NONPOINT / SOIL / SPINESHANK / HED PE – EMPIRE LIVE
By Kat Gullage
Nonpoint brings their “Even More Outa Control” tour to Empire Live in Albany with Soil, Spineshank and Hed PE for support.
NONPOINT’S “EVEN MORE OUTTA CONTROL TOUR” BREATHES LIFE INTO NY’S CAPITAL
Our nu metal besties made a stop “with even less control than before” at Empire Live in Albany, NY. So grateful they did since it had been three months since we’d seen them last. Can’t have that!
Hed PE warmed us up with their signature reggae infused G-Punk sound and West Coast swagger. I really love these guys! The band has fourteen (!) studio albums and two cover LPs but Broke was my anthem in the early aughts, and their too short six song set was devoted to it.
Top shelf guitarist, performer, and hella-legit real one Nathan Javier launched into a distorted chant of “Jesus” that led to “Jesus (Of Nazareth)”. Hardly took any notes folks cuz I was at the rail jamming the fuck out. Founding father, frontman, lead singer and Hed PE OG Jared “M.C.U.D.” (MC Underdog) Gomes, drummer Stephen Arango, Kurt “Kid Bass” Blankenship and our boi Nate continued to lead us through an abbreviated journey of Broke. They served up “Killing Time”, “Waiting To Die”, “Feel Good” and “I Got You”.
Hed PE closed with their highest charting song and fan favorite “Bartender”. And it was during this track that Jared took “it” out. His staple. The melodica. Played it for a full minute before kicking back into the song. Phew, perfect dose of it. But alas, he whipped it out again and blew into it for another minute plus. The crowd erupted into applause when he wrapped that detour.
“Fuck yeah! My parents came to this country from Brazil, I’m the first born american of my tribe, and look what I’ve done with my fucking self! In one generation my family went from living on dirt floors to living the American dream. Only in America bitch. I have an eighteen year old son starting college and a five year old daughter, by the same girl, so not only am I paying college tuition, I’m buying the barbie dream house. After this song I’ll meet ya at the t- shirt booth. I’ll sell ya a fucking t-shirt, take a picture, I don’t care, I need to put food on the fucking table. Albany TY so much!”
Hed PE did a great job warming up the uptight Albany crowd cuz they’re super fun to watch and give a fuck about their fans. The group is expecting! Their due date is October 2nd when Relapse will become the latest addition to their discography. Check out their new single “Violent Girl” and watch Nate narrowly miss tripping over a car lift!
Spineshank is a nu-industrial metal band out of LA that has survived lineup changes and two lengthy hiatuses. Their latest, and third, reunion just happened in January 2025. I didn’t know what to expect but I’d set the bar low going into my virginal Spineshank experience. Holy fuck were these guys ready, they blew the dust off me with the first note.
On this night they were a foursome: OG members Jonny Santos on lead vocals and Tommy Decker on drums, Tommy Decker, Jr (drummer’s son) on guitar and James Mills (filling in for Rob Garcia) on bass. Spineshank has four studio albums, but their eight song set pulled exclusively from The Height Of Callousness (2000) and Self- Destructive Pattern (2003).
They immediately assaulted us with “Asthmatic” which triggered the mosh pit to fire up. Not even halfway through the song I saw security assisting a mosher that was shook. Jonny retorted “We can’t have a mosh pit tonight? That’s fucking stupid! Make some noise!” The crowd responded enthusiastically as he continued, “Let the people mosh, that’s who the fuck we are! Sing with me!” The fans resumed their frenzy for “Synthetic”.
“How you guys doin tonight? You guys are killing it tonight! We’re a violent band that plays violent music for violent people. Don’t let me down. You motherfuckers ready?!?” was Jonny’s intro to “Violent Mood Swings”.
“We haven’t been here in thirteen years, it’s so good to see your faces. This one is called “Smothered”. This was my fave song of the set, something almost Avatar-ish about it. (Have I mentioned I fucking love the band Avatar?) “Beginning Of The End” was followed by their highest charting song “New Disease” and title track “The Height Of Callousness”.
“Thank you so fucking much, you guys are so beautiful. For those of you who don’t know us, for those of you who don’t like us, Fuck You. We’re Spineshank and we’re back! This is our last song for the evening. We love you.” They closed with “Dead To Me”. I was impressed with the power of Spineshank’s rust-free set and I heard a rumor they’re cooking up new music. Are you a fan? Check out their live show. But get your rest and bring your A game cuz ya gonna get Spineshank-ed.
A gritty blast from the past was up next with SOiL, a heavy alt metal band from Chicago that hit paydirt in the early 2000s. SOiL has eight studio albums, but their eight song set stuck to fan favorites Scars and Redefine.
