A Cruel World is the debut album by American heavy metal band Bloodsimple, released on March 29, 2005.

Richardson had previously worked with a number of alternative metal acts, including Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, 40 Below Summer, Chevelle and Trapt.

The themes of Cruel World include war ("Straight Hate"), failed relationships ("Leaving Song", "Sell Me Out"), paranoia ("Running from Nothing") and drug addiction ("Flatlined").

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.