Ozzfest veterans Nonpoint have started to separate themselves from the nü-metal pack with their fourth album, Recoil, a record that neatly combines melody and intensity with a smattering of vaguely political lyrics. It’s the season for war-bashing, and Nonpoint happily oblige with “Side With The Guns” and lead single “The Truth,” in which singer Elias Soriano repeats the refrain “If we only knew the truth about it/Maybe we could work a way around it” over guitar riffs and drum beats that sound like rapid gunfire. The hooks of “Move Now” and “The Same” show that Nonpoint are aiming to craft real songs instead of just creating loud noise—and that fact alone distinguishes them from many in their genre. A few songs become tiresome and repetitive, but for the most part the music remains interesting thanks to liberal use of the loud/soft dynamic in songs like “Past It All” and “Wait.” “Rabia,” sung by Soriano in Spanish, hits with such fury that it sounds more like an intense live performance than a studio recording. Nonpoint aren’t quite ready to stake a claim as one of music’s elite hard rock acts, but the surprisingly consistent Recoil is good enough to make you hope they get heard by more than just hardcore metalheads.
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