Cellout EP 01

Celldweller is a Detroit, Michigan-based industrial metal solo project started by multi-instrumentalist Klayton. His proficiency and creativity in the electronic realm has caused him to produce a number of remixes. Cellout EP 01 was released early last month and it includes three masterfully constructed remixes of famous Celldweller songs.

For those of you unfamiliar with Celldweller, let me tell you about Klayton’s voice and industrial sound. It is just pure awesome; Klayton can transition from an emo sounding voice to a smooth voice, to a heavy voice. He can take the following emo lyrics and turn them into something you’d want to listen to all the time: “Here I lie in a lost and lonely part of town, / Held in time in a world of tears I slowly drown. / Goin’ home; I just can’t make it all alone.”

Don’t be alarmed if you think those lyrics sound familiar. Klayton covered the Bee Gee’s classic “Tragedy,” and he put an entirely new spin on the song. I believe he captured the depressing essence of the song in a way the Bee Gees never thought of doing.

Klayton works with dark subject matter, but the great thing about his music is that it doesn’t leave you feeling gloomy or depressed. You’ll feel like you want to get up and dance while you’re listening to Celldweller. I don’t know how many instruments Klayton knows how to play, but he is the master at creating the ultimate industrial metal sound. I often wonder how long it takes Klayton to make a song since he does the work by himself. In a way, he’s a lot like Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

There’s three tracks on Cellout EP 01, and the first is called “Own Little World (Klayton’s We Will Never Die Mix).” It sounds very similar to the original “Own Little World” from the 2003 Celldweller album. The drums sound a little more finely-tuned on the newer version, and the remix seems to use Klayton’s epic harmonizing more often. I can’t really say much more about the song; the flow is perfect and the song is great.

“Frozen (Celldweller Vs. Blue Stahi)” is the result of Klayton’s collaboration with another one-man group, Blue Stahli. Klayton actually helped kick start the career of Bret Autrey, frontman for Blue Stahli. Celldweller fans might remember the Blue Stahli “Birthwrong Remix” from 2008’s Soundtrack For The Voices In My Head, Vol. 01. It was an epic song, just like the “Frozen” remix. “Frozen (Celldweller Vs. Blue Stahli)” sounds like a quickened version of the original. I always thought the original “Frozen” was a little too slow, so I think the newer version is far superior.

“The Best It’s Gonna Get Vs. Tainted” unifies two songs from Wish Upon a Blackstar. This song is flawless, and you can barely distinguish the lyrics from “The Best It’s Gonna Get” with those from “Tainted.” The two tracks blend together seamlessly, and the remix actually sounds like an entirely new song.

The only drawback to Cellout Ep 01 is the small track listing. However, Celldweller releases new material at a much quicker pace than most artists. Although fans will still want more Celldweller, this album should hold them over until the newest album releases, which I’m sure will be in the coming months.