Boy, i went into this one wanting to like it. Have had it since the first week it came out, and though I only listened once (the first sure sign of trouble) I decided to give it a try again because I had a soft spot for them after loving the debut some years back. Well, this disc is just shamelessly bad for a band that has been around as long as they have. The growth is completely stagnant at this point.
Starts off very strong. I absolutely love 'Shadow'. Great song. I was feeling good. Great Bass line and Chorus.
The title track, again, pretty strong. Good Chorus and raw Guitar sound.
'Crazy' is decent enough as well, dumb lyrics aside.
Then.... BOOM! A total brick wall. I have never heard a disc self destruct as badly as this one does, without warning!
"Frontlines" - a half hearted attempt at the cliched military theme. Seems all bands have a track like this now (and that is no attack on military, just an observation) in a weak attempt at some kind of airplay. And this song is as cheesy as it gets. Really doesn't go anywhere and doesn't work for me.
"Looking Away", "Electricity", "What You've Got For Me" and "Throwing Stones" are 100% forgettable and filler. If this is all they can offer at this point it's a shame, because it is by the numbers, but with no hooks and no punch. I don't know how these guys could want to play this stuff live. The songs are in the 4 minute range but feel like 10.
"5 Minutes Alone" - Pantera cover. Average. They didn't do much to it, but its a great song in itself so they don't destroy it either.
"What I've Become" sounds like it wants to do something, but never goes anywhere. OK foundation for a song, but no substance. Just boring and monotonous.
"Dangerous Waters", is heavy, but once again, forgettable.
Probably the best remaining moments come in the closing segment (as it is timed at 14 minutes plus) where "Lucky 13" is a good, heavier song. Has that Non-point energy level, but is unique for them. A bit dark. Then there is a long silence (kind of tired at this point. Hate when bands do this) then a slow piece about 9:56 in that is alright. But nothing worth the 6 minute wait.
I just wonder what happened to that band that was full of fire on 'Statement'. Even 'To The Pain' had its excellent moments. I didn't bother with 'Vengeance' and now I wish, for the most part, i didn't bother with this one. I mean seriously, whats the rush to put this out?
I wonder how a band can sit and listen to this in its entirety, after touring and recording for so many years, and say "Yes, This is PERFECT! Just what we wanted to move our careers forward". I mean it really is hard getting through the meat of this disc. And I am just listening. Again, I wanted to like it! If it were my BAND I would definitely go back to the drawing board before releasing some of these mundane tracks. Especially after how poorly 'Vengeance' did.
Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (HellYeah) who Produced this didn't feel the lack of emotion in 80% of this? Or the lack of direction?
But, oh yeah, the packaging is pretty and folds apart.
I had to be honest and I seldom write negative reviews unless there is a reason. The reason for this one is that I felt punched in the gut AFTER TRACK 3. I am disappointed and surprised. I think most fans of their decent stuff will be. Its almost getting into generic Breaking Benjamin territory..... Yes, THAT bad! The songs sound the same, but none of them memorable.
I would advise most of you to just buy the MP's of the good tracks unless you need it for some reason.
The one thing that I always loved about Nonpoint besides Elias Soriano's vocals was the guitar work. I always found that Nonpoint had a unique and fun style that made them stand out from other bands. I've been listening to Nonpoint since I was in high school and I've always counted on them making great albums and they always have. As soon as I found out that Andrew Goldman left Nonpoint to pursue other interests other than music I was skeptical of Nonpoint's future. I was surprised to find out that they were going to continue the band with making a new album, I thought they were done. Although I was extremely happy that they were working on a new album I was very scared that it was gonna suck and I guess part of me was right.
Miracle is not a bad album by any means, it's just not the real Nonpoint that I've come to know. While listening to Miracle I was just hoping that it would get better but by the Pantera cover of "5 Minutes Alone" I realized that this was it. I also don't really understand the cover, not that it's a bad cover or anything because I love Pantera but I just didn't get why it was thrown on there. Throughout the album I just felt like something was missing, there's no punch behind any of these songs and the energy this band usually has lacked in some songs. Elias Soriano's usually dominates but his lyrics and vocals just seemed kind of bland and uninspired to me this time around. This band just isn't the same without Goldman and it shows how much his guitar work meant to this band. It just feels kind of generic now. But like I said before it's not a bad album by any means but for me this is the first Nonpoint album that I haven't enjoyed completely. Also the albums artwork opens like a pop up book which I thought was neat the first time I opened it but rather annoying afterwards. Not their best work but I will always support these guys no matter what.
Songs I liked...
#1 Shadow
#2 Miracle
#3 Crazy
#5 Looking Away
#11 Dangerous Waters
Nonpoint's latest album is hard rock at its BEST! They are an amazing band. The band could be grouped with similar artists like Sevendust, Three Days Grace, Pantera, and Ozzy.
The lyrics are great, the vocals are tight, the music is very heavy and makes your heart pound. The CD package is also very cool. It folds open to reveal the band photo and some cool artwork. Nonpoint may not be a band that everyone has heard of, but they SHOULD be!
Buy this CD...you will enjoy it!
Nonpoint gets progressively better with their song writing as the years pass! "Miracle" doesn't disappoint! And if you like this one, be sure to check out their latest self-titled album, "Nonpoint". AMAZING!
I was told by a friend to check out the song "Miracle" by Nonpoint and was totally stoked to hear that they were coming out with another CD. I have five of their other CDs and they have always been one of my favorites but then I bought this CD. I did love the song "Miracle" but I kept wondering "why does this sound like Mudvayne?" well duh they had alot to do with the song. I don't know I was kind of hoping for that heavy sound that they have always brought to the music scene and all I got when listened to this CD was the feeling that I was listening to some band that let theirselves get away from what they were. I don't reccommend this CD if you want some REAL Nonpoint:)
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