On Start at One, the Killer Dwarfs wail like the early 1990s never went away. As far as the album is concerned, it’s true.
The Dwarfs originally recorded Start at One (stylized as Start @ One) in 1993 with the same band lineup as Method to the Madness: Russ Graham on vocals, Darrell Millar on drums, Ronald Mayer on bass and Gerry Finn on guitar. Unfortunately, it wasn’t released then and was, apparently, only available as a bootleg called Just Another Day. Blogger Carl Hose has more of the story. So for most fans, Method to the Madness was the last Dwarfs album before the band went on an indefinite hiatus. (That is, before some members reformed the band for a performance they recorded for Reunion of Scribes — Live 2001).
However, in 2013, the Killer Dwarfs released the album independently as Start @ One. (When the band signed with the EMP label, EMP re-released it in 2018.) So how does a heavy rock album recorded during the height of Grunge hold up in the 21st century?
Pretty well, actually.
Start @ One showcases the melodic songwriting the Killer Dwarfs displayed on albums like Dirty Weapons and Method to the Madness. But sonically, it’s more stripped-down, hearkening back to the style of their debut album.
The album starts off with two catchy songs, “Lonely Road,” and “Solid Ground,” before shifting into the slithering “Sky is Falling” that starts off with sharp, spare guitar riffs that keep grinding all the way through to the sarcastic-sounding chorus and calliope-infused end. (Yes, the calliope sound works, even if it’s a little weird.)
In 1993, not as many radio stations were playing this style of heavy rock anymore. But by the time the Dwarfs released Start at One, heavy metal and hard rock had had a renaissance. Bands like Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses were releasing new studio albums and touring as if the 1980s roared on. The fact the Dwarfs had an entire album’s worth of “new” material in that style made it a timely release in 2013.
The songs show a good diversity of what the Dwarfs are capable of. The title track, a hammering, melodic number that also sounds great live. The album shows its mellow side with the slower, Led-Zeppelin-esque “The Crowd.” I wasn’t as crazy about “Down in Hollywood,” which seems like a throwback to the L.A. music scene at the time it was written.
Overall, Start at One is a solid album, and a good addition to the Dwarfs’ catalogue. With its eventual release, fans no longer had to chase down illegal copies.
Start @ One
- Killer Dwarfs
- Independent (2013) / EMP (2018)
- Three and a half stars out of five
