Anvil – Juggernaut of Justice (2011)
Canada’s most famous metal band Anvil is back with their fourteenth slab of metal. The band’s latest opus, Juggernaut of Justice was produced by Bob Marlette (Alice Cooper, Airbourne, Black Stone Cherry). I was extremely impressed with Marlette’s recent reunion effort with Alice Cooper, so I was interested to see what he could do with my favorite Canadian rockers, Anvil. Mr. Marlette has the uncanny ability to bring the best out in a band, and that is exactly what he did with Anvil on Juggernaut of Justice.
First and foremost, the production on Juggernaut of Justice is as good as it gets. I can’t remember the last time that Anvil sounded so vibrant and polished. To my ears, the music on this CD is above and beyond anything on Anvil’s recent releases. The guitar work of Lips on this CD is superb. I can’t remember the last time I heard him or the whole band play this good. It is almost as if Anvil somehow imbued the energy of Motorhead and used that to record this album. Whatever they did, it works, as Juggernaut of Justice is one of the better metal albums of 2011! Not only does Lips do an outstanding job, but Rob Reiner and Glenn Five are absolutely smoking on this disc. The rhythm is fast, furious and outstanding.
The title track and album opener “Juggernaut of Justice” is a beast of a metal anthem. This is a great tune that will win over even the most skeptical metal fans.
“On Fire”, “Fuken Eh!”, “Turn It Up”, “This Ride” and “Not Afraid” might be the best quintet of metal tunes I have heard all year. These songs have a ton of energy and flat-out rock. The tempo finally drops down somewhat for the song “Conspiracy” but this song still rocks.
The song is followed by another facemelting track “Running”. The down-tuned guitars of “Paranormal” gives this song a creepy Black Sabbath like feel to it. Very cool stuff!
“New Orleans Voodoo” reminds me a lot of the song “This is Thirteen”, although I like the lyrics better for this tune.
The instrumental track “Swing Thing” closes out the album in fine fashion. This might be the best metal instrumental I have heard in 2011. The horns from Lisa Joy Pimentel (Bob Marlette’s wife) were a nice touch.
If you have never listened to Anvil before, you should definitely give Juggernaut of Justice a chance. It is easily one of my favorite CD’s of 2011.
For more information on Anvil, please visit the band’s website. You can purchase a copy of Juggernaut of Justice at this link.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. Juggernaut Of Justice
02. When Hell Breaks Loose
03. New Orleans Voodoo
04. On Fire
05. Fuken Eh!
06. Turn It Up
07. The Ride
08. Not Afraid
09. Conspiracy
10. Running
11. Paranormal
12. Swing Thing
Anvil is:
Steve “Lips” Kudlow – Vocals & Guitar
Robb Reiner – Drums
Glenn Five – Bass
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