Still a metal force, these Canadian veterans have been enjoying a musical rebirth over the last few years and Pounding The Pavement continues this process, offering a mix of massive riffs, anthemic choruses, tight musicality and gruffly charismatic vocals from Lips. It begins with the mid-tempo march of Bitch In The Box and builds from there. Every song has menace, teetering on the brink of going berserk, but kept under control. The title track and Smash Your Face are typical of this approach. Meantime, Rock That Shit and Black Smoke are the closest the band get to speed metal, and Nanook Of The North clunks with it doom-laden pacing. But the band percolate best when hammering down in terrain that’s reminiscent of Motörhead circa Orgasmatron. Nothing here quite compares to the Anvil classics. But this album shows they’re more than a nostalgia trip.
Anvil - Pounding The Pavement album review
Canada’s metal survivors keep their cylinders fired up
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