Florida is not like other places. Strange elements converge and mingle down there. Nonpoint is a metal band from Fort Lauderdale, just north of Miami.
When people talk about rap metal, a genre that brings the rhythmic vocal articulations of hip-hop to the heavy guitars of metal, usually the metal side of the equation is a little underdeveloped. Nonpoint plays metal with plenty of aggression and slashing energy. The execution of rap-inflected vocals in a metal context can be an embarrassment, but Nonpoint’s frontman Elias Soriano can sing with a slight rasp that doesn’t prevent his lyrics from hitting their target, or he can bellow and shift into rapid-fire staccato.
The band pulls the fittingly South Florida move of turning a salsa groove into metal riffage on “El Diablo.” The lyrics are what keep this band interesting — “Looks like I’m foaming at the mouth again” goes the refrain of a tune from Nonpoint’s most recent record, “The Poison Red.” Another bemoans and rages against “a generation of idiots.” And the band gives Soriano suitably jagged riffs to rap over — like the Slayer-ish buzzsaw shards of “Standing in the Flesh.” The rage is real.
Nonpoint performs at Webster Theater, 31 Webster St., Hartford, Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 to $22. 860-525-5553 and webstertheater.com.
