I
took a listen to Nonpoint's latest release, ‘Recoil’, without knowing much of
anything about them. I had heard the name and a few songs off earlier discs, but
had no expectations going into this one. Comprised of Elias Soriano on vocals,
guitarist Andrew Goldman, KB on bass, and Rebb Rivera keeping the beats on
drums, Nonpoint pulled together this amazing Lava Records debut after taking
twelve months writing twelve driving, aggressive songs, as well as an amazing
cover of the Phil Collins hit, "In the Air Tonight". From the first track, "The
Same", I knew I was in for a great disc. Each song features hard, driving
guitars and passionate vocals. "Wait" was easily one of my favorite tracks on
the album, with its softer lyrics and hard beats. They even throw in a
Latino-inspired, Spanish song, "Rabia", which shows their versaitility and
unique take on their music. I absolutely loved their take on "In the Air
Tonight" by Phil Collins. It was a great twist on a classic tune. By the end of
the album, I knew I had found another great disc for my collection. ‘Recoil’ is
one of the better records I have heard in a long time, and I enjoyed every song
on it. Nonpoint is definitely a band to check out! (Melani Alleshouse)
This band is
made up of former members of several hardcore bands, but the sound they create
together is something else entirely. The songs on ‘Magdalene’ combine heavy
power chord riffing with jangly, almost psychedelic guitar parts and melodic,
moody vocals. Opener “Mary Magdalene” sounds like a heavier take on
‘Pornography’ or ‘Disintegration’ period The Cure. Other songs like “The
Melodramatic” and “Windowslide” are more uptempo, poppy sounding numbers that
still retain a feeling of melancholy. “La Seine” reminds me, strangely enough,
of early Warrior Soul with a more indie rock vibe. Closing track “Picasso” is a
great epic mood piece that sucks you into its sonic landscape but still gives
you some hooks to hang on to. Excellent use of dynamics and layering of
instruments throughout, well written lyrics, good singing, and good playing.
I’m definitely looking forward to a full length from these guys, because if this
5 song EP is any indication, Renee Heartfelt are a band to watch. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a solid, above
average disc of retro garage rock with a bit of soul. Don’t let the name of the
band fool you. The only religion these guys preach is rock ‘n’ roll. Of
course, there’s plenty of other bands doing very similar stuff. All the
expected influences are here: The Stones, The Who, “Nuggets” style garage
psyche, The MC5, etc. What saves this from being just another trip through
sixties nostalgia is the quality of the songwriting, and the fact that the band
is smart enough to vary the intensity of their attack from song to song. The
lyrics are mostly dark tales of crime and people living on the fringes of
society, and it feels like the band actually has some understanding of the
material as opposed to just appropriating it for a “dangerous” image. “Time Has
Come”, “No Beast So Fierce”, “Surprise”, “Exterminator”, and “Miss A” are the
songs that stood out the most to my ears. The rest of the disc isn’t bad,
either. This ain’t on the level of The Mummies or The Sonics by any means (what
is?), but if you like raw lo-fi garage rock this is one sermon you’ll wanna’
listen to. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is a soundtrack album for some sort of “extreme” racing video. Not really the
sort of thing I’d watch, but I can see how the music on here would be a good
fit. The compositions on this album are mainly by Fear Factory drummer Raymond
Herrera (with the help of FF guitar player Christian Olde-Wolbers). There’s
also a remix of Fear Factory’s “Archetype”. Most of the selections, however,
are instrumental numbers that mix modern electronic/techno music with metal.
