Cassette Review // Feverdreamt "Melantant" (Blackjack Illuminist Records)

€7 //
Edition of 15 //
https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/melantant //

Vocals come in high and low, drum machine beats create the scene as this is a darkwave rock opera, the type you might catch Dracula at mingling with Trent Reznor.   This darkness, with the steady beat, might only be a reminder of Feverdreamt at this point for me but perhaps you will find elements of "The Crow" soundtrack in it, as the distorted bombs drop and create utter chaos.

The singing on here is hard to not be what you hear first, as at times it can seem operatic, and then I think the next part which stands out would be the percussion.   This all comes together with the other sounds to form this feeling like that one electronic album Smashing Pumpkins did on some level as well.

If you want to get into a part where you can think of this as being something more commonly known somehow, I wouldn't be hesitant to give this some Depeche Mode comparisons, such as a band trying to create the sound right now that Depeche Mode might if they were to be forming right now as well.   The way the beats can drop and trill though is a reminder of how modern this is though.

In the slower songs, it somehow feels more haunted.   There are keys which somewhat make me think of The X-Files but really they have such a stronger horror sound to them, especially when coupled with the rest of the overall sound.    As much as I want to think of some movie like "The Crow" I just feel like this is some kind of horror movie soundtrack we haven't heard yet but I'd definitely be interested in seeing it as a film.

The beats just grow and really drive these songs.    It even gets these big beats like from the new wave days and it just has this more upbeat feeling now, like something from "The Breakfast Club" era of music.   We're breaking down more into the synths and clicks now but it still feels so dark, so deep.   Parts of this, obviously, remind me of "The Phantom of the Opera".

Swirling around, it feels like we've been taken off into space now.   The whirrs and lasers just create such a show.   Screams and drum rolls now make it seem like quite the bloody picture.    It's gotten quieter now, hollow.  Just a guitar and a voice.

On the flip side we kick off with more strumming which has some melody and darkness within it.    This song is big about the vocals, the singing is telling the story here with minimal music behind it.    This goes into a song which feels a bit more upbeat, a bit more like pop music and it has this almost P!ATD feel to it.     Beats ring through like shots fired now.    The drums begin to kick in now.   It's gone off into these wild electronics and this has certainly evolved from the beginning thoughts I had of it.

The drums are just thundering through with these wild noises and this one has just become more and more powerful as it has gone on.   Those beats play us off as this one comes to an end and, well, this might make for quite the lengthy film (a trilogy?) but I'd certain spend the time watching it.