The brain behind
Celldweller is
Klayton (aka
Klay Scott). The producer, songwriter, performer, and musical gypsy has been associated with numerous projects, including the
Christian industrial outfits
Circle of Dust and
Argyle Park. As a producer,
Klayton has worked with
Prong and is involved with New York-based illusionist
Criss Angel.
Celldweller derives its name partly from the long hours
Klayton spent in his home studio crafting its elaborate, production-heavy cocktail of
trance,
drum'n'bass, and heavy
industrial guitar. The project ranges from the aggressive, X Games-style active
rock of
"Switchback" to the emotive, melodic
"Afraid This Time," which recalls the crystalline style of fellow production whiz kid
BT.
Klayton's
industrial background is evident in his vocals, which alternate between throaty yelling and a half-whisper. The album is strikingly melodic, with hooks galore, even on the overdriven
metal of
"One Good Reason." And
Klayton's obvious debt to
Trent Reznor can be forgiven, since it's difficult not to emulate the iconographic musician in a genre that he redefined. However, while
Reznor's obsessively produced music still bleeds reality,
Celldweller suffers from too much refinement. It's almost as if a rogue ProTools rig conceived and produced the album itself, in some sort of nightmare combination of
2001 and
Demond Seed.
Klayton's humanity barely registers behind elaborate vocal processing, lush beds of
trance-y keyboards, and rarefied edges on
Celldweller's towering walls of guitar. [A Tenth Anniversary Edition was released in 2013.] ~ Johnny Loftus
