NONPOINT – TO THE PAIN (
Rap Metal)
Let’s be honest, rap metal is a dead genre, which is for the best. Originally when bands like Fishbone, Downset (originally known as Social Justice) and Stuck Mojo began taking the Run DMC blueprint of fusing funk and rap into heavier music for entire albums it was a good thing. Like all newly explored areas of music there are great bands who pioneer those styles, but then comes the corporate mainstream that douses the entire genre in Insta-Semen® and next thing you know there are a million similar bands. Unfortunately 99% of them suck and they smother the good bands. Nonpoint are one of the good bands.
Believe it or not, they began in Puerto Rico as a thrash band known as Nonpoint Factor. This was 1991. A move to Florida brought about change and in 1997 the band re-emerged—this time as Nonpoint—with some new members and a decidedly different style. They were now a rap metal hybrid that blended funk, rap, and metal; clearly not an innovator of the genre, but one of the standouts. Mainly due to Elias Soriano’s vocal style and melodies, they sound like no other out there. This is their sixth full-length; their fourth on a major label and it’s worth noting that they’re still on a major label while most of the other bands of this genre have floated off into oblivion.
History lesson aside (you’ll likely not care anyway), this album is another killer slab of rap metal, not totally original in style, but definitely original in sound. Well worth checking out if you’ve ever like anything like this. If not, skip it.
Rating:
75/100
Website:
http://www.nonpoint.com
Downloads:
http://www.myspace.com/nonpoint
SKINLAB – DISEMBODY: THE NEW FLESH (
Groove Metal)
This band started out promising. Their 1997 debut,
Bound, Gagged And Blindfolded, was an album very much in the vein of Machine Head’s
The More Things Change and Sepultura’s
Chaos A.D., heavy and groovy, but with less thrash tendencies and a little more urban intonations. Still, it was very good debut. They released the Eyesore EP second (what a great fucking album title!), this EP showed even more promise for the future, especially with the killer cover of Brujeria’s “Raza Odiada (Pito Wilson).” Then they released this album (I lost it at some point, this is a used bin re-buy), and they actually improved on what made the first album and EP great. It was heavier, faster and just simply better in every aspect. This is a damn good album, too bad they sort of lost it on
reVolting Room and took it to a more nu-metal level. Normally I wouldn’t mind if it was good, but sadly it wasn’t a very good album. They’ve since broken up, but did release a nice double-CD compilation called
Nerve Damage—which I found sealed for $2! Good deal.
Rating:
80/100
Website: Disbanded
Downloads:
KNOW YOUR ENEMIES (from
DISEMBODY: The New Flesh) ,
DISSOLVE (from
Bound, Gagged And Blindfolded) and
SLAVE THE WAY (from
reVolting Room, one of the better tunes on the album)
SAVIOURS – WARSHIP (EP) (
Stoner Metal)
This is an odd band. Their album covers make them look like a black or death metal band, the song titles on this EP seemingly confirm it: “Circle Of Servants Bodies,” “Satanic Scriptures” and “Christ Hunt.” The lyrics offer even more credence to that notion,
“View the wrath of the satanic scriptures with hatred, Bleed for no one but him, We join together, a quintity with blood in our hands in preparation for eternity…” But, oddly enough, they’re a dark, heavy stoner rock band! Musically there’s no black or death to be found! The vocals are borderline screamo, which is no surprise considering this band features members of the screamo hardcore band Yaphet Kotto—strangely named after the b-list actor of the same name—but somehow it suits the music well, music that is quite good. This is definitely a nice little EP, it’s got me looking forward to their upcoming debut,
Crucifire, due in May.
Rating:
75/100
Website:
http://www.level-plane.com/saviours
Downloads:
CIRCLE OF SERVANTS BODIES and
HOLY SLAUGHTER (from
Crucifire)
NO INNOCENT VICTIM – TO BURN AGAIN (
Christian Hardcore)
Once upon a time a hardcore fan could trust in Victory Records to release quality hardcore and punk. They had a vision and they were selective in who they signed, if you liked one album from a Victory band you could buy an album they released by a band you didn’t know and pretty much be guaranteed that you’d like it. The same could be said for the Christian hardcore label Tooth & Nail Records (at least their hardcore albums). T&N bands like Strongarm and The Blamed were killer, No Innocent Victim was just as good, if not better. I first began digging on T&N bands by way of a compilation CD that featured a bunch of their hardcore acts. The first No Innocent Victim song I heard was on this album and it was called “Strength (In Christ).” I fucking loved it! Kind of odd coming from someone that believes Christianity to be a complete joke, but I loved that song, still do, in fact. Eventually both T&N and Victory threw their vision out the window and began signing all kinds of bands—Victory have even signed a techno band, for fuck’s sake!—and you can’t find any info on their earlier bands on their sites, bands like Strongarm, Strife, Doughnuts, etc.! It’s annoying.
Anyswayze...No Innocent Victim eventually switched teams and signed with Victory and released
Flesh & Blood and
Tipping The Scales, both albums took on a faster, heavier and more metal sound and sort of came off as a second-rate Earth Crisis. Not bad, but not nearly as good as their first two albums. They’ve since left Victory for Facedown Records and I’m happy to say they’ve gotten back to their hardcore roots with
To Burn Again, they even re-recorded “Open,” "Stand" and "Paid In Full" from their now out-of-print sophomore release
No Compromise. This is what Hatebreed wish they were. This is an excellent traditional hardcore album. Who cares if they love Jesus?
Rating:
90/100
Website:
http://www.noinnocentvictim.com
Downloads:
http://www.purevolume.com/noinnocentvictim
