Recoil

Nonpoint deliver another set of angst-filled hard rock that challenges the notion that modern metal eschews melodicism. Vocalist Elias Soriano displays a truly versatile set of pipes on their latest, Recoil, a record that falls short of elevating Nonpoint to the level of contemporaries like Rage Against the Machine or Tool, yet strikes a winning balance between the angular crunch of nu-metal and the anthemic brooding of heavy metal's heydays. The serpentine melody lines that weave their way through "The Truth" and "Impossible Needs" are indicative of a group that's not content with just pounding the listener into submission. Each time a song veers into atonal tedium, someone comes in with a curve ball, whether it's a sneaky guitar line that changes the direction of the verse or a strategically placed backwards cymbal swell. Some of the tracks sound like filler, especially the ill-conceived remake of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," but even then the band sounds road-weary tight.