The Album

Happy Saturday everyone! The Hinky Punks released this album on New Years Day of 2007. A Wizard’s Diary has thirteen tracks and was the band’s first album. This particular reissue was remastered. Let’s take a step back in time to the height of the wizard rock era.

The Tracks

Inicio is up first. It begins with a soft electronic keyboard before segueing into an upbeat rock tempo. It’s a great way to start off this rockin’ album, and already had me dancing in my seat.

The second track keeps up the energy with the cleverly named Ginny & Tonic. The guitar goes hard and the percussion provides an excellent beat. This is a great song for any Ginny fans out there.

Don’t Mind Me continues with the same energy as the first two tracks. The heavy bass provides pillars of support for the higher pitched instruments and vocals, and is a great foundation for keeping the whole song strong throughout.

Harry sings about his feelings about his life in the song In the End. Going from a nobody who lived in a closet under the stairs to someone whose choices will make a real difference in the wizarding world, this song is an excellent reminder that we have so much power in each of us.

Deathly Shallow pumps up the energy even more with the sick electric strings and drums. I can imagine the weight of carrying one of the Deathly Hallows around while listening to this track.

We slow it down and take the energy down a notch for the beautiful Harry Potter’s Anthem. It has a feeling of solemnity and hope at the same time. This song is a wonderful ode to Harry.

More than a Man starts to ramp the energy level back up. Percussion drives the tempo while steady instrumentals lead the way. I appreciate the variety of the percussion throughout the songs in this album.

Next up is Pretentious Me. This one is all about Harry’s negative relationship to Snape throughout Harry’s early years at Hogwarts. Then it transitions into Dumbledore’s death, for which Harry thinks Snape needs to die.

The singer asks himself if this is just a dream. Mind Demented has an incredibly fascinating bassline and the high energy that has been present throughout the album so far.

If I am so bad, why am I so good? details the struggle between what other people think about you versus what you think about yourself.

There are some really sick instrumentals in Cho Changed (which is an incredible track name). This is a love song to Cho, and is perfect for anyone who is a fan.

Ginny is my Destiny is another love song for Ginny. It serves as a sweet reminder that Harry’s life did not have to end with facing Voldemort, but rather with the person he loved.

The last track is entitled Scarred. It has a smoother and more mellow sound than the hard rock we have heard so far in this album. The melody of the guitar and the harmonies in the vocals make for a comfortable and familiar tune. It is the perfect way to close out the album.

In Summary

The high energy and passion for music was clearly present throughout this whole album. I loved the clever song titles, shout outs to some of our favorite female characters, and how hard the instrumentals went. This is truly a gem from the original days of wizard rock.