Stars of one of the most successful documentary movies of recent years with 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil', Anvil are heavy metal dons in their own right. We caught up with singer/guitarist Steve 'Lips' Kudlow ahead of their recent London gig to discuss their fourteenth album 'Juggernaut of Justice', the movie that made them famous and their love of swing music...

What's the new album's final track 'Swing Thing' like? Is this a jazz-metal hybrid?

“Well we've always been influenced by big bands and swing music, but we just never bothered using that influence because we figured it wouldn't get accepted. But I came in with a progression of chords and so forth, and it played together in such a way that the band would become the bed track for horns. It works really well. That's one of the greatest things, when you do something no-one else has ever done, and it works out.”

What would you say to a reader who's never heard Anvil before? Why should they be interested in you now?

“We're an underground band, have been for thirty years, and have never been on a major label. We've always been on independent labels, we've pretty much recorded our entire career by ourselves, and done everything on our own. Eventually one of our fans from the early '80s made a movie about us and we became famous. We didn't become famous because we sold out, we became famous for the exact opposite, because we didn't. I'd think that's a pretty attractive thing if I was into underground music! It's beating the odds. What are the chances of a fan becoming a screenwriter for Steven Spielberg? It'll never happen to anyone else, what happened to us. ”

Tell us a bit about the film, how have things changed since then?

“The film that began the whole thing came out at Sundance festival in 2008, and it went big. It really went fuckin' big! All over the world, which is really insane. And we've been on tour ever since, non-stop. Starting with the promotion of the movie, I've done probably two, three thousand interviews. And we're world famous. Not necessarily for the music but for perseverance and attitude, that's what we became famous for. What happens when you become famous? You make money. You don't have to work a regular job any more. We've basically been on the road for 3 years. A lot of people said 'you're going to have 15 minutes of fame'... it's somewhere near two hours now.”

Are you still reeling from it a bit, going 'wait a minute – what's happened?'

“Of course. It's interesting, because I knew straight away what was going to happen. Think about this. Imagine being in an underground metal band for over thirty years, and then someone comes along from Hollywood and says, 'I'm gonna make a movie about how you've lived in obscurity, and how you've managed to stay strong, and keep your head up.' But you know at the same time, that you've been an influence on the biggest bands in the world. Metallica came to our shows, the guys came to watch us play. When the guys came to town, I got free invitations to come to watch them. The first thing Jason Newsted said to me, first time I met him, 1991, was 'Lips, you're 20 years ahead of your time, so keep your band together and the world will catch up to you.' I just went, 'I don't know what that means, but thanks!' I didn't know there would be a movie 15 years later. Pretty amazing.”

Speaking of Metallica, at the start of the film there's talking heads from them, Slash, the guys from Slayer, and all they say 'oh we love Anvil so much'-

“(interrupts) - so how come they've never taken us out on tour? Simply, because it's a business. When they take a band out on the road it's got to do one of two things: either it's got to draw, and sell tickets, or it's going to be a buy-on. That's what 'support band' means, to support the band in sales, or support with money. Now why should they give an obscure band like Anvil the position of opening, when we haven't got the money to pay them to do it, and haven't got the draw? But there's no bitterness from me, I don't begrudge anyone their stardom, I congratulate them. Making it is always a miracle, regardless of how you make it. That's where the idea for the new album cover came from. To me, what happened was a miracle, the seas have parted, and the people are taking us to the promised land!”

Interview by Ed Chapman