ANVIL: the gift that keeps on giving. With countless albums under their belt, and undying admiration from some of the biggest names in the game (METALLICA and MOTORHEAD, just to name two), it comes as no surprise that "Pounding The Pavement" is a monumental force in the world of Heavy Metal. While staying true to the sound that started their career, ANVIL take it to another level with this one. Adding sizzling guitar effects and random sampling to their repertoire, they manage to put out yet another fiery and heavy record that is sure to please any and all fans the world over.

The offering opens with the no-holds-barred roller, "Bitch In The Box", which stuns with its high-end production, and showcases the killer riffing that defined the band's sound throughout the years. Giving life to the album's title, the drums are literally pounded to the point of abuse. The result is a high-octane thriller that has one's head instantly banging to the beat, bringing us back to the power and fury of Heavy Metal in its most primitive form.

"Ego", the second slab of iron on "Pounding The Pavement", steps on the gas a bit as it releases its rage in the shape of a Metal beast. Slightly faster than the first track, it promises the listener a more diverse, varied album than they had previously experienced when listening to ANVIL.

Sometimes progression is a good thing. This is not always the case, but it works very well here. Although the album carries the usual vibe that ANVIL is recognized for, they show us quite clearly that they are ready to take it up a few notches by playing with some new sound structures and filters. The result is this fantastic new record that just slays from start to finish.

"Pounding The Pavement's" title track is a guitar-driven instrumental packed with so much power that it might just burst your speakers before it's through. There are also some MOTORHEAD-esque moments, such as "Rock That Shit" and "Black Smoke", which provide a nice filler in between the more unconventional outings like "Nanook Of The North" or "World Of Tomorrow", which tend to lean toward a more Doomy sound like that of BLACK SABBATH.

As the album closes, I realize just how much that I, myself, treasure ANVIL. They are the band that never dies. They might have given us an album in "Pounding The Pavement" that strayed a little from their normal offerings, but they never stop being themselves, and that is pretty amazing, considering how long these guys have been pumping out record after record of pure and true Metal. In short, if you've always liked ANVIL, then you're going to LOVE this album. If you've never heard them before, then you're in for quite a treat. Enjoy, my fellow metalheads!..