bloodsimple: A Cruel World

Band website: www.bloodsimpleband.com

Parts of this album are simply crushing. If you’ve ever heard Vision of Disorder (two members of VOD are in the band), you’ll appreciate some semblance of that sound mixed in with ample portions old Pantera. Overall, it’s not “fuck yeah!” fast, double-kick driven metal… but it’s got an abundance of catchy, bendy guitar hooks which are artfully placed. Those are the best parts of this album, in my estimation.

I guess having in-tune screaming with monotone screaming by way of multiple overlays is kind of par-for-the-course these days, but these guys pull it off well.

The album kind of puts the brakes on around track 5-and-a-half. It becomes, for the most part, more sing-songy, and less kick-you-in-the-gut. There are certainly some mosh-worthy breakdowns and more of that cool bendy guitar shit… but lyrics in the last track say: “so sick and tired”.

Apparently, these guys got sick and tired of trying to make a break-through album. It’s probably an album worth owning, but it won’t prove to be one you play over and over… and can’t get enough of. I have to judge relatively when I can: This album is not as good as KsE’s “The End of Heartache” (my PRF review). Since we don’t do decimals here at PRF (it kind of goes against the “Fuckin’ Metal” tenet with the fractions and the mathpain and the flaven), bloodsimple gets a six.