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.
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
