Editing Circle of Dust (section)

==History==

===Formation, ''Circle of Dust'' and ''Brainchild'' (1991&ndash;1995)===
Klayton formed Circle of Dust in New York City after the disbandment of his former late '80s thrash metal outfit Immortal.<ref name="Circle_of_Dust_Waters"/> Signed to R.E.X. Records in 1991, Klayton self-recorded and self-produced all of the Circle of Dust material. The self-titled debut album, released by R.E.X. in 1992, has been described as "post-''Pretty Hate Machine'' industrial pop".<ref name="allmusic" /> That same year, Klayton, using the pseudonym Tox, teamed up with R.E.X. president Doug Mann that same year to create Brainchild and release ''Mindwarp'', which featured music more intense than Circle of Dust's debut and showcased dark cyberpunk-esque lyrics<ref name="Autocircle">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.automatapedia.com/index.php?title=Circle_of_Dust
 | title = Circle of Dust Biography
 | work = Automatapedia
 | publisher = Open Publishing
 | year = 2007
 | accessdate = October 13, 2007
}}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> that were largely political in nature, and harsher, more thrash-influenced metal guitars. The now-defunct television show ''MTV Sports'' used part of the song "Deviate" for its long-time intro.<ref name="Circle_of_Dust_Waters">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.nolifetilmetal.com/circleofdust.html
  | title = Circle of Dust
  | work = No Life 'til Metal
  | publisher = Open Publishing
  | last = Waters
  | first = Scott
  | year = 2007
  | accessdate = October 13, 2007
}}</ref> After the release of both albums, Klayton also produced the ''Metamorphosis'' compilation (1993), which collected outtakes from ''Circle of Dust'', ''Mindwarp'', and [[Living Sacrifice]]'s ''[[Nonexistent (album)|Nonexistent]]'', the latter of which featured Klayton's programming work. The compilation also included Klayton's own remixes of songs from each of those three albums.

In 1994, R.E.X. obtained a new distribution deal and pressed Klayton for a new release. As a stopgap measure, he re-recorded and remixed portions of Brainchild's ''Mindwarp'' album and re-issued it under the Circle of Dust moniker, altering the cover art to reflect the album's new status.  R.E.X., however, urged Klayton, who was touring incessantly, to record a brand-new album; instead, Klayton opted to completely re-record the Circle of Dust's debut and album, the sonic quality of which he had been strongly dissatisfied with.<ref name="automatapediainterview">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.automatapedia.com/index.php?title=Circle_of_Dust_interview_(Radio_Free_Wheaton%2C_1994)
 | title = Radio Free Wheaton interview with Circle of Dust
 | last = Pyle
 | first = Josh
 | accessdate = April 8, 2009
}}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="riminterview">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.celldwellertribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=591
  | title = Klay Scott interview with RIM Magazine
  | accessdate = April 22, 2009
| url-status = dead
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708131439/http://www.celldwellertribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=591
  | archive-date = July 8, 2011
| df = mdy-all
  }}</ref> This re-issue (1995), with vastly improved musicianship and recording quality,<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web
  | url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r239502|pure_url=yes}}
  | title = Circle of Dust - Circle of Dust
  | last = Torreano
  | first = Bradley
  | publisher = Allmusic
  | year = 2007
  | accessdate = October 13, 2007
}}</ref> scrapped three songs and included four new ones, but retained identical artwork.<ref name="automatapediainterview" /> Circle of Dust toured heavily to promote both re-issues. The live touring band, by this point, included Daren "Klank" Diolosa on guitars, Chris Donohue on bass and keyboard, and Jason Tilton on drums.<ref name="dustedreviews1">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.dusted.com
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19991104072051/http://dusted.com/Press/gavin.html
  | title = dusted.com archive - reviews - Gavin
  | publisher = Gavin
  | archive-date = November 4, 1999
| accessdate = April 22, 2009
}}</ref><ref name="dustedliveimages">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.dusted.com
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20000415214338/http://dusted.com/Live/liveimages.html
  | title = dusted.com archive - live images
  | archive-date = April 15, 2000
| accessdate = April 22, 2009
}}</ref>

=== Hiatus and side projects (1995–1998) ===
In between touring and recording for Circle of Dust, Klayton kept busy with a variety of other projects. In 1994, he contributed to and produced a side project with members of [[The Crucified]] called [[Chatterbox (band)|Chatterbox]], which released ''Despite'', its sole album. That same year, Klayton teamed up with friend Buka and began work on yet another side project, [[Argyle Park]], under three pseudonyms: Dred, Deathwish, and [[Celldweller]]. Argyle Park featured numerous guest collaborators, including [[Tommy Victor]] of [[Prong (band)|Prong]], [[JG Thirlwell]] of [[Foetus (band)|Foetus]], and [[Mark Salomon]] ([[Stavesacre]], The Crucified). In 1996, Klayton produced and programmed ''Still Suffering'', the debut album of former Circle of Dust guitarist Daren "Klank" Diolosa. The unreleased songs Klank had written for Circle of Dust the year prior ended up on this album.<ref name="hardradiointerview">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.celldwellertribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=441&Itemid=580
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150511153730/http://www.celldwellertribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=441&Itemid=580
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = May 11, 2015
| title = Klank interview
  | publisher = hardradio.com
  | date = January 14, 1997
| accessdate = April 11, 2009
}}</ref>

