With the DVD release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I right around the corner, I decided to take the time to review something that not a lot of people know about. Ministry of Magic, one of the only successful Wrock (Wizard Rock) bands to come out of the age of Harry Potter, isn’t a new band, but it’s one that definitely deserves some recognition.
One of the main things that separates Ministry of Magic from other Wrock bands like Harry and the Potters or Draco and the Malfoys is the fact that it’s actually euphonic. You can listen to it without thinking these people just picked up instruments, or decided they knew how to sing yesterday. They combine regular band instruments like drums and guitars while throwing in a lot of synth as well. Another thing that sets them apart is what the band actually decides to sing about.
I know what you’re thinking; “they sing about Harry Potter, duh.” Well, yeah but they choose to sing strictly about the things that have happened in the books, staying true to JK Rowling’s words and ideas. For people that have read all of the books, it’s a relieving feeling, knowing that you can understand the songs in a way that those who have only seen the movies can’t. On the other hand, perhaps it’s a bit of a downfall on the band’s part as well, shrinking their demographic in that sense.
For this particular demographic, however, it really enhances the experience.
The album that relates most to the movie being released on April 15 is Goodbye Privet Drive. This album takes things that are found out in the seventh book and turns them into catchy, well-written, emotional songs. It’s evident through the lyrics of the songs that they take time to really examine the events in Harry Potter that they’re singing about.
Spoiler alert! Goodbye Privet Drive covers events and characters of Harry Potter that you may not want to listen to if you haven’t finished the book yet! The album covers everything from Severus Snape in ‘Bravest Man I Ever Knew’ to the deaths of certain characters in ‘Falling Sidecar’ and ‘A Phoenix Lament.’
If you are part of that smaller, dedicated-to-the-books demographic, you should do yourself a favor and listen to not only this album, but all of the Ministry of Magic’s work to this point.