ANVIL’s “2 In 1” ‘Plugged In Permanent / Absolutely No Alternative’ & ‘Speed Of Sound / Plenty Of Power’ albums released April 23rd on SPV

Steamhammer / SPV are set to re-release 4 of seminal Canadian Heavy Metal band Anvil’s finest albums as a brace of high class, “2 in 1” double digipak CD’s, with new booklets, containing liner notes from Lips and Robb, plus new photos, on April 23rd. ‘Plugged In Permanent’ / ‘Absolutely No Alternative’ (originally released in 1996 and 1997), and ‘Speed Of Sound’ / ‘Plenty Of Power’ (originally released in 1999 & 2001) will be available at the (nice) price of one single CD. On Sunday August 12th Anvil will jet in for an exclusive UK live performance on the main stage of the Bloodstock Festival at Catton Hall in Derbyshire.

Anvil, who have been on a rock ‘n’ roll journey for the past three decades, were catapulted into the international limelight by 2008’s ‘Anvil! The Story Of Anvil’ movie, which became the highest grossing rock documentary in UK history within two months of its release, and has now been seen by well over 8 million people in the US. While listed as a prime influence by the likes of Metallica, Motorhead and Guns N Roses as one of the creators of the thrash / speed metal genre, Anvil appeared to have taken a back seat to this new wave of massive metal bands. But Anvil had struggled with bad record deals, bad management and just plain bad luck prior to ‘Anvil! The Story Of Anvil’. Subsequent to the success of the film, Anvil have played the main stages of virtually every major European festival, landed opening slots on 2 US and one Canadian AC/DC shows, embarked on their first headline tour of America in 10 years and headlined the main stage of Germany’s Wacken Festival, performing in front of 80,000 rabid metalheads.

Anvil recorded their latest album, ‘Juggernaut Of Justice’, at Foo Fighter, friend and fan Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Northridge, California, with producer Bob Marlette, (Ozzy Osbourne, Marylin Manson, Alice Cooper). Steamhammer / SPV jumped at the chance to sign Anvil, along with their back catalogue, early in 2011, and released ‘Juggernaut Of Justice’ at the end of June. Powerplay’s Andrew Haunt awarded the album 9/10 in the magazine’s August issue, proclaiming “‘Juggernaut Of Justice’ is a brilliant example of just how great traditional metal can be when it’s played with passion and fire. The production by Bob Marlette really captures the no-frills live sound of the band, and in all honesty they’ve never sounded better. Lips, Robbo and G5 have done their legacy proud, and ‘Juggernaut Of Justice’ is a brilliant return to the frontlines of metal for Anvil.”

Anvil then triumphantly toured around Europe. Metal Hammer’s Malcolm Dome reviewed the band’s Islington Academy gig in July, stating that “This is perhaps their finest ever show in the UK. Back concentrating on the power, riffs and anthems that made them cult heroes in the early 80’s, Anvil are again a ferociously charismatic force. Perpetually grinning, Lips soaks himself in the huge reception accorded the band as they launch into ‘March Of The Crabs’. From then on it’s a mix of old school faves and more modern chimes. Lips is a blur of movement and hair as his guitar fury leads Anvil through a set that includes ‘666’, ‘Winged Assassin’, ‘Juggernaut Of Justice’ and ‘On Fire’, ranging from the earliest days to the current album. Drummer Robb Reiner and bassist Glenn Five are equally as vociferous… This is an explosive performance from a band who’ve rediscovered the will to headbang, and in the process have been re-embraced by metal fans. 9/10”