There are certain sounds that can transport you through time with almost embarrassing efficiency. The opening riff of a favorite song. The crackle of an old CD player. The unmistakable thump of a subwoofer in a beat-up car cruising the mall parking lot. Maybe even the sight of a pair of JNCO jeans that could double as emergency shelter. For those of us who came of age with heavy music in the late 1990s and early 2000s, nu-metal was more than a genre. It was a cultural event. Dreadlocks, face piercings, oversized pants, chain wallets, tribal tattoos, spiked hair, backwards baseball caps and enough angst to power a small city were all part of the uniform. And on Friday, August 7, at Albany’s Empire Live, that era came roaring back with absolutely zero chill thanks to Nonpoint.

The Even More Outta Control Tour, headlined by longtime Florida metal veterans Nonpoint, turned the downtown Albany venue into a sweaty, screaming time machine. With (hed) P.E., SOiL and Spineshank along for the ride, the bill was essentially a carefully engineered nostalgia bomb aimed directly at anyone who spent their formative years discovering heavy music through Napster, Headbangers Ball, burned mix CDs and the increasingly unreliable family computer. Judging by the packed house, plenty of us survived.

Returning to Albany for the first time in more than eight years, Nonpoint arrived ahead of the release of their upcoming 11th studio album, The Last Word. But before the headliners took the stage, three bands with deep roots in the nu-metal era reminded everyone that nostalgia is a lot more fun when it’s played at full volume.

Kicking things off properly was Huntington Beach, California’s (hed) P.E.,the genre-bending outfit that helped define the wonderfully chaotic “G-punk” sound of the era. Their combination of gangsta rap, punk, reggae and heavy metal was about as subtle as a brick through a television set, and that was precisely the point. With 16 studio albums behind them, it was somewhat surprising that the band devoted their entire set to their 2000 breakthrough album, Broke. Frankly, it was a terrific decision. Opening with “Jesus (of Nazareth)” before launching into “Killing Time,” the band immediately established that this wasn’t going to be some polite trip down memory lane. “Waiting to Die,” “Feel Good” and “I Got You” followed, with “Feel Good” carrying the added nostalgia of its studio recording that features System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian. Then came the moment many in the room had been waiting for.

Frontman Jared “M.C.U.D.” Gomes picked up his melodica and the unmistakable opening of “Bartender” sent a jolt through the crowd. The song remains one of the defining anthems of that entire era, and hearing it blasted through Empire Live felt like being dropped directly into 2000 all over again. Before the song’s final breakdown, Gomes delivered an inspired speech about Albany’s hospitality and his family’s journey from Brazil, reflecting on the idea that in America, someone can come from nothing and truly make something of themselves. It was a surprisingly heartfelt moment in the middle of a set otherwise fueled by distortion, attitude and controlled chaos. Gomes even invited fans to stop by the merch table afterward for selfies. because apparently, even the nu-metal apocalypse has a meet-and-greet.

Bathed in stark blue and red lighting, SOiL came next and wasted no time dragging the audience deeper into the early-2000s time capsule. The Chicago hard rockers leaned heavily on material from their 2001 breakthrough Scars, opening with “Breaking Me Down,” “Need to Feel” and “Unreal.” They then moved into 2004’s Redefine for “Pride,” “My Own” and the title track before bringing the set back around to “Black 7.” And then came “Halo.” If you were anywhere near a rock radio station in the early 2000s, you know the song. It was the kind of track that seemed to exist permanently in the background of life during that period, and hearing it live decades later produced exactly the reaction you’d expect.

Then the lights changed, and for this aging metalhead, the evening became something considerably more Nu. Spineshank. Originally signed to the legendary Roadrunner Records roster, the Los Angeles band released Strictly Diesel in 1998 before finding its commercial stride with the more industrially influenced The Height of Callousness in 2000. For anyone who grew up during the golden age of nu-metal, industrial metal and Roadrunner Records were practically sacred institutions.

After lineup changes and two lengthy hiatuses, Spineshank reemerged in 2025 for their third reunion and are now preparing their first new music since 2012’s Anger Denial Acceptance. For someone who first discovered Spineshank while still in high school, seeing them live was one of those full-circle moments you don’t necessarily expect life to give you. And then they opened with “Asthmatic.” Any sentimental thoughts about getting older disappeared almost immediately.

Frontman Jonny Santos, sporting his signature dyed-red hair, face tattoos and piercings, prowled the stage with the kind of intensity that made the whole “aging metal fan” thing temporarily irrelevant. At one point, Santos screamed directly into my camera lens, which was surreal enough on its own. Seventeen year old me would have absolutely lost his mind, but somehow I managed to keep my emotions in check. “Synthetic” and “Violent Mood Swings” kept the momentum going, and it quickly became apparent that the crowd was feeding the band just as much energy as the band was giving the crowd.

Then one of the most memorable moments of the night took place during the Grammy nominated “Smothered.” Santos asked the house lights to come down and instructed everyone to illuminate the room with their phones. The audience obliged, creating a sea of lights beneath the darkness. It was a beautiful visual contrast to music that was anything but beautiful.

