The last recording to feature the original Anvil lineup, Pound for Pound continued the group's creative descent into cartoonish anthem-metal that eroded the group's once-strong following. After leaving their original label home, business concerns apparently stalled Anvil's recording career, and judging by this disc and its predecessor, 1987's Strength of Steel, perhaps these problems might also have negatively impacted the group's material. No matter the cause, Pound for Pound is a clearly inferior effort compared to early records like the near-classic Metal on Metal. Vocalist, guitarist, and band leader Steve "Lips" Kudlow is joined by the same players who helped him create the superior early work (guitarist Dave Allison, drummer Rob Reiner, and bassist Ian Dickson), but the results are uninspiring. Tracks like "Where Does All the Money Go?" and "Fire in the Night" provide a spark, but overall, Pound for Pound just isn't very heavy, catchy, or interesting at all.
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