REVIEWS

Celldweller
Switchback

Posted: Thursday, March 23, 2006
By: Ilker Yucel
Editor

Klayton Scott has been a very busy man indeed. Since the release of the Celldweller debut album in January 2003, the live lineup has shifted several times, while at the same time maintaining a rigorous touring schedule, licensing several tracks to various film companies (you may have noticed "Switchback" being used in trailers for major films, including The Punisher), releasing a double-CD of demos and rarities, as well as producing a video for "Switchback." Released to fans via the Celldweller web site, the video was the ultimate visual companion to the Celldweller experience; a unique combination of cybernetic graphics and live performance, the video provided fans with the best possible representation of Celldweller as a band. For those who have never seen them live, it is the next best thing. Now, Celldweller releases the video for "Switchback" on a special DVD available through the band's web site.

The DVD features two versions of the video, as well as a 30-second promo clip of the band's live show. The video is ambitious in its undertaking, but intense in its performance, and cutting-edge in its production. While it mainly serves to showcase the current live lineup, which consists of Klayton and musicians/multi-instrumentalists Dale Van Norman and Kemikal, there is something of a plot involved. We follow a girl through a series of decrepit rooms and sterile hallways until she encounters the band playing in all their musical glory. From the computerized split-screen windows, strobes, and projections, the band looks like something out of The Matrix; donned in cyber-fashion man-skirts and industrial boots, spiky hair, and spinning in seemingly perpetual circles, the video produces a dizzying effect that could induce a sense of vertigo if one is not careful. Of course, as the promo clip later proves, this is pretty much the norm for the band's live performance.

Ultimately, this DVD certainly gives Celldweller fans their money's worth. Some live clips might have been welcome, but perhaps Klayton did not wish to get ahead of himself. The actual contents may seem sparse, but perhaps that was the intention, making the "Switchback" DVD something of a teaser, an indication of what to expect at a Celldweller live show, as well as providing a glimpse of the future. Indeed, Celldweller's style and approach to both music and visual performance are unlike anything else out there. Few bands can match the level of technological and musical sophistication and still make it entertaining, and Celldweller does not fail to entertain. If you want the slightest taste of the future of music, then you will want to check out Celldweller's DVD for "Switchback."