Metal Monday: Killer Dwarfs’ Dirty Weapons

On Dirty Weapons, the Killer Dwarfs incorporate more range and diversity in their sound, and the album was a worthy follow-up to Big Deal. The image they portrayed was less goofball than on the previous two albums. But the seriousness that was always a part of their lyrics remained.

Dirty Weapons
Killer Dwarfs’ Dirty Weapons

The eponymous album opener, “Dirty Weapons,” signals where the Dwarfs are headed. The hard-driving drums and thick guitar riffs underlay lyrics that focus on trust and mistrust in an age of decaying alliances and new technology.

The video matches that dissonance, with overtly edited images that look like cut-and-paste propaganda. (As well as the de rigeur late-80s heavy-industrial/post-apocalyptic set.)

That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of range throughout the album, too. The heavy, grinding “Comin’ Through,” has a chorus with a screaming admonition to “Get outta my way.” In a similarly fast vein, the relentless riff-heavy “Nothin’ Gets Nothin’” sprints from start to finish.

But on the other hand, “Doesn’t Matter,” one of the album’s other singles, is more low-key, anchored by acoustic guitar riffs, meant for anyone feeling beaten down by circumstances. “It doesn’t matter at all/Where you’ve been or what you’re going through/We’ll make it through somehow,” sings Russ Graham, giving Jon Bon Jovi a run for his money in encouraging his listeners to buck up.

Many of the other songs show a lot of swagger, like the stomping, cocky “Appeal,” or the nimble, layered “Not Foolin’.”

Like other heavy metal bands at the end of the ’80s, the Killer Dwarfs showed a mastery of a big, commercial sound and pushed at the edges of the genre. Of course, with the explosion in popularity of grunge in 1991, gems like Dirty Weapons often get overlooked in hindsight.

Dirty Weapons

  • Killer Dwarfs
  • Sony, 1990
  • Four stars out of five

Metal Monday: Killer Dwarfs’ Big Deal

Big Deal was, for the Killer Dwarfs, an apt title. The band had signed a contract with Sony for their third album, and had the chance to show that the video success of “Keep the Spirit Alive” was no fluke. That they were, in fact, a Big Deal.

Killer Dwarfs Big Deal
KIller Dwarfs’ Big Deal

Given the video for their first single off the album, “We Stand Alone,” in which the Dwarfs lampoon how signing a big-deal contract might make them sellouts, it’s fair to say an additional meaning to Big Deal could well have been “so what?”

But if Stand Tall established the Killer Dwarfs as a melodic heavy metal band, Big Deal displayed a sound with more polish. They also took things in different directions. Album opener “Tell Me Please” is a hook-heavy crowd-pleaser, one they still play live.

“We Stand Alone” is a confident, catchy heavy rock song that takes full advantage of Russ Graham’s soaring vocals, the thump and dexterity of Darrell Millar’s drumming, Mike Hall’s wailing lead guitar, and the full-bodied sound of Ron Mayer’s bass playing, with more of the band’s backing vocals than on the previous album.

The delivery of a thunderous chorus also stands out in “Lifetime” and “Power.” Other notable songs are “Union of Pride,” a slow-paced anthem of solidarity, and the frenetic, heavy “Burn It Down.”  As on Stand Tall, Graham and Hall share writing credits on all songs.

Album closer “Desperadoes” starts off with spare riffs evocative of Bon-Scott-era AC/DC, but there’s no mistaking it for anything other than a Killer Dwarfs song. At a 2019 show in Winnipeg, they played it live for the first time (according to Russell) as the final encore of the evening. Thirty-one years was worth the wait.

Overall, Big Deal is a great example of 1980s heavy metal, and should, ahem, stand tall among other albums of the latter part of the decade like Whitesnake’s Whitesnake or Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet.

Big Deal

  • Killer Dwarfs
  • Sony, 1988
  • Four stars out of five

Metal Monday: Killer Dwarfs’ Stand Tall

Stand Tall was the breakout album for the Killer Dwarfs, and if you kept abreast of music videos in the winter of 1986-87, chances are you saw all or part of “Keep the Spirit Alive.”

