CELLDWELLER
Celldweller (Position)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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It begins with a ferocious industrial/rap/metal tune called "Switchback" that grabbed me immediately and had me convinced I was listening to a band in the vein of Nonpoint and Darwin's Waiting Room. Indeed, there are several songs that could be thrown together with theirs on a mix tape that would kick ass, but there were a few surprises waiting for me as the disc spun on, as well as when I got into the research phase for this one.

First, it seems they aren't a they. They're a he. Though he had guest musicians on some tracks, the producer, writer, singer, conceptual artist known as Klayton runs the show and does the lion's share of the work. The second surprise came when some of the songs began to sound less like the earlier ones, slipping into a kind of spooky electronica that brings a gothic element into the mix, complete with creepy sci-fi female voices and buzzing synth bass lines.

At times the split can be puzzling and, for me, there isn't a feeling of cohesiveness strong enough to tether the two sides. There's still quite a lot to like here, probably more for the industrial fans than the electronica crowd, but that shouldn't be a surprise since beneath his superhero costume with the big K on the chest Klayton is secretly Klay Scott, formerly of Circle Of Dust, the now defunct but still beloved industrial band. Shhh. That part's confidential 'n' stuff.

Klayton's got an interesting thing going on here, and I'd recommend it even if it was a single of "Switchback," but something tells me the truly formidable Celldweller album will be a few years down the road.

© 2003 - DJ Johnson