As requested, here’s the expanded reissue by Sony Music Special Products as part of their Metal Works Headbangers Series of KiLLeR DWaRfS third album “Dirty Weapons”.
”Dirty Weapons plus 5 Bonus Tracks” features as extra the rest of the songs taken from KILLER DWARFS third (fifth overall) and final album for Epic, 1992’s ‘Method To The Madness’. We featured some days ago ‘Big Deal ~ plus 6 Big Bonus Tracks’, so if you grab both, the total bonuses are the complete ‘Method To The Madness’.
But let’s get focused on 1990’s “Dirty Weapons”, a darn good melodic hard rock album from the Canadian factory, full of catchy tunes and wrapped by a huge, detailed production courtesy of Michael Caplan (Firehouse) and legendary Andy Johns.
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 – it was 1990, no more spandex.
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 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.
On the other hand, “Doesn’t Matter,” one of the album’s 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 ‘Dwarf’ 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 catchy layered “Not Foolin’.”
Killer Dwarfs had the makings of a big-time stadium rock band, but headlining arenas was something the slick Canadian outfit never had the chance to do.
The songs here are instant foot-tappers – most notably “Last Laugh,” “All That We Dream,” and “Not Foolin’.” Why one of these songs didn’t make Killer Dwarfs mega stars is anyone’s guess. The entire album sounds like it was tailor-made for MTV and album-oriented rock radio of the early ’90s. Perhaps it fell between the corporate cracks…
Like many other pop-metal / melodic hard rock bands at the end of the ’80s, the Killer Dwarfs showed a mastery for 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.
Highly Recommended
01 – Dirty Weapons
02 – Nothin’ Gets Nothin’
03 – All That We Dream
04 – Doesn’t Matter
05 – Last Laugh
06 – Comin’ Through
07 – One Way Out
08 – Appeal
09 – Not Foolin’
10 – Want It Bad
Plus 5 Bonus Tracks:
11 – Methods To Madness
12 – Give And Take
13 – Look Around
14 – G.T.Y.
15 – Cowboys And Conmen
Russ Dwarf – lead vocals
Darrell Dwarf – drums, backing vocals
Mike Dwarf – guitars, backing vocals
“Bad Ronbo” Dwarf – bass, backing vocals