Band:	Nonpoint
Album:	To The Pain
Style:	Alternative metal, Hard rock
Release date:	November 08, 2005
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Bullet With A Name
02. There's Going To Be A War
03. The Wreckoning
04. Alive And Kicking
05. Explain Yourself
06. Buscandome
07. To The Pain
08. Ren-dish'en
09. Explain Myself
10. Skin
11. Code Red
12. Wrong Before
13. The Longest Beginning
14. The Shortest Ending

Omne, I hear you ask, why don't you believe me when I say I want it that way?  

Well, first let me explain by saying that, as maligned and scoffed-at as a genre as nu metal is, it doesn't mean that there aren't any redeeming features, although they usually don't come wearing a red cap. Nonpoint are a band who were damned if they did, damned if they didn't; they never reached the heights that would see their heads rise above the parapet and subsequently be sniped down like many of their peers, but as a result they were left behind, except for some keen observers. 

To The Pain is one of the better releases that would come out in the dying days of nu metal, albeit one that came too late to resuscitate the genre that was in terminal decline. With that said, it does highlight that lessons could be learned, even if they came too late, and Nonpoint were keen students. 

The main lesson on To The Pain is to evolve or die, one that sees the band choose the former, though with occasional missteps. The opening trio of tracks gives fans a heavy dose of downtuned hitters, with the opening "Bullet With A Name" being the most well known song off the record, though not the best. The following duo are equally as hypnotic as they are enjoyable. 

The Latin influences of "Explain Yourself" and "Buscandome" are a refreshing twist on the formula, merging rather than balancing the two seemingly disparate elements. The funky bass of "The Longest Beginning" alongside "Explain Myself", which has an interesting solo and mid-section, show the band stretching their musical muscles and then some. 

These highlights come courtesy of the musical backbone of Nonpoint, with the trio of Goldman, MacMillan and Rivera doing the heavy lifting. Goldman's decision not to rest solely on downtuned power chords is a welcome respite, while MacMillan shows that bass players and not DJs were the secret weapons in nu metal. 

The issue with To The Pain is that it is too long for its own good, having a middle stretch of songs that makes you thankful for skip buttons. "Skin" and "Code Red" are painful reminders that the band hadn't fully evolved away from their roots, and alongside this are moments like "Ren-Dish'en", a self-indulgent meandering that goes nowhere fast. 

While it would prove that there were still bright moments as nu metal fell from grace in spectacular fashion, they would come to be too little too late in the grand scheme of things. Nonpoint may not be remembered as one of the biggest names in the genre, but with To The Pain, they showed there was more strength in depth than you may otherwise imagine.