Two different lineups of Moron Police, in 2012 (top) and 2019 (bottom).
Moron Police is a three-piece Heavy Metal band from Norway. Formed in 2009, the band was originally a three-piece comedy metal band, with song titles such as "Stomp That Goomba," "Super Mega Awesome Couch," and "T-Bag Your Grandma."
In 2019, after a five-year hiatus, the band released A Boat on the Sea, their third album, which took a more serious, Progressive Rock approach to the music, taking on themes of war and militarization. Their follow-up EP, The Stranger and the Hightide (2021), took on a more western approach to their sound, even bordering on Country Music.
In January 2022, while working on their fourth full-length album, drummer Thore Pettersen passed away in a car accident. Nevertheless, in August of that year, the other members announced that they have continued working on the album.
Members (Founding members in bold, current members in italic):
- Sondre Skollevoll - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, Hammond organ, banjo, percussion (2009-present)
- Lars Bjørknes - keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, synthesizers, percussion (2015-present)
- Rune Stordahl - bass, unclean vocals (2009-2014)
- Christian Fredrik Holtsteen - bass (2014-present)
- Thore Omland Pettersen - drums (2009-his death, January 2022)
- Billy Rymer - drums (2022-present)
Discography
- The Propaganda Machine (2012)
- Defenders of the Small Yard (2014)
- A Boat on the Sea (2019)
- The Stranger and the Hightide (EP) (2021)
Tropes present in their work:
- Album Title Drop:
- A Boat on the Sea appears in the lyrics of "The Undersea":
"You're a boat on the sea filled with endless sights"- The Stranger and the Hightide in, well, "The Stranger and the Hightide."
- Animated Music Video: "Captain Awkward."
- Book Ends: A Boat on the Sea begins and ends with similar lines at the beginning of the album intro, "Hocus Pocus," and the end of the final track, "Isn't It Easy!" respectively:"Awake the gods from slumber
Let them see all of the things we have become""And so our story ends as it began
By waking gods to see them fall"- On a related note, on those very lines, "Isn't It Easy!" uses the same chord progression as "Hocus Pocus." Even more, as "Isn't It Easy!" fades out, a piano playing the riff from "The Phantom Below," the first full-length song on the album.
- Bowdlerise: In acoustic live performances, "T-Bag Your Grandma" was sometimes sung as "Drink Tea with Your Grandma," with "Put your balls in her mouth" switched to "Put that cup in her mouth." It seems to have been done for comedic purposes, however, as he "accidentally" switches back to the original lyrics in the third chorus.
- Breather Episode: On A Boat on the Sea, after four tracks about the war and politics, we get "The Dog Song," a more lighthearted song about being a dog. Musically, it uses fewer synthesizers and a more straightforward 4/4 rhythm, and is all around a well-deserved soft number in the middle of an overall heavy-hitting album.
- Call-Back: In the breakdown of "Captain Awkward," we get one of these to a previous song on the album, "The Phantom Below":"So hide now from phantoms down below
You think you're helpless and alone
But I'll stay awhile" - Concept Album: A Boat on the Sea counts as this.
- Darker and Edgier: Lyrically, A Boat on the Sea was far more serious than The Propaganda Machine and Defenders of the Small Yard, dealing with topics such as war and militarization.
- Lighter and Softer: ...On the other hand, musically, A Boat on the Sea was toned down from its two predecessors, with the distorted guitars pushed back in the mix and relying more on synths, strings, saxophones, and even accordion.
- Epic Rocking: "Isn't It Easy!" runs at 6:56.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: "The Dog Song," a song about being a dog.
- Fan Vid: The music video for "The Phantom Below" consists of clips from One Piece, apparently in response to the band's music being compared to anime themes.
- Genre Mashup: The band's website aptly describes them as a "weird band." Their first album, The Propaganda Machine, is a mix of metal, funk, folk, and pop with comedy rock lyrics. Their sophomore effort, Defenders of the Small Yard, blends in influences of Progressive Metal and reggae. Their third album, A Boat on the Sea, is more serious and is heavily influenced by Progressive Rock and anime theme songs.
- Leitmotif: There are several of these that pop up all throughout A Boat on the Sea.
- Lyric Video: The video for "The Dog Song," with plenty of cute dogs as well.
- Man in a Kilt: During the band's early days, lead singer/guitarist Sondre Skollevoll and former bassist Rune Stordahl were known for wearing kilts on stage when performing, giving fans in the front rows quite the view.
- Motor Mouth: Sondre Skollevoll speeds through a lot of the verses in the band's early music. Downplayed on A Boat on the Sea, where it's mostly only noticeable on "Beware the Blue Skies" and "Captain Awkward."
- New Sound Album: Taken up to eleven with A Boat on the Sea, which is barely even recognizable as the same band.
- Additionally, The Stranger and the Hightide is another stylistic departure, as it takes heavy influence from country and bluegrass music.
- Non-Appearing Title: "Steve Jobs Is Dead, But I'm Not," "Go Home, Bitch!" "Captain Awkward," "Hocus Pocus," "The Invisible King," "Beware the Blue Skies."
- Performance Video: "Down at the Disco."
- Precious Puppy: The muisc video for "The Dog Song," naturally!
- Precision F-Strike: In the chorus of "Charlie's Enormous Mouth."
- Shout-Out:
- To Super Mario Bros., with "Stomp That Goomba."
- Also, as stated above, the music video for "The Phantom Below" uses clips from One Piece, which the band has stated is their favorite anime.
- This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: One of the tracks on Defenders of the Small Yard is titled "Go Home, Bitch!"
- Word Salad Lyrics: The verses of "Captain Awkward." Helped that they are sung at a fast speed and are barely comprehensible without lyric sheets.
- In general, most of the band's songs on their first two albums qualify as this. "Prepopherous (This Prepophery, I Will Not Have It)" is a notable example.
