Customer Reviews

Circle of Dust (1992)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Klay Scott is now widely known as an underground industrial mastermind. The man behind Celldweller (his most recent incarnation), Argyle Park, and most famously Circle of Dust, the man has demonstrated exceptional musical ability and technical proficiency, blending pulsating electronics with brutal guitar riffs. On "Circle of Dust," the debut (originally released in '92 and remixed and rereleased in '95) shows a genius in the making. Think Ministry with heavier electronics, more techno beats, and more samples. The guitar riffs are heavy, the lyrics poignant and meaningful, and the music leaves you in a state where you're not sure whether you want to mosh and bang your head or dance 'til your feet hurt. Songs such as "Rational Lies" and "Nothing Sacred" show a more melodic side, while "Demoralize" and "Self Inflict" (off the '95 version) are more aggressive. It's hard to tell which version of the album you're getting (chances are it's the '95 version...Klay hates the original '92 version, so it's harder to find), but either way "Circle of Dust"'s first album is a treat for underground industrial fans and for fans of Klay Scott looking to see how it all started. I miss Circle of Dust, but Celldweller is here to satisfy my pallette...Klay Scott can do no wrong.

I don't know why this item has no reviews, so I decided to give it one, even though I'm not an expert on it. I was recommended this album by a list of "best of blah bla" so I decided to try it - and was not disappointed. The drumming is the finest I've heard in a long time, and song composition/flow are excellent (rather than boring, repetitive, predictable, or pointlessly random and disjointed). The only thing I'm not particularly impressed with is the lyrics and vocals, but even still I find them decent - it could just be a matter of personal preference. If you are into any kind of industrial music, by all means give this album a listen!

When I first heard this album cassette tapes were still being made. I wore it out and hadn't owned it until now. Great industrial music with a message. I'm glad to have it back.

This is an industrial classic- I like both versions of this CD (this one / '92) and the '95. The '95 re-release has better sound quality and songs, in my opinion, but this one has some songs not on that one that are good too.

Take care, God bless.

I have owned this CD since it's release and I am always surprised at how well it stands the test of time. To date it is my favorite album involving Klayton (From Cod, Celldweller, many others)

Fun stuff includes the huge amount of samples from movies. Just trying to remember where each line came from keeps me listening.

Great stuff to hit the gym with!

Circle of Dust is industrial music maker Klayton Scott. He merges electronics and grinding guitars with audio soundbites to create a theatrical form of industrial that some have compared to Ministry. Whereas many industrial vocalists will prefer to shout their songs, whisper them through filters, or growl them hardcore-style, Scott's vocals for the most part are sung. This particular disc is a remix of the earlier 1992 version that Klay later decided he didn't like.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Rational Lies" leans toward the more techno end of industrial and musters a pretty good hook about our tendency to allow for "little" sins in our personal lives. ("Get out of my head/Leave me alone/No longer welcome here/A voice so sweet/With words that kill/A wicked whisper in my ear") The apocalyptic "Consequence"'s essential point is summed up in a soundbite dropped in the middle: "Everything we do matters". It's an epic that slowly builds to the day we must all face. ("Eventually, the winds of judgement will be stirred/A throne of white/The book of life referred/See death and Hell give up their dead/As the books are being read/Record of each life speaks for itself...") "Dissolved" points out the essential meaningless of the pursuit of material gain. ("Your wealth/your pride/dissolved/in time/Reduced to dust/Your worthless treasures rust") "Nothing Sacred" is a paraphrase of the ancient wisdom that "A fool says in his heart 'There is no God'" ("No remorse, no fear/No sense of what is right or wrong/and neither do you care/Break apart the sacred vows/Mock the Holy Law/Judgement's hammer soon will fall/as never fell before")

LOWS:
"Nightfall", "Self Inflict" and "Parasite" are lengthy tunes without any real songwriting climax. More time needs to have been spent crafting hooks for these.

BOTTOM LINE:
There are few really good melodic hooks here..nothing as catchy as NIN's "Closer" and "Head like a Hole", MDFMK's "Torpedoes", or Deitiphobia's "Spill!". If there were more tunes like "Dissolved" and "Rational Lies" I could give this a heartier recommendation but as it is I think it's only for diehard industrial fans (i.e. "noisy" music lovers) and not for music lovers who happen to count some industrial music among their listening.

I found this among my many tapes recently and still love it!! Thought you may like a song list for this one. Onemeny, Demoralize, Self Inflict, Rational Lies, Nightfall, Twisted Reality, Consequence, Dissolved, Nothing Sacred, Parasite.