Celldweller, known for his unique electro-rock sound and contributions to the Dead Rising video game soundtracks, has just released a brand new EP. In addition to this though, he also released a brand new novel that coincides with his new music. The novel, Blackstar Act One: Purified, is based off of his album that was released last year, Wish Upon A Blackstar has is a science fiction piece, to compliment his style of music. Both the eBook and the original score will be divided into three parts at some point in the future. This article, however, will be for the EP only.
Blackstar Act One: Purified is a very short EP, consisting of only 5 main tracks and 2 instrumental tracks. It reflects off the vibe that the novel creates, and that is where my only issue comes into play. The album sounds like a soundtrack. The first 2 songs comes off as the only legitimate songs while the rest of it comprises of background noise and instrumentals that don’t entirely impact you in any way. These tracks, while meant to set you in the imaginary atmosphere that the novel puts you in, doesn’t do much justice. The single beat and ambience doesn’t put you in the correct mindset for the novel, lacking any clear visuals that puts you into the main protagonist’s shoes. While the concept of releasing a soundtrack for a novel is intriguing, it could’ve been implied better if it was linked to an anime or a sci-fi movie.
Putting aside the correlation between the two, the EP is still a solid album. The first two songs, Retros and Purified, are fantastic dubstep infused tracks! Both incorporate vocals into the mix, with Retros being more of a prologue to the book and Petrified having electronic harmonization insinuating the will to survive as the theme. Retros gives off a more easy going listening experience, while Petrified comes off as fast paced, making for what would be a really cool action/ fighting scene if synced with a movie. However, if the vocals killed the mood for you, there are instrumentals available for both songs as well.
Celldweller still delivers when it comes to music, but to truly grasp the concept of Blackstar Act One: Purified, you will also have to pick the book with it. I personally thought that if a movie was made instead of a book, this album would have been better. Who knows? Klayton, aka Celldweller is obviously capable of doing more than creating music. Perhaps there will be…
Blackstar Act One: Purified is available today and can be purchased on Amazon and other online retailers!
-AlexRM
New Fury Rating: 7.5/10
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