The Album

Hex, Blood and Rock and Roll is a twenty track compilation of Nagini’s greatest hits. Athena Reddy, the talent behind Nagini, has included some non-wizard rock material in this album, but we’re going to review the whole thing anyway! Let’s slip into the mind of Voldemort’s snake and delve into her thoughts.

The Tracks

Nagini sings about how she thinks James Isn’t Cool. This is a great song to start off the album. It’s upbeat and has a really cool melodic line, both in the vocal parts and the background instrumentals. I love how all of the parts come together and mesh so well. Also, the ending is incredible.

Narcissa Unleashed is from Narcissa Malfoy’s point of view. She sings about the struggles of having a husband in Azkaban and a son who is trying to impress the Dark Lord. Various vocal parts overlay each other, forming a beautiful harmony throughout the song.

Nagini starts off the next track by talking about fond memories of herself and Voldemort – what makes a horcrux and how they work. Memories of the Dark Lord transitions into a song detailing Nagini’s relationship with Voldemort and how similar to each other they are. It’s a silly and sweet track.

I love the guitar in I Desire You. It’s a very cute love song that uses items and places from the wizarding world to describe what the singer would do to be together with the person they love.

Merope’s Letter is one of my personal favorites on this album. Merope is at the top of my list of best minor characters in Harry Potter. This song is a letter from Merope to her father, telling him how she really feels about the home that she grew up in, as well as the Muggle man she fell in love with. There’s an important message in this one: your blood has nothing to do with love.

I am obsessed with the clarinet part in Say His Name. The whole piece is incredibly beautiful and sweet. It is a longing love song in which you can really hear the heartbreak.

When Lily leaves home to go to Hogwarts, Petunia gets jealous and scared of losing her sister. This forlorn song is from Petunia to Lily. There is so much emotion packed into this one song that you can really understand what Petunia is feeling. The execution of this song is really lovely.

Our Son is another song from Narcissa, but this time Lucius joins her as they argue about what is best for their son. Should Draco die for the Dark Lord or should he stay with his family? This song strongly details the dissonance between Draco’s parents as they struggle to come to a decision together.

The title to Crabbencrantz & Goylestern is just golden. The music also doesn’t disappoint. With a boppin’ guitar strumming pattern and hilarious lyrics, Crabbe and Goyle sing about how many problems they have with Draco Malfoy. This song is so funny and passionate.

The instrumentals, which include strings and piano, vocal harmonies, and sad lyrics are all incredible in I’m a Malfoy! This was definitely a favorite of mine. I love how Draco explores all of the different facets of his identity – as a Malfoy, a person, and a potential Death Eater.

Looking for a love song for Tom Riddle? Hey Tommy Riddle has got you covered! There are mentions of Moaning Myrtle, Tom’s time at Hogwarts, and lots of longing for this tall, dark, and handsome boy.

Eat the Notes has a gorgeous clarinet that begins the song. It combines with soft vocals and other instrumentation to create a beautiful sound. At just under two minutes long, it leaves me wanting much more. It is absolutely divine.

If I thought the last song was short, I was in for a surprise in Dirt Roads, which is under a minute. Despite being so brief, it is a really pretty song with a nice and simple message. I enjoyed it a lot.

I highly recommend listening to Collection of Stars (for Andrew) with headphones on. This is not a wizard rock song, and I sincerely enjoyed the entire thing. The mixing gave me chills and the melody – both in the vocals and in the clarinet part – was incredible.

Mermaid Tears is another short and sweet song that washes away with the tide.

We continue on with the oceanic theme in Bitter Black Sea, which reminds me of a sea shanty. I love the percussion and dark intonations. The vocals are reminiscent of angry and powerful sirens, calling ships down to the dark inky depths of the ocean.

The Drowning Tragedy is mostly instrumental, with some vocals near the beginning. The chord progressions tell a tale of sadness, tears, and a watery grave. I’m running out of words for “beautiful” but that’s what this is.

Remember how I suggested you put headphones in earlier? Yeah, put those back in for The Eternal Man’s Dying Lover. Trust me. This is (I think) the first of a few songs about The Doctor.

Running in the Dark, Alone is another sad song for the album and I love it. The lyrics are bittersweet, the singer longing for a companion. I’m incredibly happy that there are so many melancholy tracks on this album and that they all sound SO GOOD.

We come to the end of this incredible album with one more Song for the Doctor. It is a heartfelt love letter to The Doctor, letting him know that we believe in him and wish him nothing but the best. I love both the longing and hopeful emotions that I feel from this song. My favorite lyric from this one is:

I know your world is gone, but you mean the world to me

In Summary

What a gorgeous compilation! I had a wonderful time listening to this album. Each song brought its own personality to the whole. Some songs were funny, some sad, and some both – but each and every one of them was absolutely brilliant. Let me know what your favorite track was – there are so many amazing ones to choose from! Until next time, wizard rockers (and Doctor rockers too)!