Last night, I was fortunate enough to attend a screening of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" as well as a live performance by the band itself. The movie is inspiring without being sappy, and it is funny, but these guys are no joke. It's pure and noble in way that's impossible to fathom until you see it.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a shining example of the documentary as an art form. This is a story that needed to be told, in part because it is a story that very few people know. More, you'd think it would be incredibly unlikely that one of those few people would have the desire and the skill set to tell it. It is a remarkable case of good fortune - for the viewers, and especially for the band - that Sacha Gervasi, the band's former roadie, decided to make this film.

Who is this Anvil band? Here's the official description from the film:

At fourteen, Toronto school friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, went on to influence bands like Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. But Anvil's career took a different path--straight to obscurity.

The band, while sticking to their guns, doesn't carry any of the sad, embarasing baggage that comes with a lot of bands from that era. They might have the haircuts, but these guys won't be showing up on a VH1 reality show anytime soon. Their sound may not have progressed in 30 years, but there's a purity and a nobility that comes from completely avoiding nu metal, power ballads, pop, industrial or any of the other attempts early metal pioneers have tried to graft onto their sound in order to stay relevant. There's a nobility to Anvil's music, partially because of their story, but mostly because of their sincerity. You can't help but root for these guys.

While I'm by no means a metal connoisseur, I'm now a t-shirt wearing, cd owning fan of the band. I'm not certain that this will lead to me becoming a full on metal head, but I'm pretty sure I'm a fan for life. And I don't think I'm the only one.

• Anvil! The Story of Anvil
• Anvil @ MySpace
• Anvilmetal.tk
  

previously on wtg:

• american teen hits home in a big way
  
• a look back at atari teenage riot
• mainstream media downplays the role of iron maiden in the middle east
• mp3: venom spoken exceprts

Filed in: video music