After Klayton put Circle of Dust on hiatus in 1995, he worked with illusionist [[Criss Angel]] to work on theatrical music and a magic show called Angeldust.<ref name="garlicpressinterview" /> It was during his work with Angel that Klayton changed his name from Scott Albert to Klay Scott, a nickname Angel gave him to denote his ability to "take sounds and shape them as if they were clay".<ref name="riminterview"/> Klayton and Angel worked for over two years to finalize their multi-media show and released an initial album of music in 1998 called ''Musical Conjurings from the World of Illusion''. During that same period of creativity, Klayton also recorded a posthumous Circle of Dust album as a formal gesture of farewell.<ref name="EofCCM">{{cite book|last=Powell|first=Mark Allan|title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music|publisher=Hendrickson Publishers|year=2002|location=Peabody, Massachusetts|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/175 175]|isbn=1-56563-679-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/175}}</ref>

===''Disengage'' (1998)===
[[File:Klayton (Circle of Dust) publicity image, 1998.jpeg|thumb|upright|Klayton in a promotional image for ''[[Disengage (album)|Disengage]]'', c. 1998]]
Released in 1998 by [[Flying Tart Records]], ''Disengage'' marked the formal end of Circle of Dust and contained reworkings of earlier songs (1991-1995) Klayton had written, some of which he had intended to release back in 1995 on a new Circle of Dust album.<ref name="garlicpressinterview">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.celldwellertribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=591
  | title = Circle of Dust interview
  | publisher = The Garlic Press
  | year = 1997
  | accessdate = April 21, 2009
| url-status = dead
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708131443/http://www.celldwellertribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=591
  | archive-date = July 8, 2011
| df = mdy-all
  }}</ref> Klayton had rearranged and melded these older songs with new forms of music with which Klayton had been experimenting,<ref>Klay Scott: Jack of All Trades</ref> thus becoming hybrids of Klayton's older, faster, riff-based industrial-metal style and newer dance and ambient influences, with a stronger focus on songwriting. Thus the album was markedly different, musically, from the earlier Circle of Dust and Brainchild albums. Klayton closed the album with a selection of remixes, two of which were produced by Dan Leveler, who, it was later revealed, was Klayton's younger brother and who later became a solo industrial/electronic artist in his own right, recording under the name [[LVL (band)|Level]]. The liner notes of ''Disengage'' contains excerpts of an interview in which Klayton explained why he had disbanded Circle of Dust and started anew with Angeldust.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

Although Klayton intended to release ''Disengage'' in 1997 and precede its release with an EP of ''Disengage'' remixes titled ''Refractorchasm'', Flying Tart canceled the EP's release and delayed ''Disengage'' until 1998, requiring Klayton to tack the EP onto ''Disengage'' in order to ensure the release of the music.<ref name="dustedreviews2">{{cite web
  | url = http://www.dusted.com
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020619092856/http://dusted.com/Press/transcendence.html
  | title = dusted.com archive-reviews-Transcendence
  | publisher = Transcendence
  | archive-date = June 19, 2002
| accessdate = April 22, 2009
}}</ref> Within two weeks of signing his contract with Flying Tart, the label was bought out and dissolved, ensuring the album saw extremely limited distribution.<ref name="hminterview" />

=== Return and ''Machines of Our Disgrace'' (2015–2017) ===
In November 2015, Klayton announced that he had obtained the rights to the entire Circle of Dust catalog, including the ''Metamorphosis'' compilation and ''Argyle Park'' side project, and decided to revive his Circle of Dust moniker, stating on YouTube, "I ... decided to dive back into production as Circle of Dust for the new Celldweller album. I wanted to take what I'm doing now and reinterpret it in the way I used to produce. ... There is an official Circle of Dust remix of "Jericho" on ''End of an Empire''. ... There's another track coming, brand-new, with Circle of Dust involved in the production, and it will be in your hands before the end of this year."<ref>{{cite web|title="Ask Celldweller EP.30: Official Circle of Dust Announcement and more!"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8EieWg94Eg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/W8EieWg94Eg |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Klayton also announced the 2016 re-release (with bonus content) of the entire Circle of Dust catalog on his FiXT label.<ref name=Loudwire>{{cite web|last1=Childers|first1=Chad|title=Circle of Dust, 'Contagion' – Exclusive Song Premiere|url=http://loudwire.com/circle-of-dust-contagion-exclusive-song-premiere/|website=[[Loudwire]]|publisher=[[Townsquare Media]]|accessdate=May 3, 2016|date=February 19, 2016}}</ref>

On March 4, 2016, Klayton released the remaster of the 1992 self-titled album,<ref>{{cite web|title=Circle of Dust - Circle of Dust (Remastered)|url=https://fixtstore.com/products/circle-of-dust-circle-of-dust-remastered-deluxe-edition-digital-album?variant=15309726598|website=Fixt|accessdate=May 3, 2016}}</ref> which included a bonus track on the deluxe edition, "Neophyte", from the fifth studio album coming in December 2016.<ref name="March 3, 2016">{{cite web|last1=Frazier|first1=Kelly|title=First Listen to New Circle Of Dust Track "Neophyte", Bonus Track Featured on the Re-Release of the Debut Self-Titled Album from 1992|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-frazier/first-listen-to-new-circl_b_9370726.html|website=[[Huffington Post]]|date=March 3, 2016|accessdate=May 3, 2016}}</ref> Also included in the deluxe edition are instrumental demos, a remix on "Nothing Sacred" from Blue Stahli, an acoustic version of "Onenemy", and their instrumental tracks.<ref name=Loudwire /> Circle of Dust's fifth studio album, ''[[Machines of Our Disgrace]]'', was released in December 2016, on Klayton's own label FiXT.<ref>{{cite web|title=Circle of Dust - Machines of Our Disgrace|url=https://fixtstore.com/collections/circle-of-dust/products/circle-of-dust-machines-of-our-disgrace?variant=30818964236|website=Fixt|accessdate=October 23, 2017}}</ref>