Strength of Steel is the fourth studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. It was released by Metal Blade and Enigma Records on May 21, 1987.[5]

Strength of Steel
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 21, 1987
RecordedQuest Recording Studios, Oshawa, Canada
GenreHeavy metal
Length42:05
LabelMetal Blade / Enigma (North America)
Roadrunner (Europe)
ProducerAnvil, Paul Lachapelle, Gabor Varszegi
Anvil chronology
Backwaxed
(1985)
Strength of Steel
(1987)
Pound for Pound
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal4/10[2]
Kerrang![3]
Rock Hard8.5/10[4]

It is the group's sole charting album in the United States, peaking at No. 191 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1987.[6] It was also the band's first release on Metal Blade Records. Two of the songs on this album ("Straight Between the Eyes" and "Wild Eyes") appeared in the film Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers.

A music video was made for the song "Mad Dog".

Track listing edit

All tracks by Anvil, except "Wild Eyes" by Rich Dodson

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Strength of Steel"3:30
2."Concrete Jungle"5:21
3."9-2-5"2:57
4."I Dreamed It Was the End of the World"4:14
5."Flight of the Bumble Beast"2:25
6."Cut Loose"3:29
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Mad Dog"3:14
8."Straight Between the Eyes"3:19
9."Wild Eyes" (The Stampeders cover)3:26
10."Kiss of Death"5:21
11."Paper General"4:49

Personnel edit

Anvil

  • Steve "Lips" Kudlow – vocals, guitar
  • Dave Allison – guitar, second vocal on "Straight Between the Eyes"
  • Ian Dickson – bass
  • Robb Reiner – drums

Production

  • Paul Lachapelle – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Gabor Varszegi – executive producer

References edit

  1. ^ Jeffries, Vincent. Strength of Steel at AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  3. ^ Russell, Xavier (28 May 1987). "Anvil 'Strength of Steel'". Kerrang!. Vol. 147. London, UK: Spotlight Publications ltd. p. 17.
  4. ^ Lerch, Uwe (1987). "Review Album: Anvil – Strength of Steel". Rock Hard (in German). No. 21.
  5. ^ "Anvil – Strength of Steel (1987, CD)".
  6. ^ "Top 200 Albums". Billboard.