Review Summary: This is a great album with some very good songs on it.
Inspired after watching the movie "Anvil: The Story of Anvil," I set out to listen to the album, "This Is Thirteen." The movie showed how overlooked Anvil is and how hard it is for them to stay together and put out albums. "This Is Thirteen" was the album made in the movie. In the movie, they struggled to get their album signed to a major label. Those people who wouldn't sign this album were foolish. Anvil worked really hard to create this album and it came out fantastic.
While the band is overlooked in many ways, some of their songs are superb. My two favorite songs on the album just happen to be the first two songs as well; them being This Is Thirteen and Bombs Away. Both keep you guessing during the songs and have a steady tempo and a beat that will make you tap your foot. Unfortunately, one song ruins the album. After a series of great songs, the song Thumb Hang was a huge disappointment. It starts out with a small guitar solo that sounds like a banjo. Then the lyrics come in and it feels like it doesn't fit together with the beats and rhythms. It also sort of shocked me when they bring religion into the song as they say "All in the name of the cross, thumb hang." In my opinion, these lyrics do not fit together. Excluding Thumb Hang, the songs are well written and well executed, that will keep you saying "THIS IS THIRTEEN!"
In conclusion, this album is a great way of getting into Anvil or metal itself. The songs are not too fast with people screaming YOU WILL DIE constantly. This is a good album to listen to if you are just starting to get into metal. For example, I started out with Metallica's album "Metallica" or, "The Black Album." Those albums are not too fast and you could listen to it for hours without getting bored or sick of the songs. "This Is Thirteen" was created the same way. This album shows that Anvil isn't a band that you should pass by; it shows that they are a great band and I am looking forward to more albums in the future.
Recommended Songs:
This Is Thirteen
Bombs Away
Game Over
American Refugee
(This is the first review I have ever written, and I would appreciate and feedback and comments on how I could improve my reviews I write in the future.)
