Tommy Snöberg Söderberg 
At the age of fourteen, Robb Reiner and Steve “Lips” Kudlow make each other a promise: they are going to rock until they are old and gray, and they are going to have a damn good time along the way. The years go by, and although their band—Anvil—is held in high regard by colleagues who went on to achieve great success—such as Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica, and Motörhead—the big breakthrough never came.
One may wonder why, what went wrong, and who is actually to blame for things turning out the way they did. Those are, at any rate, some of the questions the film attempts to answer.
Before I begin, I should probably admit that I have never really listened to Anvil. Of course, the name is familiar, and it is a name I often flipped past in the record bins during my teenage years. But I don’t really know why. Perhaps it was because they were somewhat unknown to me and you simply can’t buy everything, especially as a teenager when money seems to run straight through your fingers. Of course, money still has a tendency to do that, but the income (and the bills) have gotten bigger.
The film begins with some familiar faces talking about Anvil’s greatness. There’s Lemmy, Lars Ulrich, Scott Ian, and Slash, to name a few. They all seem to have the utmost respect for the band and wonder why they never “made it.” After this, the film changes direction somewhat, and we instead get to follow the two driving forces behind the band. The singer and guitarist “Lips” and drummer Robb Reiner, who Lars Ulrich apparently considers to be in a class of his own when it comes to technical ability.
They have never quit, but have stuck together and played their music for the past thirty years. It is remarkable to see the enthusiasm they still have at fifty, despite never having achieved the big breakthrough that would have made them millionaires. They have regular jobs to pay the bills, and the music has to happen in their spare time. A tour of Europe is arranged, but it doesn’t go particularly well due to a number of circumstances. Their enthusiasm for playing, however, remains, and it is actually quite moving to see how emotional they become about the whole thing. They genuinely love playing their music and are still waiting to “be discovered” after all these years. In fact, “Lips” sometimes reminds me of a teenager who refuses to grow up. His eyes sparkle, and everything he seems to live for is music.
It is a very revealing documentary in which we get to see a great deal of emotion. Friends and family members get to have their say, and although not everyone is quite as enthusiastic as the band members themselves, there is no doubt that they have a loyal fan base and close friends who believe in them and hope that they will finally break through. Friends who understand how important what they are doing is to them.
There is also some bonus material on the DVD (the kind of thing I’m generally rather uninterested in) that is very interesting. For example, a thirty-minute interview with Lars Ulrich—the guy can really talk! But regardless of the bonus material, this is a very interesting documentary that I think all metal fans should watch!
…and by the way, I’m going to pick up some Anvil albums after this!
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