Band:	Bloodsimple
Album:	A Cruel World
Style:	Alternative metal, Metalcore
Release date:	May 2005

01. Straight Hate
02. Path To Prevail
03. What If I Lose It
04. Blood In Blood Out
05. Sell Me Out
06. The Leaving Song
07. Running From Nothing
08. Cruel World
09. Flatlined
10. Falling Backwards
11. Plunder

Nu Metal Done Right

It seems that my predictions about Nu Metal are slowly coming true. After the style has lost most of its commercial potential, only bands that possess some sort of artistic merit are going to be able to continue recording new music. Bloodsimple is definitely one such band and from now on, I'll be watching their career very carefully.

The members of Bloodsimple are actually scene veterans with a collective portfolio that includes such bands as Vision Of Disorder, Medication, Skrew and Downset. Their experience really shows on A Cruel World as there is no real filler and the production is absolutely superb, highlighting all the band's greatest traits. The riffs are memorable and appropriately angular, while the rhythm section outdoes itself. Still, by far the most outstanding thing about this band is the vocalist Tim Williams. His screams and growls are earth-shattering; however, he also reveals a new side to his vocal delivery on some songs by providing excellent emotional clean vocals. As impressive as the band's aggressive side is, it is actually the soft tracks with clean vocals that really make A Cruel World a winner for me. They start with "Sell Me Out" and continue for the remainder of the record. Perhaps for this reason, the heavy songs in the second half don't make quite as much of an impression anymore and this is why the album does not actually deserve the highest score.

Without a doubt this is an excellent release. I highly recommend it to anyone who is not allergic to nu-metal. Actually, even if you hate the style, this is the time to give it another try.