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ATL fantasy rap outfit Epic Levels’ new album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP, is out today. It’s an intense dose of nostalgia and comedy for geek-minded connoisseurs of fun. Ghost Cult Magazine wrote that it’s “a blissed-out fantasy rap dream… a clarion call to nerds, Dungeon Masters, LOTR fans with enough rhymes to fill a S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier.”
This album comes on the heels of season two of their Mad Dungeon podcast where they interview members of the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) community, then improvisationally build an adventuring location that’s then written up and illustrated.
Epic Levels is an alchemic fusion of media that transcends the physical realms of time and space, fronted by duel MCs Andrew Bellury (he/him) aka Tiger Wizard and Steve Albertson (he/him) aka Dragon Warrior, music produced by engineer Robin Bellury (they/she) aka Warlock Roc and podcast producer Zach Cowan (he/him) aka Bat Alchemist.
On one end of the spectrum, they’re an adventuring party of like-minded individuals filling the ears of this lowly realm’s denizens with bardic fantasy-flavored rap. On the other end is Mad Dungeon, a podcast that is all-parts tabletop gaming related, not only exploring their world of Epica in the upcoming third season, but also delving into the minds of game designers from around the globe through interviews and game accessory tie-ins.
Former podcast guests have included Dungeon & Dragons legends like Ed Greenwood, Erol Otus, Monte Cook and Luke Gygax to the new class of creators like Gavin Norman (Dolmanwood, Old School Essentials), Banana Chan (Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall), Johan Nohr & Pelle Nilsson (MÖRK BORG) and many more.
Following their debut album Armor Classy, a collection of stellar synth-laden party anthems and satirical D&D lyrical tropes, the group is now ready to debut The Mega Dungeon Men EP, featuring sword slapping beats by Mason Grant aka Inner Resting, mixing by Elleot Beenk (Janelle Monáe, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Leo Nocentelli of The Meters) & Damon Moon (Bathe Alone, Curtis Harding), and mastered by Rob Klenier (Labrinth, Flo Rida, Sia).
“We were working with Inner Resting’s beats,” says Tiger Wizard, “to construct what the themes of these songs would be. We’d take a D&D or fantasy roleplaying reference, and then mesh it with something else based on what the beat reminded us of: monsters with Ric Flair swagger, switching out a hotdog for dynamite, or dying of old age in a mega dungeon. Normally whatever made us laugh the most.”
The Mega Dungeon Men EP begins with the old-school funk rap jaunt “More Than Meets the Eye.” This educational escapade highlights the dangers of dungeon delving—where traps, mimics, lurkers, ambushed backstabs and all types of Looney Tunes style death waits around every corner.
“I love referencing things that other people might be like, ‘I don’t know what that is. Let me look into it,’ ” says Albertson. “We pepper in a lot of musical references, but also lyrical homages to all the nerdy stuff we love. Andrew knew that he wanted to do a Dark Sun song and that’s how ‘Dark Sunglasses’ came into being.”
“Dark Sunglasses” is an electric jam that lyrically plays with desert settings, specifically Dungeons & Dragons’ Dark Sun campaign setting. The track is overflowing with sand-related properties like Frank Herbert’s Dune, Mad Max and of course Star Wars. This mesh between sun blistering lyrics, overlaid samples, and thirst quenching beats is sure to give anyone a hankering for the Spice.
“My favorite song on this album right now is ‘House on Haunted Hill Dwarf,’ ” says Albertson. “It’s a good place for the uninitiated to get started with our music. There’s a whole horror comedy storyline. It’s like a little play.”
The album takes a spooky turn with the nostalgia-driven “House on Haunted Hill Dwarf,” a song that’s sure to raise the dead with those deep and bubbling horns from a beloved film about a bio-exorcist. The lyrical narrative centers on would-be heroes Kilgrath (a fighter) and Squibley (a cleric) as they duck into a house to avoid the “battleaxe blizzard,” only to find the place haunted. The story unfolds with the two characters rhyming their fright before confronting the evil and blowing up the house.
“Bugbear Barber” is a jazzy change of pace which brings barbershop culture into the realm of fantasy. Hideous monsters are made dapper by the titular bugbear barber. Bugbears are classically oafish brutes. But here, they bring civility by trimming yeti beards, fixing a medusa’s bedhead, and styling the hair of twenty-two classic monsters that they mention in the song… including the elusive Ric Flair. Woooooo!
