by Vincent Jeffries
The first of two Anvil offerings originally released on Metal Blade, Strength of Steel signaled the decline of this once-promising Canadian outfit. The band's eroding commitment to heaviness may have been due to increasing commercial and legal concerns that followed their long period without a record contract. The second to last disc from Anvil to feature the Toronto act's original lineup, Strength of Steel is a collection of plodding, seriously fatigued metal. A comical video for &Mad Dog& brought Anvil some much needed MTV exposure, but like many Strength of Steel numbers, the song was so comical and cliché-ridden, very few fans in post-Metallica America could take it seriously. Although the group continued recording for over 15 years, it became clear after Strength of Steel that Anvil would never make a large dent in the metal marketplace.