Customer Reviews

Cruel World

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bloodsimple are an oasis in a heavy music scene full of lifeless clones and senseless noise. I hope I'm not alone in the assessment that metal is in desperate need of something outstanding, something with some heart. Enter Bloodsimple. At the core of the group are former Vision Of Disorder vocalist and guitarist Tim Williams and Mike Kennedy, respectively, so right off the bat, I knew this was gonna be a great project. What I didn't expect is how diverse and unique the music would be. Bloodsimple go a long way to establish a sound all their own, while still managing to satisfy any V.O.D. fan willing to give this a listen. But the best part is, Bloodsimple refuse to be confined in one genre.

"A Cruel World" is Bloodsimple's debut, and a mighty one it is. The band pushes and pulls it's way between styles in all eleven tracks, going to heavy extremes, such as "Blood In, Blood Out," "Path To Prevail" and the crushing opener, and first single, "Straight Hate" (no, not a Sepultura cover). At the same time, however, they manage to show an incredible sense of melody. Songs like "Plunder," "Flatlined," and especially "The Leaving Song" (no, not an A.F.I. cover) show Bloodsimple's advantage over their contemporaries. Their overall sound is a brute combination of both classic and (of course) nu metal, with a bit of grunge, and without a doubt, an abundance of hardcore. Fans of any kind of heavy music will be won over by "A Cruel World."

If I had to find a flaw in all of it, I'd say the fact that it runs too short, at only eleven tracks, the listen just breezes by. But I guess that's ok, as it is always an entertaining listen. Also, the track "Falling Backwards," which is good in it's own right, feels a bit tacked on. This song features Mudvayne frontman Chad Grey, who uncoincidentally signed the group to his own imprint label, and is obviously intended to appeal to Mudvayne fans who may be willing to invest in this album. I like Mudvayne, but I think I would have picked this up regardless of what names are attached with it, or who appears on the album. All that aside, rest assured, "A Cruel World" is a worthy find.

Anyone who gave this a one star review is either obsessed with categorizing music or just can't appreciate great musicians. One of the things i enjoyed the most about this disc is that it cant be tossed into any single category.Its definately metal/hardcore on songs such as "Straight Hate" and "What If I Lost It" but shows a much more melodic side on "The Leaving Song". Overall a great album that can be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners from those who enjoy Trivium, and Breaking Benjamin to listeners of Hardcore Metal who like Obituary, Hate Eternal, Nevermore, and DevilDriver.

P.S. I listen to all of the bands I just mentioned so check them out If you like this album.

Get it in your deck as soon as possible.

As soon as i found out V.O.D. broke up and formed this new band w/ other members, i just knew i had to buy the cd... I bought the cd online w/o even listening to any songs (which i rarely do).. Just got the cd in and i gave it a few listens. Starts off really good, and hard, makes you feel like you're listening to V.O.D. again... some of the tracks on this cd are really good like that... hard just like some tracks off past V.O.D. albums "For The Bleeders", & "From Bliss to Devastation", while others are soft to soft-core. The softcore ones are def. radio friendly, and don't have hardly any vulgarity in them. The softcore ones almost sound like the group called VAST. Then there are some really soft ones where Williams sings on it and it almost sounds like something that should be played on a station that plays light rock groups like Finger 11, or Nickelback, or pop groups (no offense to the fans of bands i mentioned, they're just light compared to bands like Metallica or V.O.D.). I think what Bloodsimple wanted to do w/ this cd was to cater to all crowds (music genre's), which they def. achieve. They def. broke some genre boundaries by doing so.. Most reviews i've read don't support the change that Williams is trying to make by doing this. I am a hardcore V.O.D. fan (I've got a tattoo of them on my body), and as a hardcore V.O.D. fan i say the following: I support their change in them wanting to get into something new. They took a risk on doing it, so far it seems to be working out for them. They've been doing great on their tour w/ Disturbed. I do miss them touring w/ other hardcore acts like they used to when they were V.O.D. but the new stuff from Bloodsimple is pretty damn good, even some of the light stuff is good.. There are a couple songs that aren't quite my ear yet, but maybe i just need to give it some more listens. This cd goes by fast as did V.O.D.'s "For The Bleeders" did also. It's kinda short, and there seems to be more softcore songs then harder ones... The way they placed the songs in order is good though, cuase you'll start w/ a few hard ones, go to maybe 1 or 2 soft ones and then back to exploding w/ some hard ones. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars becuase of some of the softer stuff on here, mainly due to there being more of a soft amt of songs on here then hardcore ones, but the cd is a 4 1/2 star in my book, i just wish there were maybe 2-3 more harder songs on the cd. All in all, i say it's a great debut from Williams new band Bloodsimple, and i can't wait for their next cd to come out. I will definitely be checking it out when it hits.
If you're a fan of Vision of Disorder (a hardcore fan too), then definitely check this cd out and give it a chance too. You may not dig the slow stuff at first, but give it a few listens at least before you chuck it (if you do chuck it that is). If you're into bands like VAST, then you should check this CD out as well. You'll find the harder selections to be more hardcore then VAST, but i think you'll dig it nevertheless.

I love this CD, but I think there's far too much singing in it. Tim has a scream far too good to waste on barely tolerable singing. Other than that, this is a great release full of anger and bone crunching riffs. I initially bought this because I knew they were signed to Chad Grey's label. I adore Mudvayne and figured Chad wouldn't waste his time on semi-talented bands. I then heard Straight Hate. I didn't think a CD with that song on it could be all bad, so I bought it. After my first listen I wasn't impressed. The only songs that jumped out at me were Straight Hate and Falling Backwards. But with further listens I began hearing more and more things I liked about it. After my fourth listen is when I really realized that it was a great disc start to finish. The singing takes getting used to but once you do I'm sure you'll like it just as much as I do.

