📖 Synopsis

Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band that was able to influence a generation before heavy metal giants Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax claimed dominance. This documentary captures the members of Anvil, who originally had the vision of moving to Europe to pursue their dreams, and fingers crossed they would have struck gold. Unfortunately they faced an extremely unfortunate series of events and were never able to unlock the success that was waiting for them.

With a sprinkle of comedy in its transformative side, this film illustrates the motivational story of Anvil and their attempt to keep the fire of glory alive. This documentary showcases the bands tryst with new album making, heartbreak, phenomenal spirit of metal, new recordings, and a jam packed European tour. This realization is pretty hard to swallow, but not everything goes as planned. Expectations are not reality, and the worrying feeling eventually does settle in.

🏆 Awards & Recognition

🔥 Anvil! The Story of Anvil is critically acclaimed. A lot of critics and audiences dubbed it as “the real-life Spinal Tap” and rightfully so. This documentary received several awards such as:

🏆 Evening Standard British Film Awards – Best Documentary

🏆 Independent Spirit Awards – Best Documentary

🏆 Emmy Nomination – Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming

And most importantly it has been endorsed by great such as Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Slash (Guns N’ Roses), and Lemmy (Motorhead), who make appearances in this film.

🎸 Important Individuals and Cameos

• Steve “Lips” Kudlow – Vocals and lead guitar
• Robb Reiner – On the drums
• Glen Gyorffy – On the Bass (during the filming project)
• Slash (Guns N’ Roses) – Guest Role
• Lars Ulrich (Metallica) – Guest Role
• Lemmy (Motörhead, R.I.P.) – Guest Role
• Scott Ian (Anthrax) – Guest Role

This was produced by Sacha Gervasi who as an Anvil teenage fan and roadie, is honored to tell the story of Anvil, and cares for the band’s legacy.

📊 IMDb Scores and Critiques

“Inspiring, Sarcastic, and Sad” were the words used on IMDb this documentary by fans. They also increased its rating to 7.9/10 as it resonates with them on so many levels.

IMDb: 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (Critic), 90% (Viewer)

Most reviews were positive, describing the film as “very funny, sad, and motivational at the same time.” To some, it is seen as a real life version of Spinal Tap, where the stakes are real and feelings are not acted.

🤘 My Perspective

It is such a unique metal documentary, It inspires heavily just from its deep “human” storyboard. For those who do not appreciate heavy metal, they will appreciate the dedication Robb and Lips share and their ambition towards their dreams.

There are quite a few parts of the documentary that make you cringe, like their horrible financial meltdown, tore Europe, and the many times they were turned down by record companies. Ultimately, you just have to cheer for them, as you see how much they love music.

This is deep, heartfelt in an uplifting manner, and bestows heavy thoughts on what it means to devote one’s life to an endeavor when all seems futile.

⚡ Cultural Importance & Its Relation to Metal

A Love Letter to Metal: The documentary depicts the immense impact Anvil had on Metallica and Slayer, because of their unquestionable fame – although they never experienced the same popularity themselves.

Underdog Story: This story is relatable to every human, and connects deeply with their emotions, which goes beyond fans of metal music.

Cult Revival: After the film, Anvil was able to gain new cult like fans, tour frequently and release more studio albums.