No Innocent Victim

Item: Tipping the Scales
Author: John Sant

Tipping the Scales

(2001)

Reviewed by John Sant

Discogs Bandcamp Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Solid State RecordsHM Magazine #90July/August 2001

hardcore hardcore punk metalcore

At one point, No Innocent Victim was considered one of the driving forces of the underground hardcore scene. The album Strength was a seminal achievement, instantly securing their place in the Christian hardcore scene.

Their second album, No Compromise, while having one of the crappiest mixes imaginable, was full of heart and direct with its message. It only added to the band's popularity.

Fast forward a few years. NIV had since signed to Victory Records, pinnacle purveyors of such tuff-guy hardcore acts as Earth Crisis, Integrity, Hatebreed, Strife, Warzone, and . . . well, you get the picture. They put out their debut Victory album: Flesh and Blood, and it seemed as though they had completely solidified their place in the hardcore scene. The release of Flesh and Blood was widely popular. A beefy mix coupled with consistent song writing made it an instant hit. Which begs the question, were they able to progress at all on their new album?

The answer is a split, 50/50. None of the song writing on Tipping the Scales is exceptionally different, nor has it really progressed at all from Flesh and Blood. This may be a good or bad thing, depending on taste, but it is somewhat depressing to see a band content to fill a genre, as opposed to doing something new. Especially when you consider the fact that they've been doing the same style for several years now.

The new mix is even beefier than the Flesh and Blood CD, all of the instruments evenly balanced and given equal presence. Sing-alongs abound, providing BVG's for Jason Moody's roaring vocals. Every song showcases NIV's trademark punk beats, sing-along choruses, and circle-pit spawning breakdowns. All of these are done extremely well, like pros going about the job they've been doing for the past ten years. Every riff is calculated and well placed, sometimes to the point that you can anticipate the transitions/breakdowns.

All of this may sound excessively negative, but it's not meant that way. This album is solid, has definite replay value, and is a good release for NIV. Hopefully, though, they'll break out of the mold a little more next time around. One can only take so many Flesh and Bloods . . er . . Tipping the Scales CDs so many times.