A Cruel World starts out with the anthemic Straight Hate. I'm sure this is why most people bought this CD. This is still, after having it more that 4 months, still one of my favorite songs on here. Tim's screaming is as good as you get nowadays. There's not a single dull moment in this track. Path To Prevail is somewhat lacking. The chorus is bland and the riffs just sound used. Not too much good to say about it. What If I Lost It makes up for the filler of Path To Prevail. This isn't the strongest song on the album, but it's very good. Tim's vocals compliment the melody perfectly. Running From Nothing, I feel, has a bit too much singing, but the chorus more than makes up for it. There's something about a singing/screaming song that gets me every time. The band is top notch in this song too. Falling Backwards features Chad Grey (minimally at that) and is a breath of fresh air. There's only one bit of singing and the rest is pure heaviness. Although Chad's part is merely background yells, it's evident that it's him. I recommend this CD just for that one track. We end this disc with Plunder. It's thought-provoking, meaningful, everything I love in a song. The guitar work is particularly good in this song.

All in all, my favorite songs are Straight Hate, What If I Lost It, Running From Nothing, and Falling Backwards. Although this CD features more filler than I would like it to, it's still a solid effort. I'd say it's worth the money, but I can understand if someone feels differently. It's a hit or miss record.

God, it's great to hear those trademark Tim Williams screams again!!! It's heavier than I was expecting, and I'm very glad that it's doesn't sound like a continuation of VOD. Definitely one of the best debut's so far this year. Anyone know if they're doing any VOD songs on tour, or are they sticking to Bloodsimple material?

It was the early 90's on the mean streets on NYC when Timothy William's (frontman/and angst ridden tattooed shouter,screamer, singer of the greatest hardcore act other than Agnostic Front to come out of the NYC scene ....V.o.D), actually from strong island, but emerged out of New York. V.O.D was an act on its own. With mind blowing lyrics about apacalypse and our futures fate that would scare anyone just to know what Tim's message proved and how violently he got his words across. Nothing, but shear brutality that would make just about any hardcore act pack up their set and quit. This was V.O.D, and this was true hardcore/ grindcore/ speed thrash that really thrashed. Now there's no V.O.D, Tim comes back with Bloodsimple years later to hopefully get V.O.D fanz attention. The album was fairly rushed together quickly. What happened Tim? Where is that great lyrics and sound of hell coming in. Not for true blue V.O.D fans like myself; but if you like shlock rock than maybe buy to put in your collection of that nu-metal garbage, which is an insult to the metal community.

When my friend told me about this album and I read that it was rooted in former VOD members, I wasn't to excited. I am not a fan of VOD, for numerous reasons, but this album however, is nothing like VOD.

This album hits from every angle of the metal world. Just brutal straight up Hardcore with massive breakdowns to slower melodic more radio friendly songs. All in all it more than fits the bill and by all the reviews below I feel you will have a strong probablity of agreeing. If you like Mudvayne, Sepultura, Soulfly, Spineshank, or just straight up hardcore beats, don't pass this one up.

Upon listening to this record, I had already heard a few of the songs and was very impressed. I also knew this band's affiliation with Mudvayne's Chade Gray (signing with his Bullygoat records) and I knew I had to check this band out. Even though I had thoroughly enjoyed Straight Hate and Falling Backwards, first two songs I heard from this band, I was still a bit hesitant buying this record, but I'm glad I did.

I put the record on and was blown away. This is an extremely powerful sounding band with fearless vocals and instrumentals. They have managed to diversify themselves with their debut, A Cruel World. This is a very tough cd, as the screams and pounding riffs make it what it is. Also, amazing bass and drums fill every song. There certainly isn't any absent musical elements on this cd.

I can definately hint on the Mudvayne influences Bloodsimple has, but they sound nothing like Mudvayne. Everything this band has to offer is bad-ass, and then some. A Cruel World is just one sick record, front to back. With the first few tracks, you thought this band was going to carry an all-out Heavy agenda, but they proved their diversity with numerous mellow/acoustic songs on the cd.

Heavy, yet melodic, brutal, yet beautiful, but all in all, a brillient debut. This band is for real and their first record was a lot better than I thought it would be.

As most know 2/5 of this band stemmed from one of the greatest hardcore acts of all time Vision of Disorder - Besides some obvious vocal and quiter comparisons this is a different band... Combining the best aspects of modern hardcore metal with beatuiful melodic harmonies. Tim Williams Vocals are at their best - At both ends of the spectrum. The Drum work on this cd really stands out, very precise. Doesn't seem like a show off but by judging by his skill level he certainly could be.
I do partially agree with a previous reviewer who said there is something missing - and I also can't point my finger at it. The only thing I feel it maybe it is thwe song structures they generally are quite standard. Still though this is a great debut and I can't wait to hear more of Tim + co. on their next relief.

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Vision Of Disorder was one of the finest heavy bands in the past ten years. They never released anything sub-par, they always tore your head off, and evolved with each album but still remained the same. They were amazing and it was sad to see them end. Now comes VOD vocalist Tim Williams' new project: Bloodsimple. And how good it is to hear this man's voice again. He's got fabulous gutteral vocals, a great singing voice, and a knack for catchy hooks.

The album can really be split into two parts: first half and second half. The first half is heavy, fast, kick-you-in-the-balls metal just like old school VOD. The second half is more melodic, along the lines of more recent VOD only slowed down a little.

Unfortunately, Bloodsimple is not VOD but that doesn't mean its not good. They do sound, obviously, a lot like VOD but they're not a carbon copy. They're not as good as VOD but they're still pretty impressive. If you're a VOD fan, you gotta pick this up. Tim Williams is back and I can't wait till Bloodsimple's follow-up to this. I think they're only gonna get even better.