NONPOINT | X | Album Review

It's hard to believe that Nonpoint has been going on for such a long time. While many of their peers in the original nu-metal wave have gone and some are still with them today, Nonpoint has somehow stayed afloat throughout all of it. In many ways, Nonpoint can be looked at in a similar vein as Sevendust in that both bands do not have as big of a grip on popularity as bands like Disturbed or Godsmack but both have managed to survive through the harshest of winters and are still going strong with a dedicated fanbase. The difference between the two is that while Sevendust is more creative with their sound, Nonpoint are happy in the comfort zone they are currently in and haven't exited it nearly as much. While their first four albums showcased they had the potential to do that, the rest of their discography (sans a good self-titled in 2012) has felt like more of the same. Now, as 2018 rolls along, we get a bit of a promising pitch attached to the band's newest album "X". Obviously being their tenth album, Elias Soriano and the other band members seem to have their best feet forward in an album they feel the are most proud of. It's definitely not a bad thing to feel like a new album you have worked on is your best one yet. That's the goal of many bands and artists and even if you're not a musician you can understand it. In that case, though, there are two things to expect from a new record when a band states this about it: they have either tried new things or rather enhanced their style to attempt to give it more bite. 

Listening to the pre-released tracks before the release of "X", those being "Chaos And Earthquakes", "Dodge Your Destiny", and "Fix This", you can tell that they obviously chose the latter for the overall style found throughout the record, and that's the biggest problem. While it is a good ideal to stay true to yourself, you have to make the attempt to at least do something that is not just the same style of song repeated ad nauseum. That is the flaw surrounding these three tracks as while each of them have a difference in speed, there is nothing unique about any of them. It is literally NOTHING that you haven't heard before from this band. "Chaos And Earthquakes" is literally the same style and format that has been run down the drain several times, with Soriano's rapid vocal delivery in the verses proving that. "Dodge Your Destiny" tries to mix in a little bit of speed with some thrashy delivery, but there's also nothing unique or interesting going on throughout the runtime of this track. "Fix This" is obviously the more radio friendly song of the triplet of mediocrity, but it's not written well and it's a format that you can find in almost every radio-ready song ever created for the entire rock genre. There isn't really much to say about these tracks considering they are so similar to each other in everything they're doing. And sadly, this sameness is what you'll be delivered for almost the entirety of the album.

To be honest, the album does start off decently with its opening track "Empty Batteries", which is similar in tone to the first three singles but at the very least it features a nice chorus and a very catchy solo that works alright in the song. But, then we arrive at the rest of the album, and aside from a couple of tracks, nothing seems to be different. It is almost like Nonpoint went into the studio, made a list of the most notifiable characteristics that music listeners know them for, and put that all onto this record. I can't say that there was no effort made on this record because there is passion there and the musical abilities are present, but there is still nothing we haven't heard before present on the album. Tracks like "Passive Aggressive", "Crashing", and "Feel The Way I Feel" prove that to the absolute fullest. "Wheel Against Will" sounds like something written by a bad Pantera ripoff just to be put on a T-shirt later on and the track "Milestone" proves that the songwriting has gone severely downhill for this band which can be heard throughout a majority of this album. The only two songs that try to do something different are "Position One" and bonus track "Paralyzed", and it is sad when one of the album's best songs is a B-side only sold with the deluxe edition of the album. If "Paralyzed" were added to the track listing I believe this album would actually work a little bit better, but the truth is, nothing would really save this mediocre material. 

Hearing this album kind of hurts because I am a Nonpoint fan. I became a fan in 2012 when I bought "To The Pain" followed by "Development", "Statement", and "Recoil", and really liked what I heard. There is proof within these four albums that Nonpoint is so capable of making something worth listening to. They are much better than simply making the same album over and over while failing a bit harder each time. Maybe it's because they've had a revolving door of musicians come in and out since Andrew Goldman left the band, or maybe it's some other reason, but Nonpoint has fallen faster with every album, the only ladder leading them up being the self titled album (I mean, coming after the atrocious "Miracle", anything would be an improvement). Since then, it's been very flat, and this album "X" takes that one step further. This album is easily Nonpoint's worst since "Miracle" and while it isn't that bad, the only people this album will cater to is Nonpoint fans. People who have enjoyed everything Nonpoint has ever done and think that there is still good music coming from these guys, and if that is your opinion, fine. Everyone has their preferences. But for people who have given a bit of tough love to this band and genuinely want to see them TRY something new, this is definitely not the album to cross off your musical shopping list. 

RATING: 3/10 

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