Nonpoint

Fort Lauderdale's Nonpoint returns with their sophomore effort, Development. The disc gets off to a slow start with the first two tracks ("Development" and "Circles") splitting the band in half with vocalist Elias Soriano sounding separated and isolated from the rest of the group. But the record heats up by track three, with the slower tempo of lead single "Your Signs," where bassist KB steps out of the spotlight and makes room for the delicate yet crystal clear voice of Soriano. The power continues for a couple of songs but then Development reverts to the rut in which it began. I would have hoped that Nonpoint would have made more of a progression since the release of their debut disc, but there isn't much growth here, and that is a little discouraging since the band has a lot of promise with good songwriting skills and decent musicianship. With numerous dates in support of the likes of Linkin Park, Filter and Sevendust, the band, quite simply, should be tighter and more of a unit.