Bloodsimple

Bloodsimple came together in New York City as a metalcore unit assembled from the remains of the noted hardcore and thrash metal ensemble Vision of Disorder. After the 2001 Vision of Disorder release From Bliss to Devastation met with only tepid reactions from listeners and reviewers, the outfit entered a period of inactivity that led to an official breakup announcement in 2002. By that stage, however, frontman Tim Williams and guitarist Mike Kennedy had already started developing new material under the initial name Fix 8, a venture begun merely as an auxiliary effort. The Vision of Disorder split, together with the arrival of guitarist Nick Rowe, soon gave Bloodsimple an autonomous existence. Bassist Kyle Sanders, formerly of Medication and Skrew, and drummer Chris Hamilton, whose prior credits included Downset, Crowbar, and Deadbolt, completed the lineup, after which the musicians set about crafting songs and cutting demos that caught the ear of Mudvayne’s Chad Gray. Gray placed the band on his Bullygoat Records roster, an imprint then distributed via Warner Bros./Reprise. The resulting debut, A Cruel World, surfaced in spring 2005, prompting extensive road work that placed Bloodsimple alongside Superjoint Ritual, American Head Charge, Soulfly, Six Feet Under, and Stone Sour. In 2007 the group joined the heavy metal showcase The Family Values Tour, and that autumn issued its second album, Red Harvest. The record became the first to feature drummer Will Hunt, one of several percussionists brought in after Chris Hamilton’s exit.