Red Harvest

Made up of members of Vision of Disorder, Skrew, and Crowbar, Bloodsimple represents a lifetime's worth of experience in heavy music. Their newest, RED HARVEST, manages to process the best aspects of the members' various ventures into a shiny, powerful fusion of strut and swagger, brutal precision, and bludgeoning rhythm. Opener "Ride With Me" features swaying power chords and roaring, Pantera-style vocals, setting the tone for the parade of chops-licking metal on display for the rest of the album. The title track digs away with unrelenting tick-tock timing, and both "Dead Man Walking" and "Out to Get You" feature the kind of whiskey-bathed, hip-swinging hard rock that Velvet Revolver has been trying to nail down. Some metal veterans fade away, but Bloodsimple is still plugging away, honing their sound to a keen blade.