CD REVIEW NONPOINT Recoil

After exploding onto the rock scene with Development, the hard-hitting members of Nonpoint took a year off to coil up their angst and frustration and inject it into the heart of their music. The result, entitled Recoil, finds the band pummeling their way through 13 gut-splitting tracks, sounding heavier, angrier and louder than ever.

But there’s an unfortunate glaring drawback to this CD. Like singer Elias Soriano screams on the opening track, “Things haven’t changed” – a problem that drains the album’s potential because the songs hardly seem to change at all.

That’s not to say there is no potential. From beginning to end, the album is an imploding riot of full-throttle energy. Thrashing through headbangers like “Broken Bones” and “Done It Anyway,” Soriano finds the ultimate forum for his fury against inner demons, politics, and the War in Iraq. On top of that, the blaring instruments and intense vocals elevate Recoil to daunting heights.

But the album rarely shifts from that formula. Despite attempts to keep it fresh with the Spanish-laced metal tune “Rabia” and a decent cover of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” the album spirals into dullness. With Soriano constantly roaring over the songs instead of indulging a bit more in his solid singing voice, Recoil sometimes sounds like one giant circus of feedback. It’s still definitely worth a listen, but not for everyone’s ears.

Rafael Sangiovanni can be contacted at r.sangiovanni@umiami.edu.