Anvil were then picked up by Maximum Records, an independent Canadian label that was formed by Helix's manager-at-the-time William Seip. Strength of Steel was the group's most commercially successful record in the United States, peaking at #191 on the Billboard 200. They released three records with Metal Blade Records starting with Strength Of Steel. In 1987 they were approached by American label Metal Blade Records. Shortly after they were signed by Attic Records they changed their name to Anvil and the independent album was released by Attic as their debut album. In 1981, the band released an independent album called Hard 'N Heavy. It was not until 1978 that the first lineup that was to become Anvil was formed: Steve 'Lips' Kudlow (lead vocals, lead guitar), Robb Reiner (drums), Dave Allison (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ian Dickson (bass). They met through friend, guitarist and neighbour Marty Hoffman, but 'musical differences' caused his departure after their first show. The band's history is chronicled in the 2009 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil.Ģ) Anvil is a1970s German heavy prog psych band.ġ) - The roots of Anvil began in April 1973 in Toronto, when high school friends Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner began playing music together. There is more than one artist using the name Anvil:ġ) Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band who has influenced many musical groups including Slayer and Metallica.

Anvil band wiki