TORONTO - Try as they might to distance themselves from the mock rock legends, it's difficult not to see a little bit of Spinal Tap in longtime Toronto metal band Anvil.

Sure, the drummer Robb Reiner shares the same name as the director behind This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner), and Anvil's North America tour began Thursday night in Cleveland.

Oh and both had films made about them, resulting in 2008's documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil being a huge resurgence for the trio and landing them support slots for AC/DC last summer.

But over the course of 80 minutes before an enthusiastic crowd filling half of the Phoenix Concert Theatre Friday night, Anvil proved they deserved a spot on metal's mantle alongside the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

With chants for the band beforehand, lead singer/guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow jumped down into the crowd for the opening instrumental March Of The Crabs as Reiner routinely twirled his drumsticks.

After flashing six fingers for the frantically paced 666, Kudlow took a minute to soak in the homecoming response. "Hello, Toronto! F---! What happened man?" Kudlow asked with a huge grin.

Kudlow was also probably asking what happened during the next tune School Love when the stage lights died for a few moments as they carried on in darkness. But it was quickly forgotten about when they nailed Winged Assassins and the plodding Sabbath-tinged This Is Thirteen off their last album.

Probably the highlight of the evening was the lengthy Mothra from 1982's Metal On Metal album. Here Reiner and Kudlow - along with bassist Glenn Five - used a lot of tricks and gimmicks, including Kudlow taking out a sex toy (with adjustable speeds) and playing his guitar with it. The antics were not lost on the crowd, many of whom raised their glasses to salute Anvil.

And if that wasn't enough, Kudlow also brought Colin Brown (who appears in the documentary) to chug a beer through his nostril prior to the roadhouse-feeling rocker Mad Dog. This seemed to go over better than one passionate fan in the front often splitting his time between being a heavy metal maestro orchestrating the group and playing air guitar.

Thankfully Robb Reiner's drum playing was quite lively, using all four limbs to bang out beats, fills and lengthy solos as was the case on White Rhino. Here Reiner pulverized his two kick drums repeatedly, all the while smiling as if he was the cat who swallowed the shady record executive.

During the homestretch, Kudlow mentioned how Black Sabbath were pillars of the genre and a huge inspiration to the group. Anvil then paid tribute with the slow, ominous Thumb Hang with its galloping middle section.

The main set closed with the crowd pleasing Metal On Metal before Anvil returned triumphantly with Jackhammer for the encore. And no, a miniature anvil didn't descend from the rafters.