Anvil / Monument of Metal

For their 30th anniversary as a recording unit, Canadian metallers Anvil were asked by current label the End Records to assemble a retrospective package. To their credit, the band looked at their catalog without flinching. Every aspect of their career is represented on this 19-cut behemoth, though not in chronological order. Inexplicably, the set kicks off with a 2007 remake of "Metal on Metal" from 1983's album of the same name. That said, while the inclusion of later cuts is unavoidable with a band as over the top as Anvil -- the title track from their current album Juggernaut of Justice, "American Refugee" from 2004's This Is Thirteen -- there are more than enough moments of classic Anvil to satisfy fans with "School of Love" from 1981's Hard 'N Heavy, "March of the Crabs," from Metal on Metal, "Sins of the Flesh" from 1992's Worth the Weight, "Mad Dog" from Strength of Steel, "Fire in the Night," from Pound for Pound, and even a live version of "Jackhammer" from Past & Present: Live in Concert from 1989. What's remarkable about Anvil's retrospective is that not only have they included stuff from every aspect of their recording career, but they've been so remarkably consistent and one-dimensional throughout. If anything, this set proves that the Canadian act has continually represented the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era better than many of its actual progenitors. While recording technology has certainly gotten better, Anvil has remained consistent in songwriting, sound, and presentation, which should satisfy longtime fans mightily. While they might quibble with some of the song choices, that these tunes represent the band as a whole is undebatable.