“We were having so much fun thinking about monsters with different haircuts,” says Tiger Wizard. “Hopefully you’ll have just as much fun listening. That’s the main thing for us.”
Wrapping up the album is the title-track “Mega Dungeon Men,” which feature nerd rappers Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Denkles and Dizzy the Bard dropping verses alongside Dragon Warrior and Tiger Wizard. This adventurous 8-bit mega-ditty has leveled-up lyrical layers that’ll defeat any final boss. The song opens with lines from the satanic panic TV cult classic Mazes & Monsters before jumping down the pipe into a video game induced fever dream about how hard it is to make it through a mega dungeon without perishing. And how do you keep all that sweet, sweet loot you’ve acquired?
“We were definitely influenced by the nerdcore legends who came before us,” says Albertson. MC Frontalot and Mega Ran in particular. Mega Ran brought video game soundtrack beats to the rap game. We had this 8-bit mega beat, thought mega dungeon, and now we have Mega Ran and these folks adventuring alongside us on the song.”
In fantasy RPGs, a mega dungeon is a dungeon big enough to encapsulate an entire campaign inside, with multiple levels and its own ecology. The track’s powerful choruses follow each rapper’s pass through the mega dungeon with a declaration that they are in fact the “Mega Dungeon Men.” This refrain rings forth to the end of the album, leaving us longing for more ballads chronicling the exciting (and often ridiculous) exploits that are sure to come in the future adventures of Epic Levels.
The ordos of nerdom that makes up the members of Epic Levels are:
Dragon Warrior (he/him), aka Steve Albertson (SP’s, illiterates, SEX BBQ, Dr. Killbot) is at the forefront, slaying crowds with powerful phrases that unleash spells even the gods may very well fear. Albertson has been fronting bands for decades, focusing his love of all things gaming to the forefront of his lyrics. He’s a filmmaker, host of Total Movie Recall podcast, and co-creator & writer of the Image Comics mini-series Ghost Spy. He writes up the Mad Dungeon adventures
Tiger Wizard (he/him), aka Andrew Bellury (Lille, Mortal Komband, Spacewalker) utilizes his vocal and charismatic talents throughout the album. A wizard who wields a pen or brush instead of a wand, he illustrates most of the artwork for Epic Level’s physical RPG collectibles. Currently a game designer at Exalted Funeral, he has many upcoming projects in the works. Next is the upcoming rules-light and casual Dungeon Cats. He illustrates all of the adventures created in the Mad Dungeon podcast.
Warlock Roc (they/she), aka Robin Bellury (Lille, Little Horn, SEX BBQ), a sibling in arms to the Tiger Wizard, weaves spells in support of Epic Levels. Recording the lyrical content for the albums at their studio, Robin is the engineer/producer of The Mega Dungeon Men EP, mixing in vocals and samples and bringing in that final touch of dark magic making everything slaptastic.
Bat Alchemist (he/him), aka Zach Cowen, lurks in the shadowy veil behind the scenes. He oversees the smooth transitions of organic interviews and killer sound, transmuting them into digital assets that echo across the multiverse through Epic Level’s Mad Dungeon podcast. Cowen handles all the podcast needs of editing, mixing and will even be stepping out of the shadows to join them as a player character in this upcoming third season’ s actual play.
Epic Levels likes to keep busy. 2024 will find them releasing season three of the Mad Dungeon podcast, an actual-play in which four vat-spawned soldiers are pit between their undead dragon daddy in the Necropolis below, and the spider web of intrigue in the bustling city of Def Jamisus above. Both Tiger Wizard and Albertson are playtesting TTRPGs that they’ve written with the intention of having multiple releases this year. They’re already plotting their next batch of songs to follow up the release of The Mega Dungeon Men EP, and you can find them podcasting live, slinging swag and/or running games at multiple convention in 2024:
Mar. 9-10: Gameface Con (Baltimore, MD)
Mar. 21-24: Gary Con (Lake Geneva, WI)
Aug. 1-4: Gen Con (Indianapolis, IN)
Aug. 29-Sep. 2: Dragon Con (Atlanta, GA)
Oct. 11-20: Gamehole Con (Madison, WI)
Learn more at: https://epiclevelsrapgods.com/
Categories: Music Talk Stuff
