I think it was a good move going from a Thunderhead review to this. Both bands of the same ilk, Thunderhead certainly taking a leaf out of Anvil's school of hard knocks attitude. Of course, Anvil have been in the game for what seems like centuries, their dinosaur metal never got them the acclaim they deserved whilst the bands at the time around them - Slayer Metallica, rose to the big time. Anvil stuck with it, some would say rather stubbornly, but there's no denying their place in metal's hall of heavy fame. This debut only a hint of what walls the juggernaut would demolish on its rocky road. It's amazing the amount of bands from the '80s who sang about school - I guess it was the bands' way of telling the kids who listened that it was important to rebel against the system, although many of us never did! 'School Love' kicks in like a bastardisation of Van Halen with Allison's fuzzy riff and Lips' swirling leads and his almost cheeky vocal pout. Anvil keep it tongue in cheek throughout the album - 'At The Apartment', 'I Want You Both (With Me)', 'Bedroom Game', 'Bondage', but the innuendo would have been lost on many kids who sang the anthems and shook their head. From here Anvil would develop into a sturdy heavy metal act who quickly shed the slightly comical edge and replace it with a serious, straight spiky attitude. The inclusion of 'paint It Black' is kinda out of place, but 'Hard 'n' Heavy' is certainly a worthy addition to any early '80s metal collection even if it pales against the likes of Sabbath, Metallica etc.
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