Artist - Bloodsimple
Album - A Cruel World
Label - Bullygoat/Reprise Records
Reviewer - Robin Steeley
Long Island’s Bloodsimple is composed of former members of Vision of Disorder, Downset, Skrew, and Medication, but this is not a band tied to its past. Their music is a furious bloodletting, one that will keep you in its grips long after you have heard the last chord. This is the band that impressed Chad Gray from Mudvayne so much that he started his own record label just so he could be the first to sign them. I would be willing to bet that it’s only a matter of time before Bloodsimple has become a force to be reckoned with. Now let’s talk about the music.
The album is called “A Cruel World” and has been released on the brand new Bullygoat label and produced by none other then the master, GGGarth Richardson. The album is a masterpiece from the very start with “Straight Hate” that starts this pervasive metal crunch that never ends. The song has a brutal breakdown followed by an addicting chorus that will stay in your head long after the song ends. This is followed by “Path To Prevail” and “What If I Lost It” which are both grating anger filled tirades. The songwriting is incredibly both musically and lyrically. The chorus changes to a moving poetry encased melody with “What If I Lost It”. What stands out so much about Bloodsimple is that the screaming is as beautiful as the melodies. Tim Williams has an incredibly dynamic vocal range and puts it to the test in every song, especially apparent in the slower burning “The Leaving Song” which has kind of an epic, aching feel to it while still being truly metal. It is definitely one of my favorite tracks as is “Running From Nothing” which I identify with so personally, especially the chorus
“Can't seem to rest with a fuckin' pain in my chest
There's no sense in running from nothing
I can listen to that track over and over again and I just get lost in its crushing heaviness. I love the brutal rawness of “Falling Backwards” and the poignant closing track “Plunder”, acoustically driven and lyrically beautiful it is a nice come down after the adrenaline rush that is this band. If you stick around long enough there is also a hysterical bonus track way at the very end.
I have to say that this CD has been my treasure find out of all the hundreds of CD’s we have received this summer. It’s the one that still to this day is spinning in my car’s CD player, and what you will most often find me rocking out to at home. This is the first band that has affected me this much since Pantera, and for me that’s huge. Their music grips me, and lyrically I feel like I could have written the words to some of the songs myself. I can imagine I’m not the only one who is going to become addicted to this album. Addiction is the only word I can use to describe how I feel about it.
Bloodsimple is:
Tim Williams (Vocals)
Mike Kennedy (Guitar)
Nick Rowe (Guitar)
Kyle Sanders (Bass)
Chris Hamilton (Drums
Tracklisting
Straight Hate
Path To Prevail
What If I Lost It
Blood in Blood Out
Sell Me Out
Leaving Song
Running from Nothing
Cruel World
Flatlined
Falling Backwards
Plunder
