Anvil/Night Demon/Graveshadow/Vulgar Devils

Anvil, a Canadian heavy metal band, formed in the late ‘70s, but despite influencing classic metal bands like Slayer and Metallica, didn’t really achieve mainstream recognition until becoming the subject of an Emmy-award winning documentary film in 2009. Since then, they’ve received an influx of popularity and have been able to release two new albums. Anvil’s music is basically what you would expect from a heavy metal band; albums like Metal on Metal and Strength of Steel sound exactly like what the titles suggest. Now, after the success of the movie, they’re back to doing what they do best — playing earnest music with no pretenses. (Johnny Cook)