THRASH metal legends Anvil will be putting down the hammer at a rare Welsh date next month.

The Canadian three-piece band led by lead guitarist/singer Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and fellow founder member Rob Reiner on drums are celebrating nearly 50 years in the music business, and have kept on rocking through thick and thin.

They famously were among the headliners at the giant Super Rock 84 Festival in Japan alongside the likes of Bon Jovi and Whitesnake following their early acclaimed albums Hard 'N' Heavy, Metal on Metal and Forged in Fire, and have been name checked as major metal influences on the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.

But a poor record deal saw the Toronto band fall off the radar in the 1990s and reduced to playing bars and clubs, until the award-winning documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil put them back in the spotlight in 2008.

While some of the film was more Spinal Tap than rock glory, with the promoter trying to pay the band in goulash at one Czech show, their incredible spirit and determination to keep the show on the road shone through, with the film ending with a triumphant return to Japan playing a festival in front of 20,000 rock fans.

Lemmy, Slash from Guns ’N’ Roses and Lars Ulrich from Metallica were among those raving about them in the documentary, which boosted their career again and saw them go on to play gigs alongside the likes of Alice Cooper and Saxon, as well as appearing live on network US television.

And joined by long-serving bassist Chris Robertson, you can catch them on their latest 'Pounding the Past' European tour at Pontypridd Muni Arts Centre on Saturday, November 21, where they will be revisiting their first three albums.