NONPOINT
Recoil
Lava Records 2004
www.nonpoint.com

Read the Elias Soriano interview

Live Nonpoint pics

What's the 4-1-1?
Third release by the Ft. Lauderdale thrashers.

Genre
Hard rock

The Good
The first few lines of the opening track “The Same” really caught my attention; Things haven’t changed / You haven’t changed / I haven’t changed. What I noticed though is that Nonpoint has changed. Their sound has become more refined. On this particular track the rhythms are pounding, while the vocals are strong yet smoothed over. That’s a good thing. On “The Truth”, Nonpoint make a strong political statement that will musicallly raise your blood pressure. When “Broken Bones” plays out at a live sure, there’s sure to be a few. It’s a tale of damaged relationships that makes you want to pump your fists and flail your arms.

Clean guitar tones and some serene female vocals enhance the heaviness of “Wait”. “Rabia” is infused with a funky Latino percussion beat. Even though it’s sung entirely in Spanish, it doesn’t lose any of its ferrous anger. Punishing yet tuneful vocals and a thick lead riff dominate “Done It Anyway”. If you’ve seen any sports promos on ESPN or ABC lately, I’m sure that you’ve heard Nonpoint’s cover of the Phil Collins classic “In the Air Tonight”. It’s just as dark as the original, and I really like the addition of the tribal-like drum beat.

The Bad
Nothing

The Verdict
There’s no doubt about it, Recoil is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year. Nonpoint keeps the heaviness that they’re known for, while polishing their vocals to give things a more melodic feel. I took this one to the gym and it kicked my motivation and energy into overdrive.

Did you know?
The band’s name is derived from a band that guitarist Robb Rivera was a part of in Puerto Rico called Nonpoint Factor.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne