Anvil (band)

Anvil
at the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles on March 5, 2010. l-r former bassist Glenn Five, Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner
Background information
Also known as	Lips (1978-1981)
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Heavy metal, speed metal, thrash metal,
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Attic, Maximum, Massacre, Hypnotic, Metal Blade, The End, Roadrunner
Website	anvilmetal.com/
Members	Steve "Lips" Kudlow Robb Reiner Chris Robertson
Past members	Ivan Hurd Sebastian Marino Ian Dickson Dave Allison Mike Duncan Glenn Gyorffy Sal Italiano

Anvil are a Canadian heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 1978. The band consists of Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar), Robb Reiner (drums) and Chris Robertson (bass). To date, the band has released sixteen studio albums, and has been cited as having influenced many notable heavy metal groups, including Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica.

The band, in particular Kudlow and Reiner, was the subject of the 2008 documentary film, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by the screenwriter and former Anvil roadie, Sacha Gervasi. Upon its release, the film garnered critical acclaim from many major publications, and has since brought the band renewed recognition, including opening slots with AC/DC and Saxon. Appearances at both major heavy metal festivals, including Download, Loud Park and Hellfest, and independent music festivals like Bumbershoot and SXSW, also followed the release of the film. Reviewers described Anvil as a pioneering hair metal band that was popular in the 1980s but then faded into obscurity in the 1990s, while refusing to stop playing, recording and gigging. Anvil's antics on and off stage, the setbacks they suffered, and their determination to keep going was compared to the fictional band Spinal Tap.

The roots of Anvil began in April 1973 in Toronto, when high school friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner began playing music together. They met through friend, guitarist and neighbour Marty Hoffman, but “musical differences” caused his departure after their first show. By 1978, the first full line-up of the band included Kudlow (lead vocals, lead guitar), Reiner (drums), Dave "Squirrely" Allison (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ian "Dix" Dickson (bass). At this point, the band was called Lips.