Pandemic lockdowns had some wild effects on the working-class musicians whose main source of artistic livelihood was suddenly gone and its future in doubt. Uncertain as to when or whether clubs would ever re-open or if audiences would even return for cramp, sweaty rock shows, certain members of various Upper Midwest rock acts — Braid, Ceilishrine, Devils Teeth, Evel, Hey Mercedes, Maritime, the Promise Ring, Tigernite are all accounted for — convened to escape their woes and worries by immersing themselves in games of Dungeons & Dragons. Before long, all those suspenseful dice rolls started to seem like fine fodder for big, loud songs. Why not make music together about this basement-as-sanctum pastime they’d picked up.

And, lo, Fight Dice was born. “Magic Pact” is the debut single from the band, and it is a wondrously pummeling assault made more pure by lyrics such as “Save the maiden, destroy the aberration with a spell attack/ So roll your favorite 20-sided die.” Not since Led Zeppelin rifled through their copies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s tome to find lyrical inspiration has there been a hard rock band so marvelously geeky. This is the music that John Darnielle of Mountain Goats could have used when he was fourteen, and I mean that as a high compliments.

Total Party Kill, the debut full-length from Fight Dice, is scheduled for release in September.