''A Cruel World'' is the debut album by American heavy metal band

Bloodsimple Bloodsimple was an American heavy metal band from New York City that formed in 2002. They were signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band's name comes from a term coined by detective novelist Dashiell Hammett. The term apparently describes the ...

, released on March 29, 2005.

Musical style

In broad terms, ''Cruel World's'' songs can be seen as falling into one of three categories, the categories being hardcore but commercially digestible

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

("Straight Hate", "Path to Prevail", "What If I Lost It", "Blood in Blood Out", "Cruel World", "Falling Backwards"),

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

styled

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...

("Sell Me Out", "Running from Nothing", "Flatlined"), and two softer

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

ballads ("The Leaving Song", "Plunder"). This kind of stylistic direction, to some extent, shows the record carrying on that of ''

From Bliss to Devastation ''From Bliss to Devastation'' is the fourth studio album by hardcore band Vision of Disorder, released in 2001. This album has more of an alternative metal sound mixed with hard rock and nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, som ...

'', Tim Williams and Mike Kennedy's main band

Vision of Disorder Vision of Disorder is an American hardcore punk, hardcore/metalcore band from Long Island, New York, that initially released three albums before disbanding in 2002. The band garnered attention for blending melody and groove into a traditional ha ...

's last release before its split-up.

Production and marketing

The band’s debut record was recorded with rock producer GGGarth Richardson in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Richardson had previously worked with a number of alternative metal acts, including

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...

, Slipknot,

40 Below Summer 40 Below Summer is an American nu metal band from New Jersey. Forming in 1998, the band broke up seven years later in 2005. After two small reunions in 2006 and 2010, they permanently reformed in 2011. Their latest album, ''Transmission Infrare ...

, Chevelle and

Trapt Trapt is an American rock band formed in Los Gatos, California. Eight studio albums have been recorded to date: ''Amalgamation'' (1999), ''Trapt'' (2002), '' Someone in Control'' (2005), '' Only Through the Pain'' (2008), '' No Apologies'' (20 ...

. According to the band, Richardson understood the sound the band was seeking and did not attempt to "tone it down". The record's production was a lengthy process, spanning approximately three years from beginning to end. After an extended period of writing, the band spent three and a half months in the studio. The basic elements of the album, including most of the vocals, were recorded in six weeks. After taking some time off, the band received an initial mix of the record, but were dissatisfied with the results. The record was remixed with more success by Mike Fraser.

Songs

The themes of ''Cruel World'' include war ("Straight Hate"), failed relationships ("Leaving Song", "Sell Me Out"),

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

("Running from Nothing") and drug addiction ("Flatlined"). The album's first single, the brutal "Straight Hate", was written about American soldiers fighting in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Vocalist Tim Williams stated that the song was about how difficult it was for the soldiers and that he wanted to write something where the words would help them through the day. Williams denies that the song is political, stating that he does not care about the Government's reasons for deployment of troops to the Gulf. The song "Flatlined," is about drug addiction, and was written from the perspective of a drug addict who eventually dies. Williams states that one of his best friends, who loved the song, ended up dying in the same way. The track "Falling Backwards" features a guest performance by Mudvayne's

Chad Gray Chad Gray (born October 16, 1971) is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal bands Mudvayne and Hellyeah. Career Mudvayne Gray quit his factory job that paid $40,000 a year to move to Peoria, Illinois and formed Mu ...

. "What if I Lost it" was used as the theme music for

Fuse TV Fuse is an American pay television channel launched in 1994 which was originally dedicated to music. After merging with the Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino-oriented NuvoTV in 2015, Fuse shifted its focus to general entertainment and lifestyl ...

's ''

Metal Asylum ''Metal Asylum'' is an American television program about heavy metal on Fuse. Hosted by Mistress Juliya, it served as a slightly subtler incarnation of the popular ''Uranium'' and even coexisted with it under the same host. ''Metal Asylum'' trad ...

''.

Track listing

#"Straight Hate" – 4:46 #"Path to Prevail" – 3:18 #"What If I Lost It" – 3:25 #"Blood in Blood Out" – 2:20 #"Sell Me Out" – 3:38 #"The Leaving Song" – 4:32 #"Running from Nothing" – 4:12 #"Cruel World" – 3:56 #"Flatlined" – 4:14 #"Falling Backwards" (feat.

Mudvayne Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...

) – 3:51 #"Plunder" – 6:45 * This song ends at 3:23 followed by silence until 4:53, at which point a phone conversation fades in which leads to the end of the track.

Personnel

*Tim Williams –

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Mike Kennedy –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Nick Rowe –

*Kyle Sanders –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Chris Hamilton –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Charting Positions

Album Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruel World, A 2005 debut albums Bloodsimple albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Garth Richardson