Mellotron Scratch | Porcupine Tree | Gothik Serpent Cover

Details

Description

One of my favorite progressive rock pieces by Porcupine Tree, led by Steven Wilson, Mellotron Scratch off the Deadwing album is a masterclass in incredible songwriting. Its unusual blend of haunting synths, off-kilter melodies, pounding rock rhythms and complex vocal layers spoke to me the very first time I heard the song, and even after listening to it hundreds of times, I still discover hidden layers in its production I didn't notice before. There isn't another song that sounds like it on this planet.

Porcupine Tree is one of my favorite bands and Mellotron Scratch is easily in my top five favorite songs of theirs, and while I desired to cover this song, I could not decipher the lyrics or cadence of some of the "hidden" vocal parts in the second chorus. Only after years of training my ears and listening to the song did I finally "perceive" those parts, and with that knowledge, my version of this amazing tune was underway.

The Gothik Serpent rendition of Mellotron Scratch offers minor changes to the original song in terms of structure, utilizing some elements of the live version. The main differences, however, involve utilizing three different vocalists and having a stronger bass presence. Otherwise, there's little else I wanted to change with this masterpiece besides giving it a slightly different engine.

Song originally written and performed by Porcupine Tree
Kerwin Tsang - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Synths, Drums, Mixing, Mastering, Video
Olivia Jean Kong - Vocals
Leong Yew - Vocals

Gear Used: Zon Sonus Special 5, PRS P22, EZDrummer 2 w Progressive Rock pack, Arturia Mellotron V, Piano V2, Audio Technica AT2020

Gothik Serpent: https://gothikserpent.bandcamp.com/