First posted on Mark Is Cranky:
- Sometimes I wish I could just sew
up my eyes so I don't have to
witness and realize the monster
that has become of me
This is not a happy record.
Nosiree, not one little bit. People are crushed by lovers, governments, loneliness, anger, insanity, anxiety and the plain cruelty of the human condition.
Combine all of those situations and associated emotions with two extremely loud guitars, a very athletic rhythm section and a singer who sounds like his inner organs are trying to make their way out. That is the sound of Bloodsimple. It's angst glowing white hot.
The problem is that's all there is. Or rather, that's all that I get our of it. There are a few times when the pummeling intensity is notched back a bit (the intro and bridge sections on "Sell Me Out", the long buildup on "Flatlined"), but overall...it's full-on rage. I found myself comparing them to Slipknot and Mudvayne. Further investigations revealed that Bloodsimple is the first band signed to Mudvayne lead singer Chad Gray's Bullygoat label.
Strangely enough though, like the occasional Mudvayne or Converge record, I kinda enjoyed this thing. I guess that cathartic and sorta dangerous kick in the face just fit my mood.
And dangerous, a sometimes overused rock criticism word, was a perfect fit here: the last time I listened to A Cruel World at work, a coworker popped his head through my office doorway and said, "Hey, you hear that?" It wasn't Bloodsimple he was talking about. It was the fire alarm that I couldn't hear over the squall blowing in through my earbuds. Imagine the headline: "Man trapped in fire. Hardcore music the cause." Cruel world? Oh, yea.
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