Stand Tall
Killer Dwarfs’ Stand Tall

(Not that even such a successful video, played in heavy rotation on MuchMusic, MTV and network music video shows translated into much mainstream radio airplay. At least, not on the rock stations I was listening to.)

For many Canadians in their teens at the time, the image of Russ “Dwarf” Graham singing while trapped in a crate being catapulted through various misadventures before making it to his band’s concert is what springs to mind when thinking of the Killer Dwarfs.

This album marked a departure in style for the band. Original guitarist Bryce Trewin had left and Mike Hall took his place. Bassist Ron Mayer replaced Ange Fodero. The change is dramatic, with the all of the songs on Stand Tall co-written by Graham and Hall. Many incorporated backing vocals, giving Stand Tall a much more commercial, pop-metal sheen.

Which is no mark against the album. “Stand Tall,” another single that garnered a goofy, self-mocking video, is built on soaring guitar riffs, pounding drums, and a shouted chorus that still gets audiences singing along in live performances.

Other standout tracks are “Human Survival” and “Bite the Hand That Feeds,” as well as the era-appropriate “Up to You and Me,” a sombre meditation on responsibility in an age of nuclear-weapons brinksmanship.

Aside from the generally more melodic metal sound, the outstanding guitar work of Hall on the solos in the title track and “Keep the Spirit Alive” really fill out the Dwarfs’ sound. And Mayer’s ominous basswork is the heartbeat powering songs like “Up To You and Me.”

For those looking to actually listen to this album, its success means you’re in luck — but only if you have a turntable. It sold well on vinyl in the U.S. and Canada. You can find used copies for reasonable prices online, but finding it on CD is much, much harder, even considering the album had a 2003 re-issue. (You could, as the Dwarfs showed in the video for “Stand Tall,” just go ahead and make your own copy, but your results may vary.)

The sense of humour in the videos that put the Killer Dwarfs on the map, as well as the thoughtfulness behind many of the lyrics, display a band hitting its stride. In a sense, Stand Tall was their “debut” album, showing signs of things to come.

Stand Tall

  • Killer Dwarfs
  • 1986
  • Four stars out of five

Metal Monday: Killer Dwarfs / Killer Dwarfs

Killer Dwarfs
Killer Dwarfs

Fans of early 1980s heavy metal are likely already familiar with the self-titled debut album from the Killer Dwarfs, but if you’re a fan of heavy riffs, soaring vocals and big, stomping shifts in tempo and haven’t heard it, it’s definitely worth a listen.

Hailing from Oshawa, the Dwarfs (on this album, singer Russ Graham, drummer Darrell Millar, guitarist Bryce Trewin and bassist Ange Fodero*) show a strong New Wave of British Heavy Metal sound, with a dash of prog rock. At times the songs sound like Black Sabbath as played by Rush.

Metal Monday: Black Market Tragedy

Photo courtesy Black Market Tragedy

If you’re a metal fan and you haven’t heard Black Market Tragedy — you really should.

Based in Houston, Texas, their bio on Reverb Nation says they’re “Female fronted metal, sweet yet sinister power vocals with a heavy groove that will make you bang your head.” Based on the songs they’ve released so far, including their latest, “Soul Decay,” this is truth in advertising.

According to lead vocalist Vali Reinhardt, the band is set to release its full-length debut album by the end of this year. In the meantime, you can listen to their music at Reverb Nation and buy individual tracks at CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon.

Metal Monday: AC/DC’s Rock or Bust

This review of Rock or Bust originally appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, Dec. 4, 2014.

AC/DC: Rock or Bust (Columbia/Sony)

Rock_or_Bust_AC_DCAC/DC may have a few problems (drummer Phil Rudd faces drug- and assault-related charges, and founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young has retired owing to dementia), but you’d never know it from Rock or Bust.