The beats sound very up to date, and the metallic guitar melodies and riffs mesh
perfectly with them. It’s more of a background/mood music kind of thing for me,
but then that’s essentially what it was intended for – to be in the background
and set the mood for the video it was composed for. I imagine electronic music
fans and those who enjoy soundtrack music will embrace it more readily than the
typical metal head. It’s definitely good for what it is, but I don’t really see
myself listening to it very much. (Bob Ignizio)
I
took a listen to Nonpoint's latest release, ‘Recoil’, without knowing much of
anything about them. I had heard the name and a few songs off earlier discs, but
had no expectations going into this one. Comprised of Elias Soriano on vocals,
guitarist Andrew Goldman, KB on bass, and Rebb Rivera keeping the beats on
drums, Nonpoint pulled together this amazing Lava Records debut after taking
twelve months writing twelve driving, aggressive songs, as well as an amazing
cover of the Phil Collins hit, "In the Air Tonight". From the first track, "The
Same", I knew I was in for a great disc. Each song features hard, driving
guitars and passionate vocals. "Wait" was easily one of my favorite tracks on
the album, with its softer lyrics and hard beats. They even throw in a
Latino-inspired, Spanish song, "Rabia", which shows their versaitility and
unique take on their music. I absolutely loved their take on "In the Air
Tonight" by Phil Collins. It was a great twist on a classic tune. By the end of
the album, I knew I had found another great disc for my collection. ‘Recoil’ is
one of the better records I have heard in a long time, and I enjoyed every song
on it. Nonpoint is definitely a band to check out! (Melani Alleshouse)
This band is
made up of former members of several hardcore bands, but the sound they create
together is something else entirely. The songs on ‘Magdalene’ combine heavy
power chord riffing with jangly, almost psychedelic guitar parts and melodic,
moody vocals. Opener “Mary Magdalene” sounds like a heavier take on
‘Pornography’ or ‘Disintegration’ period The Cure. Other songs like “The
Melodramatic” and “Windowslide” are more uptempo, poppy sounding numbers that
still retain a feeling of melancholy. “La Seine” reminds me, strangely enough,
of early Warrior Soul with a more indie rock vibe. Closing track “Picasso” is a
great epic mood piece that sucks you into its sonic landscape but still gives
you some hooks to hang on to. Excellent use of dynamics and layering of
instruments throughout, well written lyrics, good singing, and good playing.
I’m definitely looking forward to a full length from these guys, because if this
5 song EP is any indication, Renee Heartfelt are a band to watch. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a solid, above
average disc of retro garage rock with a bit of soul. Don’t let the name of the
band fool you. The only religion these guys preach is rock ‘n’ roll. Of
course, there’s plenty of other bands doing very similar stuff. All the
expected influences are here: The Stones, The Who, “Nuggets” style garage
psyche, The MC5, etc. What saves this from being just another trip through
sixties nostalgia is the quality of the songwriting, and the fact that the band
is smart enough to vary the intensity of their attack from song to song. The
lyrics are mostly dark tales of crime and people living on the fringes of
society, and it feels like the band actually has some understanding of the
material as opposed to just appropriating it for a “dangerous” image. “Time Has
Come”, “No Beast So Fierce”, “Surprise”, “Exterminator”, and “Miss A” are the
songs that stood out the most to my ears. The rest of the disc isn’t bad,
either. This ain’t on the level of The Mummies or The Sonics by any means (what
is?), but if you like raw lo-fi garage rock this is one sermon you’ll wanna’
listen to. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is a soundtrack album for some sort of “extreme” racing video. Not really the
sort of thing I’d watch, but I can see how the music on here would be a good
fit. The compositions on this album are mainly by Fear Factory drummer Raymond
Herrera (with the help of FF guitar player Christian Olde-Wolbers). There’s
also a remix of Fear Factory’s “Archetype”. Most of the selections, however,
are instrumental numbers that mix modern electronic/techno music with metal.
The beats sound very up to date, and the metallic guitar melodies and riffs mesh
perfectly with them. It’s more of a background/mood music kind of thing for me,
but then that’s essentially what it was intended for – to be in the background
and set the mood for the video it was composed for. I imagine electronic music
fans and those who enjoy soundtrack music will embrace it more readily than the
typical metal head. It’s definitely good for what it is, but I don’t really see
myself listening to it very much. (Bob Ignizio) 