Killer Dwarfs

Sure, why not reunite, not much else goin' on, I guess. This DVD captures the amiable Dwarfs in their hometown of Toronto for a 2001 reunion show. Not much has changed over the years, which is good or bad, depending on where you stood with the Dwarfs kiddie metal back in the day; they still sound technically adept, playing and singing just as good as they did 15 years ago, a rarity in the hard rock world indeed. Kinda hard to sit through 60 minutes of this though, with the band not offering much in the way of eye candy, although singer Russ Dwarf does entertain with energetic acrobatics throughout. The highlight comes when Russ smashes not a guitar, but a tricycle on stage, in an act that shows him either embracing or trying to annihilate the band's often-lamented stage antics of the past. You gotta shake your head, but give the band credit as well, just for giving it another shot. The DVD has no extras, so it's just an hour of no-frills, low-excitement hard rock, kept afloat with moments of humility and some damn catchy songs, but always threatening to sink to the bottom once again in a way that is the Dwarfs trademark. Simultaneously released with an audio version of the show on CD, for the, uh, Dwarf completist. Extras: none. (Bullseye, www.bullseyecanada.com)