After our brief stop in the US for some topical shenanigans, we continue gallivanting around the world as we take a look at a band from the place where the magic all started. Or we would, but I don’t know of any wizard rock bands from Albania. So instead, we’re gonna look at The Deluminator, a band from the U.K.

Szhom, Phil Vidler’s debut wizard rock EP, was released in early 2011 to mass rave reviews (i.e. I made one tweet about it being “pretty good”, and a couple people tweeted that they agreed). It’s short but sweet, being three songs long and available for purchase for only a buck fifty – though that is in Magical Brit Dollars. A quick look at the current conversion rates informs me that this EP, when converted into American Science Dollars, is roughly the same price of a new car, or a particularly large cow, but conversion ratios aside, this is still a fairly good deal.

However, value for your dollar aside, is the EP worth it? I can say without hesitation that it is. Szhom is in the classic style of “some dude with thon’s acoustic guitar”, and while some have compared The Deluminator’s work to an early Remus Lupins, I am much more reminded of Bella’s Love (a band that I do plan to get to in one of these articles), but with a more sure hand and voice, and better recording equipment. Still, there is a lightness and yet a passion to the lyrics that reminds me a lot of Bella’s Love, and makes for a very enjoyable listening experience.

“Your Broom Is Your Best Friend” is a fun song about quidditch that borders on being an instructional/explanational song. While the lyrics don’t really have any deep meaning to impart, the song itself is catchy and fun, and it’s one of those rare songs that really feel like they could have been made by just some random person in the universe, that maybe you could hear this song on the wizarding radio or at a wizard indie show at Hogsmeade or something.

“I Love Ginny” is a rather boilerplate Harry/Ginny love song, but Phil’s capable voice and heartfelt lyrics raise the song above its overdone premise. The true highlight of the EP, however, is the final track, “The Battle For Hogwarts”. This song especially reminds me of the passionate, almost frenetic style of Bella’s Love, and the lyrics are pretty damn good:

I’ve stood in your way
Every Abraca-day
And every time you got away
But not this time
It ends tonight
As I walk out in the moonlight

While it’s no “How to Destroy a Horcrux, Part 8”, “The Battle For Hogwarts” is still an excellent song that is a great look into the mind of Harry during the climactic battle, and it and the whole album are well worth your checking out. Join me next time as we wrap-up our mini-tour of non-American wrock bands, with a visit to the Great White North!