Powerdong – Powerdong Review

With a genre often known to be as fun and cheesy as power metal, it's no surprise to see the occasional parody or satire-based bands show up to have...

Self-Released

Release Date: December 17th, 2022

Links: https://www.facebook.com/

 

Line Up:

Ola Moum – Keyboards

 

Tracklist:

1. The Prophecy of the Dong

2. Tolkien and the Elf

3. Sanctuary

4. The Friar

5. Mysterious Force

6. Lord Procras of Tinator

 

 

With a genre often known to be as fun and cheesy as power metal, it’s no surprise to see the occasional parody or satire-based bands show up to have their fun. While I’ve historically enjoyed bands like Victorius and Gloryhammer with their wild fun, actual comedy power metal is something I’ve had mixed results with in the past, and I tend to approach such albums with caution. So when I saw the name Powerdong, I had no clue what I was in for with their debut, self-titled EP, but I must say, I came out of it quite pleasantly surprised. This certainly isn’t a power metal masterpiece, by any means, but it is a good time, with funny lyrics and very enjoyable music and songwriting.

I don’t know much about the band, except their keyboardist and main songwriter Ola Moum, but everyone involved has done great work on this album. Stylistically, it’s the kind of cheesy, upbeat melodic power metal one would expect from the genre, except with an extra edge to it at times. As expected, the music is often very keyboard driven, with Moum’s keys having a somewhat orchestral feel to them a lot of the time, providing epic backdrops, as well generally delivering the main melodies, while the guitars add in some extra heaviness and power. The keyboards definitely stand out the most, but the guitars can be very good too, being very melodic at times, but also occasionally going into much heavier territory, with hints at extreme metal at times, while other times there’s more of a dark, subdued doom metal feeling to the music, which can get surprisingly atmospheric.

Of course, it’s hard to take the atmospheric parts too seriously, when you’re dealing with over-the-top lyrics about online gaming, DND, and other fun stuff, so things often end up staying in the more light-hearted territory. I’d say while the lyrics themselves aren’t too over the top when simply reading them, they definitely become quite silly when set to music, which I’m guessing is the whole point, where the music often sounds epic, and then you have these totally silly lyrics thrown over the top of everything, to make for a funny contradiction. The vocals are quite good as well, with the singer having a fairly deep voice. He’s often very smooth with his performance, sounding somewhat silly to stay in line with the lyrics, while also sounding sincere enough to work effectively as a power metal vocalist. He can get intense at times, especially during “Mysterious Force”, and there are a few harsh vocals thrown in, which sound quite good. Production quality isn’t on par with many top-of-the-line power metal bands, but for a more niche comedy band, it’s pretty solid, with everything sounding clear and powerful, and the mixing is quite good.
Songwriting is also very good, with a nice amount of variety to the tracks, and every track is very good on its own. Following a hilarious narrated intro track explaining the overall concept, the first full song is “Tolkien and the Elf”, an upbeat, melodic power metal track, which does a nice job of giving listeners a good idea of what to expect from the EP. It’s a very fun and upbeat track, with the keyboards providing the main melody, while the guitars are largely used for rhythm and bursts of heaviness as well as some nice melodic work during the chorus. It starts at a fairly relaxed pace during the opening verse, before speeding up for the chorus, which is very epic and catchy, and from there the momentum picks up for the rest of the track.

Next is “Sanctuary”, a heavier, more guitar-driven track with a fairly thrashy main riff. The track does a nice job of alternating between speedy and slow passages during the verses and instrumental verses, while the chorus is more mid-paced, with excellent melodies and epic vocals, singing about the comforts of being online. As usual, it’s a very fun track, with a balance between goofy lyrics and some rather dark-sounding instrumental work, with the guitars having a harsh tone to them, but in a good way. Following that is “The Friar”, which opens up with nice, light keyboard work before slowly bringing in the heavier instruments. It’s another upbeat track, with verses that move at a slightly relaxed pace, building up to an intense chorus, with some of the more animated vocals found on the EP. This time around, the lyrics are about character creation, and of course, it gets as silly as one would expect.

The big standout track is “Mysterious Force”, both my personal favorite, as well as the longest, clocking in at just under 7 minutes. It has a more epic feel to it, with some fairly dark, atmospheric keyboards and the guitars get very heavy, sometimes going into extreme metal territory, while the verses are more subdued, with a bit of a doom metal feeling to them. The vocals are more intense than usual, coming close to harsh vocal territory several times throughout the track, before going full out toward the end. There are a lot of interesting instrumental passages and tempo changes throughout, and while it’s still easy to follow, it’s the most complex track on the album, with quite a lot going on, while still having an excellent, very dark chorus, time singing about a person’s gaming failures and struggles, lol

Closing out the album is “Lord Procras of Tinator”, and just looking at that name, it should be obvious the lyrics deal with laziness, at least on some level. It’s a heavier, more upbeat track, one of the faster-paced songs on the album, with a pretty big focus on the guitar work, while still having some very nice atmospheric keys at times, especially during the chorus, where the pace slows down a bit for a more relaxed, vocal focused section. It’s a fairly straightforward, fun, and epic track, with an excellent instrumental section in the middle, where the musicians get to flex their muscles a bit, with some pretty cool solos.

As someone who tends to be hit and misses when it comes to comedy, not just in music, but in general, I’m never particularly excited when I first start listening to a comedy metal album, but I have to say, Powerdong has left me quite impressed. This is more for dedicated power metal fans looking for something more tongue-in-cheek, and it certainly won’t convert any doubters or anyone who doesn’t enjoy comedy in their music to any degree. For folks looking for this sort of thing, though, I’d say this is a solid release, and while I’m not sure if this band will ever become super big, I do think they have a potential following, especially if they can produce more music at this level.

 

Ratings: 8/10

Written by: Travis Green

My Global Mind – Staff Writer

Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.

 

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