CellOut Superstar Prototype
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
If “sell-out” means catering to current trends in order to curry commercial favor, then the term certainly does not apply to this Swedish band. CellOut play nu-metal, a musical subgenre that fell from grace at least five years ago, and its popularity has plummeted like Icarus after he soared too close to the sun. That said, if any band stands a chance at resurrecting the outdated style, it would be these guys, who take nu-metal’s chugging ferocity and combine it with the melodic makeup of today’s modern rock with an emphasis on, in their own words, “big fat choruses,” and slick harmonies to create something that sounds simultaneously familiar and fresh.
The opening track, “Dark Days,” explodes out of the speakers on a wall of slamming guitars and sets the stage for what is to come. The sound is huge, the production so crisp and clean it comes within a razor’s edge of mechanical sterility, but stops just short of going too far with the mix, instead masterfully balancing each component within the riff-raging metal maelstrom. The band rarely eases up on the heaviness throttle, keeping the pedal firmly pinned to the floor, and the album actually ups the intensity the further into it you get, integrating some industrial touches here and dabbling in some death metal growls there. (If you loathe the screaming/growling vocal style, fear not—at least 95% of this album is sung cleanly.)
Amidst the gargantuan guitars lurk some insanely-memorable melodies. CellOut’s basic sound is very similar to acts like Cold or Breaking Benjamin but cross-pollinated with the catchiness of groups like Default or Closure. One minute the relentless guitars and beefy-to-the-max bass are pummeling your insides to mush like a 90 lb. weakling taking body blows from Mike Tyson, the next you’re singing along to a soaring chorus with multi-layered harmony vocals that would cause the Nelson brothers to nod their pretty-boy heads in approval.
CellOut’s biggest misstep is “Flooded,” their well-intentioned but woeful attempt at a modern rock ballad. It simply fails to connect, though it struggles valiantly to do so, with vocalist Percy Mejhagen doing his best to make the listener feel the emotion. Instead of feeling emotion, however, the listener is more apt to feel the early effects of encroaching insomnia. Thankfully, once this limp noodle of a track finally ends, the band comes roaring back with a renewed burst of hard-hitting adrenalin and you will immediately forgive the band for momentarily indulging in their softer side.
The band as a whole is tight, their musicianship as flawless as Jessica Simpson’s skin after six months on Pro-Activ. The twin guitar attack rips up the sonic scenery, the bass lines are thicker than an elephant’s femur, and the drumming is a force to be reckoned with. Mejhagen’s voice differs from the baritone-prone singers littering the modern hard rock landscape, singing a little bit higher, at times sounding like Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, only with much more metal attitude in his delivery.
It is CellOut’s hope that by networking the nu-metal style of the past with the melodic modern hard rock of the present, they will shape the sound of the future. Have they created the prototype that will carry heavy metal into the next chapter of its history? That remains to be seen. What is evident right now is that even though these guys are not yet superstars, they definitely know how to crank out a pretty kickass metal album.
Genre: Modern metal
Band:
Percy Mejhagen (vocals/guitars)
Robert Monegrim (guitars/backing vocals)
Anders Savebo (bass)
Martin Karlsson (drums)
Track listing:
1. Dark Days
2. All My Demons Inside
3. The Gift
4. Flooded
5. Set Things Straight
6. Blow
7. Breathe
8. As I Fall
9. Fake
10. In My Arms
11. The Tragedy In You
Label: Nuerra Records
Online: www.myspace.com/cellout
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10