Metal Monday: 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.

That’s due in no small part to the stellar work of Graham, on vocals, whose voice has invited comparisons to Geddy Lee. Whether it’s wailing the high notes on “Are You Ready?” or nimbly singing and growling through “Heavy Mental Breakdown,” he goes for the gusto.

It’s overlaid on rock-solid riffs so heavy and sharp you could cut drywall with them, especially on songs like “Loser” and “Can’t Lose.”

One of the best songs on the album is “Drifter,” which starts off with an almost elegiac instrumental intro before plunging into a hard-driving beat fleshed out by Trewin’s thick guitar chords and Graham’s whine-growl continuum. Songwriting credits for most of the songs were shared by the entire band.

The Killer Dwarfs made a splash with this album, but for fans of their later work, this won’t sound much like the songs they became known for. (Despite some great songs, this is not my favourite Dwarfs album). Nevertheless, “Heavy Mental Breakdown” and “Can’t Lose” are still staples of their live shows, and if a recent performance in Winnipeg is any indication, passionate audience members still cry out for them to play “Are You Ready?”

*The band members all adopted the surname “Dwarf,” a convention they kept through subsequent albums and lineup changes, but for the purposes of this review I can’t just keep calling each of them “Dwarf” on second reference.)

Killer Dwarfs

• Killer Dwarfs
• Attic Records
• 1983
• Three stars out of five