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Metal on metal: Anvil joins Metallica in one historic show

Metallica vocalist James Hetfield hanging out with drummer Robb Reiner of Anvil. (Photo by Niña Sandejas)

You are set to fly to Singapore to see the biggest metal band in the world. Your head spins with all thoughts of Metallica. Then, a few days before the concert, you find out that Anvil is opening for them. Suddenly, your mind can’t take the idea of having two metal bands, each with their own level of fame, perform in one night.

I braced myself for the double-header gig. “I would have flown just for Anvil if they passed by the region,” I said to myself. The perfection and irony of having both bands play one night surprised me on so many levels that I was trying not to wear myself out with excitement.

Everyone knows who Metallica is. On my way back to Manila, an immigration officer asked me what brought me to Singapore. I told him I had just gone to see Metallica. The officer then held up my passport photo and said that I didn't look like a rocker.

RELATED: 40,000 attend Metallica concert in Singapore

But who is Anvil?

The Toronto-based metal band has as main members Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner. They were in the documentary “The Story of Anvil,” which opens with members from legendary bands like Motorhead, Guns ‘N Roses, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica swearing that Anvil had been a big influence on their careers. While all of these big bands went on to sell millions of records, Anvil struggled, trying for 30 years to get themselves back on top.

The film has a lot of heartbreaking scenes showing Anvil playing for a handful of people, getting ripped off on their talent fees, fighting each other as a result of desperation.

The docu shows Kudlow and Reiner leading unrockstar lives in stark contrast to what they have been. After 13 albums and counting, they are still a long way off from what they want to achieve.

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Metal on metal

Watching the film makes you want so hard for the band to make it, admiring the unparalleled positivity of Kudlow and the unwavering support of Reiner. Eventually they come to terms with what they are and what they’ve achieved, which is a heartwarming moment.

Metallica vocalist James Hetfield said during their press conference in Singapore that they have known Anvil from way back. Hetfield hung out with the band outside by the balcony overlooking the venue, seen by the thousands of Metallica fans screaming and trying to take a photograph of two influential metal bands together. It was a sight which was really, to quote Anvil’s most famous song, “Metal on Metal!”

Seeing these two bands in one event is, for me, historic. It was a full-circle moment witnessing the root and the fruit: Anvil opening for Metallica in front of 40,000 fans and my respect for both bands just shooting up to an entirely new level.

Niña Sandejas is an award-winning music photographer whose work has appeared here and abroad. She was included in Preview magazine's 2011 Creative It List and was
named in early 2012 as one of 14 Women Who Rock by Rogue magazine. Visit her

blog, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Read more of her Yahoo! OMG blog posts here.