Flesh and Blood

Perhaps the heaviest No Innocent Victim offering, Flesh & Blood contains some of the group's best work. Released during the San Diego hardcore outfit's most triumphant period, the record bursts with extreme rock energy. Flesh & Blood's decidedly metal contours reveal influences very distant from punk that fans of the band's older recordings were probably hesitant to accept. Fortunately for the non-metal faithful, vocalist Jason Moody's incessant barking sharpens the material's hardcore tip considerably. It's impossible to understand Moody, even during spacious numbers like "White Washed Tomb" and "Never Face Defeat." This is perhaps a good thing, as No Innocent Victim's CCM marching orders scale to the theoretical peaks of mixed messaging. But who listens to the lyrics anyway? "Flesh and Blood" tears at the sonic fabric of metal and hardcore with a graphic, vindictive delivery. This was surely the intended impression, despite any obscured spiritual agendas.