OG lead singer Ryan McCombs (despite a seven year exodus to front Drowning Pool) was backed by fellow SOiL original members Adam Zadel on lead axe and Tim King on bass. They were joined by drummer T.J. Taylor, handling percussion since 2017.
They opened the set by pummeling us with “Breaking Me Down” before Ryan proclaimed “We are allowed to do what we do cuz people like you allow us to be who we are.”
My fave pick of the setlist was next with “Need To Feel” followed by “Unreal” and “Pride”. SOiL delivered a raw rock and roll show centered around Ryan’s signature gruff and gritty vocals. “For the first time in many, many fuckin moons, SOiL is gonna be releasin some new music. We wanna thank everybody for takin time outta their life and allowing us to do this old school shit. Thank you so fucking much.”
They continued to thrash us with “My Own” and their highest charting track “ReDefine”. “Thank you.” The singer bowed to fans with a drink in hand. “We’re gonna get dark with ya now. This song is called “Black 7”.”
SOiL wrapped with their well known crowd pleaser “Halo” which sparked a sing along with fans. Ryan spoke, with genuine sincerity, “Remember, always remember, the music starts with you, the music ends with you, every show you come to, no matter how big, no matter how small, you make this happen, thank you, thank you, thank you!” If pure, no frills, raw rock and roll is whatcha need, SOiL has the dirt.
The band Nonpoint has been a steady anchor in the nu-metal scene since they dropped their debut LP, Statement, in 2000. They have yet to stop making music or touring relentlessly, and we fucking love them for it. Nonpoint has ten studio albums, with one on the way (!), and their carefully cultivated thirteen song set hit on six of em.
Their set detonated with “Ruthless,” the title track from their EP and one of their smash hits. Founder, frontman and lead singer, Elias Soriano, broke mid song and shouted “Are we all warmed up Albany? Are we ready to fucking move?”
Two slices of To The Pain were served up, first with pit ignitor “The Wreckoning” followed by an Elias intro for the second. “Of all the places you could find yourself tonight, you found yourself right fuckin here. This song is about finding yourself. In Spanish we say boos-con-dro-me”. Gimme some vibe, gimme some vibe, lemme see those hands!” Every hand in the room shot up for “Buscandrome”.
“We have a new record coming out September 18th. I feel like we should play new music.” Their latest single from their soon to be released eleventh LP, The Last Word, was on deck with “Is It”. Check out the new video for it! “Our record comes out September 18th. You’ll be at Starbucks, lookin at the menu, ordering your venti, and think what time and day is it?! 12:45?! Hurry up and make this shit, I gotta jam in my car!” We got another new single with “Red Yeti”. The studio version includes Skye Sweetnam from Sumo Cyco. Gotta give Elias a lot of credit for that one, there is a shit ton of words in that song.
Chaos ensued with “Chaos And Earthquakes” and “Dodge Your Destiny”, both from X, followed by their other successful hit “Breaking Skin” (The Return).
Before unleashing four from Statement, Elias urged us “We’re gonna take care of each other right? It’s good to be good.” I lost my shit for “Mindtrip”, in my opinion, it should be the opener for every Nonpoint show. The pit continued their manic movements for “What A Day”. “I fuckin love it. Thank you Albany! We’re gonna keep it old school for a second. When you crowd surf between songs you know it’s a fuckin party!” Not even music-less breaks slowed the moshers.
“Sometimes people hand ya sumthin and ya gotta say Fuck That!”, the opening line for “Victim” which segued into one of my personal faves “Endure”. Elias led us into a track from The Poison Red with “Do you see this up here? Do you see me? Till the wheels fall off. Till “My Last Dying Breath”.
Nonpoint wrapped with their guaranteed crowd pleaser “Bullet With A Name” (To The Pain). The band jumped and bounced all over the stage throughout the performance, in sync with the frenetic pit energy. Neither side stopped moving until the house lights came on.
The Nonpoint line-up that delivered it: Elias backed by original member Robb Rivera on drums, with his signature sideways kit (never change!), bassist Adam Woloszyn was an untamed spirit that couldn’t be contained, rhythm guitarist Rahsheed Thomas was a crucial add in 2011 and absolutely emanates the Nonpoint vibe, and Jaysin Zeilstra (sans dreadlocks) has been riffing on lead guitar since 2019.
I estimate this was my fiftieth Nonpoint gig and I appreciated the setlist (no covers!). Set an alarm to pick up The Last Word on September 18th. Nonpoint never disappoints and they never stop. Till their last dying breath.
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