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Those Canadian metallers have been around since 1978. Somehow they never really made it big, an unfortunately too common occurrence in the metal world. Plenty of Power is their newest release, and 23 years after their beginnings, I am pleased to say that Anvil still don't make any musical compromise just to try to sell more albums. Plenty of Power is metal to the bone from start to finish. Whether you want to call them speed or thrash - personally I'd put them into the speed metal category because of a cleaner song structure than most thrash bands - one cannot deny that this is once again a strong album for Anvil.

Boasting production by renowned producer Pierre Rémillard, this album has a very different sound than "Speed of Sound" which I found was a little bit faster and more aggressive. Plenty of Power has a sound closer to the slower heavy metal sound. The guitar work sometimes annoy me a little, hard to describe in words, but it sometimes hovers around the high notes too much, rather than a lower tuned riffing more common to this type of music. It took some time getting used to, but I've come to appreciate it. The album contains a good balance in the type of guitar playing. Well, that's minor anyway, considering the very good quality of playing here. Some of the riffs in a couple of songs remind me a little of early Black Sabbath - very surprising - and interesting - considering the styles are quite different.

There's a lot of variation in the vocals and that, again, took some time getting used to. The vocals follow the music to the letter and I think that's what makes some of parts sound a little weird. Not necessarily a bad thing but you may have to let it grow on you.

The Canadian CD version contains the excellent bonus track "Left Behind", a bit slower than the other songs and also with the most interesting vocals on the album. The German CD and vinyl version have a different bonus track, "Dirty Dorothy" which is more of a rocker than "Left Behind", with a little "party-like" beat to it.

Overall, a very good album for any fan of classic-sounding metal. Anvil stays away from the modern gadgets used by some bands nowadays, and that's a very good thing. All hails to Anvil for staying true to their roots and not giving in to trends. Metal to the bone. Highly recommended.