Nonpoint
The Return
(Razor & Tie)
The mix of rap and hard rock that this Florida quintet is known for has now reached its eighth album and seventeen years of existence. That’s hard to believe, but it’s a core fact. It also proves that whatever these guys are doing, they must be doing a good job of it for people to still keep taking notice after all these years. The Return is truly no different then, with its slew of catchy choruses, chunky riffs and rapped vocals. Perhaps you might not like the fact that this record doesn’t bite as hard as the band’s previous self-titled output, but it has a little more heart and feels like a mix between a ballad and neck-wringer which will see an impressive radio presence if it hasn’t already. Songs like “Misery”, “Never Ending Hole” and “Pins And Needles” offer the rap/rock approach, while more passionate pieces like “Breaking Skin,” “Take Apart This World” and the balladic “Widowmaker” offer up a more traditional hard rock vibe that makes The Return stand apart from some of the other records in the band’s discography. It’s definitely a more mature effort from the band that seems to show an increasingly melodic vibe to their patented knuckle-down style of hard rock. We even get a heavier moment in “Never Cared Before” which shows a more abrasive side to the act than I remember ever having heard from them, which shows that these guys are trying very hard to not make the same kind of album that we’ve always expected with them. The rap/rock is still there, but it’s been dulled in the place of memorable chorus lines which dole out a form of passion that keeps them ahead of the pack and shows the band with a newfound sense of strength. At first listen you might not think that The Return is going to be all that great, and keep in mind that the last output wasn’t exactly a shining moment for these guys – but if you keep listening, the record will catch you by surprise and you’ll find yourself strangely attracted to these pieces. Without a doubt, Nonpoint’s The Return is one of the strongest hard rock outputs of 2014 and it assures me that these guys are showing no signs of stopping. They’ve been doing it for almost twenty years now and seem to be evolving a little more with each record. If you’re a fan of hard rock, then definitely give it a listen. (Eric May)
