(Album Review) ANVIL - Impact Is Imminent (AFM Records)

Release date: May 20, 2022

Written by Jeff Tighe

Impact is Imminent is the 19th studio album from Anvil over the last 41 years. This 14-song, 50-minute effort is standard Anvil traditional heavy metal, and as usual, the results are a bit of a mixed bag.

Kicking off the proceedings is a mid-paced stomper, "Take a Lesson" which has a memorable enough chorus. Following is "Ghost Shadow" one of the classic Anvil speedsters that are always among their strongest songs, with a blistering solo by Steve "Lips" Kudlow. This is followed by another mid-paced song, "Another Gunfight", which is not as memorable as the opener and should have been dropped back in the album lineup (or just dropped completely).

Next up we are back to the faster, more traditional Anvil sound with "Fire Rain", which is somewhat reminiscent of "Mothra" and other classics by the band. The album has two instrumentals, "Teabag", a hard rocking number, and "Gomez", which is pretty much the same as "Teabag", only with horns added. One wonders why the band felt the need to have both on the album.

Despite the fact that their youth is well behind them, Kudlow's vocals and Robb Reiner's drumming are both very strong. The production is also very good, allowing each instrument, including Chris Robertson's bass, to be discerned clearly.

The rest of the album alternates between the faster numbers and the slower, but still heavy, numbers. The best songs are "Someone to Hate" "Explosive Energy" and "Bad Side of Town", all faster songs that seem to take years off the band's age. Another great one is "The Rabbit Hole", a song that is recalls ""Shadow Zone" from their classic third album. Perhaps the most notable slow song is the Covid-19 inspired "Lockdown", a dirge worthy of the subject matter.

Fans of Anvil from back in the day will find quite a few metal ditties in here to remind them of why this band are considered second generation metal pioneers. (7.5)