It is interesting that Klayton chose to release these acoustic\/ambient songs under the Celldweller moniker. Then again, if Celldweller has become the central pillar in the Scandroid\/Circle of Dust\/Celldweller triad, what does it matter? Furthermore, as the lines between the three \u201centities in one\u201d become more obscured, it actually makes a ton of sense. Afterall, he has already released almost 3 volumes of \u201csoundtracks\u201d and numerous other clips for video games\/movies, etc. under the Celldweller brand, so why should it matter? Nevertheless, there is no doubt that those who are looking for an aggressive and rhythmic collection of new material will be disappointed by Offworld, an album driven more by the lyrical catharsis than pulsating\/bass-thumping rhythms. For me at least, I don\u2019t really care, as long as the music is good \u2026 and after repeated listens, these songs are very good.<\/p>\n
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Conceptually, this album is a nice complement to what we\u2019ve been through with End of an Empire, the debut Scandroid release and the new Circle of Dust. The title seems to be inspired by the original Blade Runner movie (for those old enough to remember) from the early 80\u2019s \u2013 this whole concept of \u201creplicants\u201d and going \u201coffworld.\u201d I actually love how \u201cEmbracing Entropy\u201d and \u201cMalacandra\u201d from COD show up here alongside \u201cAwakening With You\u201d from Scandroid. And speaking of that song \u2013 this version of \u201cAwakening\u2026\u201d is probably my favorite, much more eerily passionate and somewhat sultry in the spirit of 80\u2019s Vangelis Blade Runner. And I absolutely love how the reprise of Offworld is a remake of the Celldweller classic \u201cOwn Little World\u201d from the debut. So cool how these two songs are blended. The acoustic driven \u201cThe Great Divide\u201d is solid, and the cover of The Call\u2019s \u201cToo Many Tears\u201d is really good as well. For me, though, the best song is \u201cLast Night on Earth.\u201d I love the lyrics and the way the music \u2013 laced with those 80\u2019s synths – builds throughout to the climax.<\/p>\n
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I can see the musical criticisms with the short songs (\u201cHow Little I Must Know\u201d and \u201cMother\u2019s Arms\u201d) \u2013 although I love the lyrics to them \u2013 and can even agree with the observation that there isn\u2019t as much original material here compared to the first 3 full length Celldweller releases. I can\u2019t disagree with that, but in fairness, Klayton did reveal that this album was a bit of a \u201crevelation\u201d in that it came to him quickly and was recorded much more quickly than any of the other Celldweller releases to date. Certainly, this album wouldn\u2019t make as much sense if it were recorded 10 years ago, but in the context of the current Klayton milieu I think it works really well. Mostly importantly, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve yet had an album this emotionally transparent y from Klayton. Yes, he\u2019s always been cynical, passionate, aggressive, outspoken, etc., but with Offworld we get to enjoy the more profoundly spiritual side of his offerings, and for that I am grateful. There is a maturity to the content that says \u201cI don\u2019t have to be heavy, fast, loud and rhythmic\u201d to be relevant.<\/p>\n
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In essence, Offworld offers yet another perspective into Klayton\u2019s musical world, one that might not appeal to some fans, but one which feels more mature and transparent in many ways than his more aggressive works. The artwork on the CD triple gatefold digi version is fantastic and the lyrics are included (although not necessarily in the correct order). Listen to this with headphones. [F.I.X.T.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is interesting that Klayton chose to release these acoustic\/ambient songs under the Celldweller moniker….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1020],"tags":[657,896,894],"class_list":["post-3409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-celldweller-d64","tag-circl-of-dust","tag-scandroid-d6"],"yoast_head":"\n