Anvil are heading back out across North America this summer on the “Pounding the Past 2026” tour, a 27-date run kicking off June 3 in Rochester, New York and closing July 11 in Toledo, Ohio. New Jersey heavy metal outfit Midnite Hellion supports on all dates. The tour zeroes in on material from the band’s first three albums, ‘Hard ‘N’ Heavy’ from 1981, ‘Metal on Metal’ from 1982, and ‘Forged in Fire’ from 1983, alongside other catalog favorites.
Those three records carry genuine historical weight. ‘Metal on Metal’ in particular influenced an entire generation of heavy music, with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax all citing Anvil as a foundational influence before any of those bands sold a single record. The 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by Sacha Gervasi, brought that story to a wide audience and cemented the band’s reputation as one of heavy metal’s great overlooked originals.
Guitarist and vocalist Steve “Lips” Kudlow has never been shy about the irony of that legacy. In a recent interview he reflected on watching the world pick up what Anvil started in 1983 and leave the band behind, describing himself as “the bridge between hard rock and heavy metal.” That perspective, clear-eyed and undiminished, is exactly what makes an Anvil live show worth attending. These are musicians who have been playing this music longer than most of their peers, and they have never stopped.
The routing covers the US extensively before crossing into Canada for a western leg through Chilliwack, Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, then looping back through Minneapolis, Madison, Indianapolis, and Toledo. With Midnite Hellion bringing East Coast metal energy to every date, this is a bill built for fans who know exactly what they want from a night of heavy music.
“Pounding the Past 2026” Tour Dates:
June 3 — Rochester, NY — Pineapple Jack’s
June 4 — Lakewood, OH — The Foundry
June 5 — Chicago, IL — WC Social Club
June 6 — St. Louis, MO — Off Broadway
June 7 — Lawrence, KS — Bottleneck
June 10 — Austin, TX — Come And Take It Live
June 12 — El Paso, TX — Rockhouse
June 13 — Tucson, AZ — Club Congress
June 14 — Las Vegas, NV — The Tuscanny
June 17 — San Diego, CA — Brick By Brick
June 18 — Los Angeles, CA — The Moroccan Lounge
June 19 — Palmdale, CA — Transplants Brewing
June 20 — Santa Rosa, CA — Arlene Francis Center
June 21 — Sacramento, CA — Cafe Colonial
June 24 — Portland, OR — Dante’s
June 25 — Seattle, WA — El Corazon
June 26 — Chilliwack, BC — The Chill House
June 27 — Vancouver, BC — Astoria
June 28 — Victoria, BC — The Phoenix
July 1 — Calgary, AB — Palomino
July 2 — Edmonton, AB — The Dive Bar
July 3 — Saskatoon, SK — Black Cat Tavern
July 5 — Winnipeg, MB — The Park Theatre
July 8 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th St Entry
July 9 — Madison, WI — Crucible
July 10 — Indianapolis, IN — Black Circle
July 11 — Toledo, OH — Frankie’s Inner-City