Nonpoint
To the Pain

Release Date: 2005 | Tracklist

Literally being punched in the face is most likely an experience that many people will associate with pain, something to avoid. This mostly holds true unless you look at it from a musical standpoint, in which a punch in the face can only be considered a good thing. Listening to Nonpoint's latest album, "To the Pain" is the equivalent to being decked in the face by 10 metal guitarists. Currently, Nonpoint consists of
Elias: Vocals
Andy: Guitar
Robb: Drums
Bastard: Bass

The Muscle
The real force behind Nonpoints powerful hits is the instrumental work. The guitar work is unique and seriously heavy. Only one guitarist is listed for the albums guitar work, but occasionally, there does appear to be two guitarists at work, but it could be layering, so the guitar smackdown might be a little weaker during a live show. Andy has the ability to produce truly dizzying riffs and licks. The song with the most power guitar-wise is easily the second track on the album, "There's Going to be a War!" in which Andy shows of his speed and produces a lightening fast flourish before the first verse. The guitar parts are also very heavy, as Andy slams out consistently heavy riffs throughout the entire album, the only songs that don't involve bone breaking aggression are the 2 instrumental tracks on the album, "(Ren-Dishen)" and "The Shortest Beginning", in which the primary focus seems to be on the bassist's notable bass skills. Throughout most of the rest of the album, Bastard remains pretty un-noticed, but in the aforementioned tracks, he really shows his talent. The drumming is your typical metal drumming, double bass, cymbal crashing standards. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the drummer is rather talented, he just rarely shows it. The drum solo-intro to the song "Skin" is Robb's shining moment on the album. This all combined provides the real power behind the punch.

The Fist
The in-your-face aspects of the album come from the lyrics and vocals. Elias has abandoned his rapping vocals and is now really just either shouting or screaming. The only real screaming points of the album come in the song "The Wreckoning" in which Elias repeatedly builds up his voice into a harsh scream. He does do some clean vocals, which only appear a few times on the album, most notably in the song "Explain Yourself" (which, oddly enough, features a trumpet solo). Group vocals are used very rarely on the album; the only real moment in which the group vocals come through is in the song "To the Pain" which is arguably the most powerful performance on the album. Elias himself only seems to sing in Spanish at one point on the album, in the song "Buscandome" in the verse. The line "Yo soy, lo que soy. No me voy. Buscandome" translates roughly to "I am what I am. I won't go. I look for myself" or "I find myself". The song also features a man slowly building to a scream while shouting in Spanish, and in the song "To The Pain" a conversation is carried out with a woman speaking Spanish and a man replying in English. The lyrics on this album are occasionally cliched, which are mixed into some very creative lyrics. Opener "Bullet with a Name" is a song about a bank robbery in which Elias threateningly shouts "People running in every direction with their hands up, waiting for the drama to end. I got my hand out looking for some money to spend, I've got a bullet with a name on it, bullet with a name". Those lyrics are the strongest points on the album, as Elias is not the best lyricist in the metal genre.

The Counter-Punch
In the words of Sir Isaac Newton: "For every action, there is an equal, but opposite, reaction" The downside to this album is the vocal redundancy, as Elias almost never changes the tone of his voice, which really does get songs a bit of a mixed up feel. Another bad point of the album is the guitar solos. Andy does solo, and they are good, but he is clearly not using his full ability. The lack of audibility in the bass department is another negative point of the album, as bass work usually keeps an album interesting. The lyrics are also somewhat weak.

The Impact
This is a very solid metal release. For someone who has a primary interest in punk, the impression of this album varies. It might take some time to grow, but eventually, you will find yourself listening to it every day. Mostly, fans of metal and hardcore are the primary audience, but this album has some potential to reach out beyond that target audience. Good album, I strongly recommend that you atleast listen to a few songs.

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3.6 great

Rank: #171 for 2005