Posted by Lucid S. Darqly on March 2, 2009

Celldweller-Soundtrack for the Voices in my Head

Categories: Featured Articles, darq music, reviews | one response

Celldweller
Soundtrack for the Voices in my Head: Volume 1
FiXT
September 5,2008
by Lucid S. Darqly

Revised by Benny Hell

It’s no secret that I’m quite an avid fan of Celldweller -though to openly say that is something I don’t usually do. Few bands reach into my favorites category, as a result I have followed Klayton’s career since the mp3.com (R.I.P.) days. I remember remixing a song called Symbiont as part of a long running remix contest back then, and listening to Circle of Dust (Klayton’s former “Christian” project). I’m still remixing Celldweller tracks to this day, and I look back fondly on opening for them on two occasions with various old projects I was involved in.

Celldweller is one of the only groups that defy genre by successfully blending Rock, Metal, Trance, Drum n’ Bass -and even classical composition –into one tangible entity. Its inspiring to see the crowd at a show; unsure if they should be moshing, dancing, or just staring at the band in stupefied awe. As a side note they are a rarity; a band that still believe in putting on a show -ambient tribal drum breaks, spinning guitarists, synced up projection, and odd electronics like the Eyeris(Ed. Note: the Eyeris is a beam controller, not that you care.) –all make their way into a live set, creating a powerful visual experience to accompany the music.

So all that said, it’s no surprise that I was eagerly awaiting a more “official” release of new material. The self titled album was well composed, but was mostly comprised of tracks he had spent years writing and rewriting. For a lot of fans, most of this material was already familiar. With the release of The Beta Cessions, 90% of the material was showcasing the evolution of the songs from the self-titled album. The Beta Cessions offered the different versions he had released throughout the years but there was nothing new on it, except the powerful, emotional track Goodbye. That one song alone made Beta Cessions an album worth adding to my collection.

Soundtrack For the Voices In My Head (Vol. 1) picks up where the digital only releases left off. The sounds are aggressive and fresh. ‘Birthright’ (released previously in digital format) is the one track on the album that stands to the forefront as more of a typical Celldweller song. I should also note, it’s the only track with vocals sans a few layered ambient vocals peppered throughout the album. This will probably keep die-hard Celldweller fans satiated until the new album is released. Which is, as of now, yet to be named(merely called ‘Sophomore‘). According to it’s Celldweller.com, ‘Sophomore’ is currently being recorded so there’s no definite release date.

All in all, ‘Soundtrack…‘ feels like what the album title implies; a sound track. Several of the songs are remixes, so over time it feels like you’re hearing the same few tracks again and again. That’s not a bad thing, though. I really enjoyed the mixes of ‘Ursa Minor.‘ The distorted drums and odd timing make it memorable, proving you don’t always need vocals to evoke emotion through music. If you are familiar with Celldweller, -and crave some of Klayton’s masterful composition –then defiantly buy this album. Writing as a long-time fan, this is a worthwhile addition to the Celldweller discography.