Horror fans got another treat when the band dropped into “Beginning of the End,” their contribution to the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack. Next, Spineshank launched into “New Disease,” arguably the song most synonymous with the band’s success. Following the title track from The Height of Callousness, “Dead to Me” emphatically closed out a set that all but blew the roof off Empire Live.

Three bands down. One to go. Finally, it was time for the band that made the whole thing possible. Nonpoint. For a group now deep into its third decade as a touring act, Nonpoint showed absolutely no interest in behaving like a band that’s been doing this for nearly 30 years. Vocalist Elias Soriano hit the stage with “Ruthless,” and from the first note it was immediately apparent that the headliners weren’t here simply to celebrate their past. They were here to prove they’re still very much in the fight.

“The Wreckoning” and “Buscándome” kept the momentum rolling as the floor erupted into headbanging and moshing. The pit seemed to grow with every song, while Soriano maintained an effortless connection with the audience throughout the 14-song set. Behind him, Robb Rivera on drums provided the pounding foundation, while Jaysin Zeilstra and Rasheed Thomas attacked their guitars with enough movement to send their hair flying. Adam Woloszyn, who has some of the most distinct bass lines in the scene, was impossible to ignore. Collectively, the band sounded tight, powerful and hungry.

A lot of bands from the nu-metal era have become nostalgia acts. Nonpoint, however, doesn’t seem particularly interested in being one. Throughout the night, Soriano teased the band’s forthcoming album, The Last Word, eventually giving the crowd the date they’d been waiting for: September 18. Albany also received an early preview, with the band performing two new singles, “Is It” and “Red Yeti.” The response was overwhelmingly positive, and the smiles on the faces of the musicians suggested they noticed. Then Nonpoint got back to the bludgeoning.

“Chaos and Earthquakes,” “Dodge Your Destiny” and “Breaking Skin” had the band jumping from the stage risers and headbanging in unison. Dreadlocks went flying. The crowd bounced. Somewhere, a pair of JNCOs probably achieved liftoff. This was the early 2000s without the unfortunate fashion consequences. When Soriano announced that “it feels like a night for the OG’s,” he wasn’t kidding. “Mindtrip,” the opening track from Nonpoint’s debut album Statement, was the clear winner of the night and you could tell people were stoked to hear it live. For me, it was more than another song. It was the beginning. “Mindtrip” was the first Nonpoint song I ever heard, back when I was still in high school and discovering the power of heavy music one band at a time. Back then, I never could have imagined that decades later I’d be standing in a hometown venue watching the band tear through that same song in front of a packed crowd that was still eager to hear it. Somehow, the song hadn’t gotten older. I had. And that’s okay.

“What a Day” followed, and Empire Live erupted into one giant singalong. “Victim” transitioned into “Endure” in a creative mashup that showcased the band’s trademark combination of groove, melody and sheer muscle. Nothing like hearing the whole crowd scream “Fuck that!” to get your sense of teenage angst revived.

The band continued through “My Last Dying Breath” before saving the obvious one for last. “Bullet With a Name.” By this point, there wasn’t much room left for anyone to stand still. The crowd moshed in unison while Soriano once again reminded everyone about The Last Word and its September 18 release date. Then, rather than simply disappearing backstage, Nonpoint asked everyone to stick around for a group photo. Nonpoint has done something especially impressive in that regard. They’ve managed to bring younger fans into the fold without losing the longtime supporters who were there at the beginning. And the same could be said for the entire bill.

It was a fitting end to an evening that almost felt like a reunion for an entire generation. No Chill. No Regrets. Most of the bands from that era didn’t last more than a few albums, but there’s something strange about being an aging heavy metal fan. You start out as the kid in the bedroom discovering bands that seem impossibly dangerous, impossibly heavy and impossibly important. Then, somewhere along the way, you realize you’re no longer the youngest person at the show. The music doesn’t change. It’s YOU and it always has been. On August 7, however, none of that mattered.

This wasn’t merely a night for people who miss 2002. It was a night for people who still love the music that soundtracked it. From the melodica of “Bartender” to the violent assault of Spineshank and SOiL’s “Halo” to Nonpoint’s enduring ability to connect, the Even More Outta Control Tour delivered a remarkably complete snapshot of an era when nu-metal dominated MTV, video games, movie soundtracks and the collective consciousness of an entire generation. These bands didn’t simply dust off old songs and ask us to remember when we were younger. They played with enough energy to remind us why we fell in love with heavy music in the first place. What a day indeed. If this tour is coming your way, get ready. You’re in for one hell of a show.

Nonpoint | August 7, 2026 | Empire Live | Albany, NY

Setlist: Ruthless, The Wreckoning, Buscándome, Is It, Red Yeti, Chaos and Earthquakes, Dodge Your Destiny, Breaking Skin, Mindtrip, What a Day, Victim > Endure, My Last Dying Breath, Bullet With a Name.