Album Review by Mark Bayross
From the ashes of legendary hardcore band Vision Of Disorder come Bloodsimple, their debut album A CRUEL WORLD something of a continuation of the sound of VOD’s FROM BLISS TO DEVASTATION, with nu-metal and grunge elements creeping in and adding some variety.
Nonetheless, Mike Kennedy’s guitar pulverises from the get-go, with relentless opener STRAIGHT HATE leaving little doubt that this is not VOD “gone soft”. Vocalist Tim Williams matches the shredding for intensity, his voice a ball of rage throughout, and the songs pile layer upon layer of colossal riffing.
And so the pattern continues, at least until (the presumably ironically-titled) SELL ME OUT halfway through, where a more Alice In Chains feel comes into the album, from where it mostly sets up camp and stays put. Hell, FLATLINED reminds me of the Offspring, while Mudvayne’s Chad Gray – who signed Bloodsimple to his Bullygoat Records imprint after they supported his band – crops up on FALLING BACKWARDS.
Whether you consider all this cross-pollination a good thing or an affront to your hardcore sensibilities is up to you, but I’d advise everyone with an open-minded approach to their metal to check out this impressive release.
