This Is Thirteen

Since this is my thirteenth post for 2010, I figured that it would be an appropriate time to post my latest purchase of Anvil's newest LP, This Is Thirteen. Originally self released in 2007, VH1 Classic Records re-released this last year, giving it the vinyl treatment.

I haven't followed Anvil's career very closely. The last album of theirs that I purchased was their live Past And Present CD, back in 1989. The band was getting a lot of press through 2009 for their documentary, Anvil! The Story Of Anvil, and I figured that I'd check in and see what they've been up to. The documentary was amazing. A truly fascinating story about a band on the verge of stardom, yet failing to make it to the next level, and then spiraling downward through Metal's dark days of the 90's. Yet somehow, the band perseveres, remaining true to their Metal roots and continuing to release albums every few years. The film follows the band through their lives that appear ready to fall apart at any moment, and through their dismal dead end jobs. The only thing holding them together is their music. At one point, Anvil gets an offer from a promoter to do a European tour that proves to be another disaster in the bands career...from playing some hole in the wall bar in Prague where the owner refuses to pay the band since they were late, to a soul crushing experience of playing the Monsters of Transylvania festival where only 174 people show up to the 10,000 seat arena. Still, at the end of it all, the singer/guitar player, Lips, says "at least there was a tour for things to go wrong on". Positive Mental Attitude. The dude just does not give up. At the end of the film, the band records This Is Thirteen with Chris Tsangarides, who helped produce some of their biggest albums from the 80's, like Metal On Metal. The album itself is fantastic...a great slab of Metal. I've got to say that This Is Thirteen is on par with the bands 80's classics. So amazing that a band that has been around for as long as Anvil have, can still deliver. The story of Anvil is truly an amazing one.