Review Summary: Album number 8 heralds The Return.
...Still alive and kicking.
Album 8. The Return.
The eighth outing from the Florida/Chicago based band aim to maintain new found form.
Having shuffled the line up yet again following the triumphant return to form self titled album, Nonpoint continue to build upon the momentum gained from said albums positive reception.
A quick lead guitarist change finds B.C. Kochmit of Eye Empire/Switched fame heading up what is said to be the final incarnation of Nonpoint. Robb Rivera stated that no further line up changes will occur, insinuating that if further loss of members occurs, Nonpoint will be laid to rest.
The return had zero recording contributions from Kochmit. Credit for lead guitar on The Return is awarded to Dave Lizzio. Almost immediately Kochmit took up touring duty once the album wrapped and Nonpoint have not looked back since.
The Return picks up where the self titled album left off. This is a collection of sharp, smartly crafted accessible hard rock tracks. Nonpoint are not the type of band who like to over complicate things musically.
In the beginning there were Spanish/Latin infused elements to their sound, a handful of songs actually being sung in Spanish. But as the band progressed and the line up steadily evolved, so did their sound.
From the second the album begins the clock is ticking. Pins And Needles is a great opener and ties with Razors for stand out tracks. This is Nonpoint cashing checks they wrote on the previous album, ensuring the fan base that they are not fixing what is not broke.
With The Return you find a collection of tracks that mostly vent. Elias delivers his most generic yet focused vocals to date. He rarely makes time to soften his approach. This is not an album that will excite the senses, this is an album that satisfies the ears with simple yet well placed riffs and structured drum patterns that rinse and repeat, never quite taking the lead...just nested away, pulling its weight.
The Return is the sound of a band that has survived and adapted, but also the sound of a band which are seasoned professionals and have a zero bull*** approach to marching forward. This album will not make them millionaires, but it just might shift them up the bill a place or two.
