Review Summary: X, surprisingly, marks the spot.
Typically when I hear that an upcoming album will be titled as the number of releases by the band to that point, I assume that said band is out of ideas. I assume that the album will be, at best, mediocre, and usually don't rush out to hear it. I wasn't blown away by the tracks Nonpoint released ahead of dropping
X, so it was with great surprise that upon a full listen I found myself quite enjoying it. Take it from an unabashed, longtime fan of Nonpoint: the singles are alright, but the deep cuts are what keep us coming back. "What a Day" from
Statement - Sure. Check out "Levels" and get back with me. "Bullet With a Name" from
To The Pain? - Pick damn near any other track for proof.
X shares this rewarding quality as well, despite the lazy title.
2016's
The Poison Red left a terrible taste in my mouth, and for the second time in their career I felt that Nonpoint had breathed their final breath. I have to admit, though: Nonpoint now sound revitalized. Opener "Empty Batteries" is a thrashy, groovy jam with the sing-along chorus that is standard for the band at this point, but the harmonized, choir-like vocals in the bridge help to give the song its own identity. This song also represents the first of several times on the album where I legitimately can't bash lead guitarist B.C. Kochmit for inserting meaningless, boring solos into songs that don't need them. The leads here fit nicely and don't overstay their welcome. In fact, his work seems much more thoughtful as a whole, whereas the guitar work on
The Poison Red, his first creative album with the band, was largely stagnant and uninteresting. "Wheel Against Will", an excellent mid-album song, features his best leads yet.
"Chaos and Earthquakes" is
X's banger, while "Dodge Your Destiny", in contention with
Statement's "HIVE" for the heaviest song of the band's career, proves that Nonpoint's energy is still lurking somewhere in their 40-ish-year-old bodies. Speaking of "Dodge...", I need to bring up that bridge section.
The Poison Red's "El Diablo" felt like a forced attempt at Nonpoint appeasing their old fans with Spanish lyrics and faux Hispanic riffs that felt like a "Rabia" ripoff. "Dodge..." features a little Cha-Cha percussive breakdown that works far better than I would have expected, and represents some rare experimentation from drummer Robb Rivera. Little flourishes like this are what separated Nonpoint from the pack in their early days.
Fans of Nonpoint's second studio release, the perpetually underrated (though admittedly misguided)
Development, should be very happy with the second half of
X. While the guitarwork is definitely still rooted in the style Dave Lizzio built on 2012's surprisingly excellent
Nonpoint, much of the vocal work feels far more melodic. Indeed, many sections of the final four songs would feel right at home on
Development. "Feel The Way I Feel" may be Elias' best performance on the album. "Position One" and "Paralyzed" both utilize delayed guitar leads and feedback that bring
Recoil to mind, and the callback, intentional or no, to original guitarist Andrew Goldman's style is a bittersweet surprise. "Position One" pulls a "Dodge..." with an excellent bridge, but "Paralyzed" is the song I keep coming back to the most on the album.
"Even with all your studying, you still can't understand me
Even when I'm coloring this picture with crayon...
Why am I the only one afraid?"
"Paralyzed" is a laid-back, vulnerable track about communication in a struggling relationship, and I catch myself wondering if Nonpoint phoned the killer 80's pop-rock outfit The Cult for some pointers. Somehow, though, this simple mid-tempo song tugs at me with that chorus. It is undoubtedly my highlight for the album. And as I find myself humming it throughout the day I realize that I'm feeling like a fan again.
It is surely oppressively difficult to attract new fans while sustaining the old faithfuls, and Nonpoint have done a..... so-so job of it over the years. They are, after all, a hard rock band that was wrapped up in the nu-metal scene like so many other unlucky acts, and until this album it appeared Nonpoint's recent work was only concerned with writing songs that would go over well live. The approach isn't without merit, though, as only Sevendust have weathered that storm better than Nonpoint.
The extra year off to write seems to have done wonders, finally giving B.C. and Rasheed time to gel with founders Elias and drummer Robb Rivera. The melodic *awareness* of the second half of the album makes the harder-hitting front half that much more intense, and
X ends up being nearly as dynamic as
Recoil and
To the Pain - Nonpoint's best work. The band have never been boundary-pushers, but when Nonpoint pay attention to detail and don't confine themselves, good things tend to happen.
Robb Riviera has said again and again that this is the final lineup for Nonpoint, and they'll lay it to rest if someone leaves. Here's hoping we get another album of
X quality before they ride off into the sunset.
