I don't want to focus on this at all, but since it is quite relevant, I'll assume that most already know that this band features former Vision of Disorder vocalist Tim Williams and guitarist Mike Kennedy, and like most, whether they want to admit it or not, I was a huge fan of V.O.D. when their first full-length dropped (come on, you know that shit is a great record), and I kind of liked where they headed after that as well - granted not as much. While not for everyone, this record is infinitely better than anything V.O.D. did past the mid-90's, and sees Williams' trademark (and still at times Alice in Chains-esque) shifts between screaming/howling/singing/speaking in finely aggressive and disturbed form. Musically there are a few nu-metal leanings, but it's mainly coming from the simplistic rhythms and basic song structures in tandem with that generally overproduced swagger that the recording possesses, but I'm not complaining about any of that because I think it sounds slick and the songwriting is pretty damn good in my opinion. There's a pretty constant blend of fierce heaviness and varying degrees of melody, all to a range of levels of consistency, where some tracks favor one angle over another or what have you, but nothing ever really abandons that general sense of balance - see tracks like "What if I Lost It" and "Cruel World" for great examples of such an equilibrium at work. "Straight Hate" kicks things off right away with one of the darker and more in your face attacks, and I have to admit it impressed me right off the bat; while "Path to Prevail" is one of the more nu-metal sounding compositions and "Blood In Blood Out" runs barely over two minutes and adds some faster and more energetic riffing to said type of approach. "Sell Me Out" is quite openly melodic and uses some fluid lead melodies for a pretty damn catchy tune that's actually among my favorites in its blend of dynamics. Following that up is the equally melodic and catchy yet generally softer and more somber "The Leaving Song", which brings in acoustic guitars and smoother singing for an almost "ballad" sounding excursion - and not a bad one at that. "Running From Nothing" uses more guitar effects for some sustained droning textures and such, while "Flatlined" takes a similar route with lush clean/acoustic guitars and more pronounced bass work and a bit of programmed electronics/percussion that can at times lend a weird sort of neo-industrial tinge to things, except for the fact that the track's kind of chilled out in large part. "Falling Backwards" is an odd one in that it blends some of the most modern elements of stripped down chunky grooves and dissonant note bends with faster and borderline thrashy picking patterns that are certainly the more promising of the two approaches. "Plunder" opens with bright acoustic guitars and more programmed electronics with well harmonized singing, forming the core for the rather subdued closer - which has a pretty different vibe from the rest of the disc, but still fits. And shit, I like it. As mentioned the recording has a little bit of that overproduced churn going on with the guitar tone, but I'm not bothered by it at all because everything sounds nice and thick. The basslines tend to get lost but guitars and drums dominate so I'm cool with that. The vocals are a little out in front of the music because the scathing screams have more of a high-end bite to their texture, and the guitars could maybe use a little of that added character, but as usual when major labels are involved (the label is a division of Reprise) it sounds pretty fuckin' slick and polished (which I tend to like). The layout looks good to me with your usual desolate landscapes, textured and manipulated band photos, interesting text arrangements, etc. Considering the label ties it would be a shock if it didn't look good, you know? The lyrics don't do that much for me and tend to deal with massive doses of pain, depression, betrayal, etc. I don't dislike the lyrics or anything, occasionally there are some strong lines, but as a whole it's a little more stripped down and basic than I tend to prefer - but not so much that it becomes truly in your face and blunt, you know? "Convicted with no excuse just pull the trigger I got nothing' to lose, Disputed I will not be locked down, Split lipped with nothin' to lose, I will never change my point of view, Dispute it the victim is you..." I'm pretty into this record, though. A good song is a good song and when this kind of stuff hits the mark I'm all for it, I don't really carry any sort of misguided bullshit "underground or bust" mentality. I think this is solid work and I'll look forward to hearing more if they (hopefully) continue.
[Bullygoat]
Running time - 41:00 (approximately), Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Straight Hate, Sell Me Out, The Leaving Song, Cruel World]
Bloodsimple - http://www.bloodsimpleband.com
