ANVIL Have "Become More Hard Rock Than We Used To Be," Says STEVE "LIPS" KUDLOW - "The Metal Thing Just Wore Itself Out... There’s No Uniqueness Left"
November 5, 2024, a month ago
Anvil frontman, Steve "Lips" Kudlow, is featured in a new interview with Metal-Rules.com, conducted in Finland in late October.
A couple of excerpts from the interview below:
Metal-Rules.com's Marko Syrjala: "Anvil has now released twenty albums and toured the world for decades. I can imagine it’s something you never dreamed of when you started this band with Robb Reiner back in 1978."
Steve "Lips" Kudlow: "I don’t know if I’d agree with that because, when Robb [drummer Robb "Robbo" Reiner] and I were kids—really young kids at 15, 16 years old—we kind of made a promise that we were going to be the heaviest band to ever come out of Canada and that we wouldn’t break up and would keep going until we were old men. So, am I surprised that I’m here? No, this was the plan [chuckle]. You know what I mean? And that’s the thing: it was the plan to be here still, and we are. So, it deserves congratulations because there’s been a lot of hell to go through to get here—ups and downs, and sideways and backward."
Marko Syrjala: "After further thought, I would say that Anvil also had a few other songs with a ‘bluesy feel’ on some of their previous albums. Does that mean that Anvil has matured musically a bit after all these years?"
Steve "Lips" Kudlow: "It can be. I think we’ve become more hard rock than we used to be because that’s what we actually enjoy. I think, at some point, the metal thing just wore itself out. With thousands and thousands of bands doing the same thing, there’s no uniqueness left. The uniqueness comes from songs that don’t follow that formula. You lose your identity when you start sounding the same as everyone else."
Marko Syrjala: "You mentioned earlier that you and Robb started this band together in ’78 and had already played together for about six years before that. Anvil is about to turn an impressive 50 years old, which is a remarkable achievement. How does that make you feel?"
Steve "Lips" Kudlow: "Well, time is running out, and that’s true for everyone. You just do it while you can—it’s really as simple as that.
Do you ever think about mortality? Over the past two years, you’ve lost two former band members. Does that weigh on you?
Yeah, of course. Seb [Sebastian Marino] and Dave Allison are both gone. That’s life. Soon, I’ll be gone, too—I’m not here forever. But my music will be. That’s what it’s all about: leaving a legacy, leaving a mark on humanity."
Read more at Metal-Rules.com.
Anvil's remaining European tour dates are listed below.
November
6 - Kopenhagen, Denmark - Rust
7 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Little Devil
8 - Regensburg, Germany - Airport Obertraubling
9 - Selb, Germany - Rockclub Nordbayern
10 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
11 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
13 - Lyon, France - Rock n Eat
14 - Milan, Italy - Legend
15 - Rome, Italy - Traffic
16 - San Donna di Piave, Italy - Revolver
17 - Bologna, Italy - Alchemica
20 - Osnabrück, Germany - Bastard Club
21 - Siegburg, Germany - Kubana
22 - Weissenhäuser Strand, Germany - MH Paradise
25 - München, Germany - Backstage Club
26 - Kufstein, Austria - Kulturfabrik
27 - Ittre, Belgium - Zik Zak
28 - Hannover, Germany - Bei Chez Heinz
29 - Diest, Belgium - Hell
30 - Heerlen, Netherlands - Nieuwe Nor
December
1 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
3 - Berlin, Germany - Frannz
Order Anvil's new album, One And Only, here.
Tracklisting:
"One And Only"
"Feed Your Fantasy"
"Fight For Your Rights"
"Heartbroken"
"Gold And Diamonds"
"Dead Man Shoes"
"Truth Is Dying"
"Rocking The World"
"Run Away"
"World Of Fools"
"Condemned Liberty"
"Blind Rage"
"World Of Fools":
"Truth Is Dying":
"Feed Your Fantasy" video: