Anvil – Plugged In Permanent
Album Review by Adam McCann
Label : SPV/Steamhammer Records
Year : 1996
Crank it to 11
Lips has stated in several interviews that if it wasn’t for Germany and Scandinavia during the 90’s then Anvil would have gone their separate ways. It was these countries love of heavy metal that gave the band the tenacity needed to survive. Sales wise, it was a grim time for Anvil, however, the 90’s showcases some of the bands best work outside of the first three albums and ‘Plugged in Permanent’ is no different.
Although ‘Plugged in Permanent’ struggled with some line-up changes, long standing bassist Ian Dickson was briefly replaced by Mike Duncan, whilst Sebastian Marino who recorded the previous album ‘Worth the Weight’ was changed for Ivan Hurd who would stay with the band throughout the next ten years.
It remains a strong release and Lips shows once more that he is not just a one trick pony capable of writing lewd double entendre songs, but is easily capable of keeping up with (then) current events such as race relations in the thrashing ‘Racial Hostility’, the act of euthanasia with ‘Doctor Kevorkian’ and even OJ Simpson with the grinding ‘Guilty’. Furthermore, for those craving the classic Anvil tongue in cheek, then you’ll find it here as Lips once more makes refence to the pleasures of the palm in ‘Five Knuckle Shuffle’ and the amusing ‘I’m Trying to Sleep’.
‘Plugged in Permanent’ is definitely a forgotten gem in the Anvil cannon and just goes to show that when heavy metal bands from the 80’s were changing their style in the mid-90’s, Anvil stuck to their guns and although they didn’t sell many records, they kept their integrity and because of that, ‘Plugged in Permanent’ remains a solid and decent album of classic heavy metal.
Rating : 78/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
