Anvil Make Their Return

Anvil are back, and metalheads around the world want to shout it from the rooftops.

The thing is, they never left.

The Canadian outfit are revered as one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the early '80s. Albums like 1981's Hard 'N' Heavy and 1982's Metal On Metal were pivotal efforts that inspired the likes of Metallica, Slayer and virtually every band thereafter.

Yet somehow, despite never hanging up their studded leather, Anvil fell into horrific obscurity by the late '80s, going from playing to 60,000-strong crowds to barely filling their hometown watering hole. The world wondered what happened to guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb "Geza" Reiner.

In an odd twist of fate, it took a decades-old relationship to re-establish Anvil (completed by bassist Glenn "G5" Five) in the minds of metallions around the globe. The band didn't realize reconnecting with old fan Sacha Gervasi would indelibly alter their fate.

"Sacha was a fan of ours, travelling with us to rock shows," says Reiner while relaying the tale of how the critically acclaimed Anvil! The Story Of Anvil documentary came to be. "He hung out with us for years, but we lost touch and we always wondered what happened to him.

"We found him again through mutual friends and finally got in touch. Nothing had changed other than the pile of albums we've recorded. He was blown away that we'd never stopped."

Unbeknownst to Reiner and Kudlow, their teenage groupie was now a Hollywood mogul who was responsible for co-writing Tom Hanks' 2004 venture The Terminal and siring Spice Girl Geri Halliwell's child. Naturally, Gervasi saw great potential in the rags-to-rags tale of his favourite metal band.

"We didn't talk about making a movie," Reiner clarifies. "We were just meeting up with an old friend.

"He phoned up a week later with the idea. I thought, 'That's great, but who's gonna give a fuck?'"

Everyone, apparently.

Despite not yet having been officially released, Anvil! The Story Of Anvil — which follows the band through their childhood pact to rock together forever to the recording of their last effort, 2007's This Is Thirteen, and a gruesome European tour — has amassed unbelievable praise from the likes of documentarian Michael Moore, actors Sir Ben Kingsley and Keanu Reeves, the Osbournes and virtually every A-list celebrity known to pop culture. A host of film festival awards was further confirmation that Anvil are indeed back... again, despite having never left.

To that extent, Reiner is humbly shocked.

"I don't know many bands that get a second shot. Hell, there are so many that never get a first crack, yet here we are with people finally seeing us again. We're incredibly grateful for what's happening because of this movie... because of Sacha."

Anvil will perform at Torontos' Velvet Underground as part of the Canadian Music Week music festival.

Anvil! The Story Of Anvil will screen as part of CMW's film festival on March 14 at the NFB Cinema, the same day that they'll be inducted into the Indies Hall Of Fame.