Why didn't they manage to 'make it'?

And how many of their songs were about jewish matzah balls? The overwhelming majority of their songs are about the typical metal/rock subjects, death, sex, pounding on stuff, rock itself.

Their lyrics were no different then any of the superficial songs from the various absurdly popular metal and hair bands that came after them.

Poor management is the only thing that makes sense. They had several solid albums in their early years, should have been more than enough to establish them for life as top dogs of metal. They had numerous tunes that would make AWESOME singles, which in the bad taste plagued world we live in is often all a band needs to sell records. They were/are incredible live, they're incredibly charismatic/fun personalities(at least Lips is).

what does age have to do with it.....ever heard of Springsteen, AC/DC or The Rolling Stones?

All still very successful and OLD

I love their music BTW. It's because the media hasn't told people to like them. Most people listen to what the media tells them they should. Mindless drones that most people are.

You are soulless individual and I pity you and anyone unfortunate enough to have a relationship with you.

I guess it's all a matter of opinion. Anvil has been my fave since 83. I love the songs. I love to see them play live.

Bon Jovi et al don't have the great songwriting abilitis...they hire that. Desmond Child has written for many of the successful 80s bands.

Regardless...they love what they do....why pack it in? Like Lips said in the movie..it's what keeps him going. Alot of people have hobbies that are never going to make them money....so should they pack it in?

I have to agree with lucius78. I love metal, and I listen to loads of old school stuff (I've been worshipping Maiden for over 16 years), but let's face it, Anvil just aren't that good, and they're totally stuck in the early 80's, in a really bad way. Throughout this film, I was constantly reminded of Spinal Tap, and that's really not a good thing.

And while old school metal is coming back in a big way, Anvil just don't have the chops to cut it. Lips, for all his endearing puppy dog-ness, is a pretty terrible vocalist, their lyrics are cringe-inducing in their cliches, and their music itself just doesn't stand out at all. They're just not a great band.

I enjoyed this film, but I found it more overwhelmingly tragic than anything else. The only reason they're being booked for gigs now is because of this film, and not because anyone actually thinks they're going to hit the big time. On one hand, I feel sad for them, but on the other hand, they're really out of touch with reality. I respect their integrity for sticking to what they love, but they can't expect the rest of the world to lap it up.

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cogito ergo sum

There's not a single song in the whole Anthrax discography that could match mammoth-like classics as FORGED IN FIRE or FREE AS THE WIND. Imo, they were just a jock thrash band with a ridiculous Skatebwoy image. No honesty or devotion to the steel. Fistfull of Metal is pretty much the only Anthrax album I enjoy because it lacks that chest-stomping pseudo-rebel toughboy attitude. Probably unresistable band to fans of Pantera. If I wanna THRASH I listen to old Slayer and Exodus, Infernäl Mäjesty, Razor, Kreator, Destruction and so on.

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:)

www.igloooftheuncanny.blogspot.com

Yeah, they really are not that good. I'm 35. I remember them. I have the Metal on Metal record. I don't think I've ever listened to it all the way through in one sitting.There were plenty of other bands that didn't make it (Laaz Rockit, Gothic Slam, Accept, Lizzie Borden). Actually Accept did do pretty well, but young kids probably don't know who they are now. The only difference is Anvil kept at it anyway, and had a documentary made about them. I do have to mention that we did have MTV back then. It's just that they only played stuff like Men at Work, Huey Lewis and Madonna. Now it doesn't even play videos on the regular channel.

And Tank. And Jag Panzer. And... oh well. Long, long list.

Many of these guys also blow all their money on dough, inside of capitalizing, saving for then they've faded out.

For one U2 (I happen to like all their early albums), there are 10,000 Anvils.

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What I'm so surprised about is how influential they are, and yet, yeah, no success. It seems sad that they did, as was said, get ripped off. Other bands basically took that inspiration and left them in the dust instead of helping to promote them. I suppose thats the nature of the beast. And I think that's what really killed them. They came too early, and by the time the metal scene was in full swing, they were already lost in the crowd of other, bigger bands. Couple that with crappy management, production, etc., and you're going to have a hard time going anywhere. They seem like a band that wasn't necessarily meant for the music industry the way it is now. They have too big a heart to be involved in an industry that chews up and spits out bands like they're selling insurance.

On the other hand, at the very least these guys have had something. Maybe they're not huge like Metallica, Bon Jovi, or Whitesnake have been, but they have had some fame and certainly have fans. That's more than most bands in the world can say. They should be very proud of that fact, and very proud of themselves.

--What if Jesus was a time traveler?