“Anvil is Anvil”

 Anvil is Anvil was produced by Martin ´Mattes` Pfeiffer (U.D.O.) at the Redhead 4 Studios in Pulheim near Cologne, Germany. For Lips, whose family is Jewish, as is drummer Robb Reiner’s, it was a special moment to work with a German producer in a German studio. “There’s a song on Anvil is Anvil that’s called ´Forgive Don´t Forget`, which says everything about our attitude. Nobody is guilty of anything that happened before their time, especially since Germany has critically examined and come to terms with its own past. Anvil have always been welcome in Germany, even during difficult phases. When we think of Germany, we think of friends, not war criminals.” Lips calls himself an idealist who takes a clear political stance with songs such as ´Gun Control` and ´Die For A Lie` and also denounces the ambiguous role of the church. He says: “Religion is frequently used to involve people in military conflict. Hate in the name of God – that’s just wrong!”
Yet Anvil is Anvil not only touches on sensitive issues but also documents the band’s lust for life, their dynamic musical style and their absolute down-to-earthiness. When Lips delivers the line “Ace of Spades and the joker is wild” on ´It´s Your Move` with a surprisingly realistic Motörhead timbre, it proves his sense of humour and is an homage at the same time (“close friends with Lemmy since 1981, he is definitely part of the family”). And when Anvil invite their fans to the studio to join the choir on ´Daggers And Rum`, it only shows the closeness between the musicians and their fans. “We’ve never recorded a pirate metal shanty such as ´Daggers & Rum` before. I’m sure this number will go down well on the upcoming tour.”
Regarding the cover Robb Reiner ads: “This time around,it was suggested I paint the cover art for the release by brother Lips, after I had come up with the concept and showing him study sketches drawn out. The simple straight to the point composition was much fun to render on canvas in oil. I spent about 6 weeks to complete it”