|
Sep 09
2010
|
Nonpoint "Miracle" CD reviewPosted by: Toad in Your Music Blog on 08, am, 09, 2010 Tagged in: Untagged
  |
 |
Nonpoint “Miracle” CD review
Does anyone remember a song that came out on the radio a few years ago called “The Truth”, talking about governmental and religious propaganda? What about “Bullet With a Name”- that angry soliloquy about a desperate man’s everyday fight to survive? Not many people do by “mainstream“ standards. The band Nonpoint wrote and delivered them and more, with a style I hadn’t quite encountered up until that time. Their seventh and most recent album, “Miracles” just hit the shelves, and surprised me as soon as I opened the cardboard sleeve. A huge diorama of burning, war-torn buildings pops up with a spore growing from the embers, welcoming you into the album! The first track, “Shadow” and title track, “Miracle” (which features vocals from Chad Gray of Mudvayne and Hell Yeah), hit you the same way, and the album seldom relents. Elias’ voice is as good as ever, and he shows his prowess and versatility throughout the album. Surprisingly though, this is the first CD from Nonpoint that has moments when I start to drift, as it’s not quite as catchy as a lot of their previous work. Towards the end of the album though, I found I was banging my head and screaming along again. As much as this album rocks like a Nonpoint album should, there are plenty of melodic breakdowns that come like a moment of levity, and a few songs I’d even call ballads. Some of these moments may be attributed to the replacement of guitarist Andrew Goldman with former Modern Day Zero axeman Zach Broderick. This being his first studio release with the band, Broderick had some big shoes to fill, but made the transition nicely, without changing the entire band’s sound. Produced by “Yep!” studios, “Miracle” has a different finished sound from their previous releases under MCA, Lava, and Bieler Bros. It sounds warmer and more organic- which works for a band with their raw talent. Although not my favorite work from Nonpoint, they’ve put together yet another solid album from beginning to end, including a little surprise about 7 minutes after the “last” track. A closing word of advice though, don’t listen to this album on the freeway, unless you like speeding tickets…
-Todd Graham
