The brain behind
Celldweller is
Klayton (aka
Klay Scott, aka Eric Klayton). 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. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide