Missing Shrapnel

I am sure some of you guys were "Compilation-Crazy" too in the early Eighties, just like me. You absolutely had to buy every new Sampler coming out, the more obscure the better. Most of this stuff has been released on CD with the exception of one: The US METAL Compilations Volume 1 through 4. Released by Mike Varney’s own Shrapnel Label out of California. So here you have it, free for all in a good (192 Kbit) Quality. Enjoy! (Hint: The Links are in the Comments).

The downfall of Mothra

ANVIL! What glorious echo from the early Eighties, eh? I’ve been a fan since day one, even had a copy of their first album under the "Lips" Monicker (thanks to Montreal’s own Johnny Hart). Their first three albums are masterpieces, from time to time a bit cheesy, yes, but nevertheless, masterpieces. Don‘t let anybody tell you differently. Now this movie, I have waited for this to be shown in the cinemas of our little country, but forget it. All they show is Hollywood mainstream shit nowadays. So go out an buy this DVD at all costs. At best the Special Edition shown here, it contains ANVILs newest Studio Album This is Thirteen, produced by Chris Tsangarides. Now let's get back to the movie, it is the story of life-long friendship between Main Man Lips Kudlow and Drum-God Robb Reiner. They met each other when they went to high school and they rocked out ever since. It is a sad sight to see this band play in Europe in front of (tops) 100 people. It is even sadder to see them play their homeground of Toronto in front of maybe 30 people, what has the world coming to? The Extras-Sectios of the DVD shows a lenghty interview with Lars Ulrich, usually I do not dig this sucker, but in this talk he is not that bad, one can hear that he knows his Metal (NWOBHM that is) and he is trying to explain why his band has risen to stardom and ANVIL does’nt. They shared the same management in the early Eighties, can you believe that? They were right behind the big four (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax), but they failed to catch up. Line-up and Company Changes did the rest. They got forgotten in time. The movie left you thinking about life in general, friendship, fame and glory at all costs, your life, my life, have we fucked up too? I think everybody does at times. Lemmy sums it all up when he said: You have to be at the right place at the right time. And ANVIL weren’t.