyone home happy with him walking down the stage into the crowd a final time grinding things up on his guitar?
Overall, the evening was fantastic and was an exciting start to my spring marathon of shows. Anvil is Anvil, and we love Anvil!
