Whiplash
Power and Pain /
Ticket to Mayhem
[Displeased]
Thanks to Displeased Records for this re-release of Whiplash's first two
albums, since RoadRuiner let this stuff rot for so damn long. Whiplash
were one of the glut of mid-80s 'first-wave' thrash bands, but somehow they
got lost in the shuffle, despite the fact that they were one of the better
bands and that two former members went on to play with Slayer and Kreator.
The world is an unfair place, that's for damn sure...
So, what's the band like? Imagine the kind of band that the name 'Whiplash' implies - there you go: sheer, breakneck speed with catchy riffs. Guitarist/vocalist Tony Portaro has some really harsh vocals, shouted and pushed almost to the point of death-metal gruffness, and his razor-sharp guitar tone slices through the riffs. Bassist Tony Bono is surprisingly agile - his bass lines are supportive without being merely doubling, and he knows exactly when to throw in a good fill. Both original drummer Tony Scaglione (yes, they had three Tony's in the original lineup) and second-album drummer Joe Cangelosi were human whirlwinds, and kept up the pace admirably.
Both albums stuck to the same basic style, but I personally think that "Power and Pain" is the slightly better of the two, simply because it's a bit more cohesive as a whole and has a thicker guitar sound (plus, with songs like "Stage Dive", "Nailed to the Cross", and "Power Thrashing Death", how could you NOT like it more?). That's not to downplay "Ticket to Mayhem", though - it's just slightly more varied, as they experiment with a few slower tempos (of course, slower for them is still fast as hell, but you know what I mean....), and the guitar tone is a bit more high-end 'metallic'. These two albums are thrash classics, and being both available on one CD makes it absolutely irresistible if you like your music fast fast fast - get your fix of Power Thrashing Death NOW!
© 1999 lord vic
So, what's the band like? Imagine the kind of band that the name 'Whiplash' implies - there you go: sheer, breakneck speed with catchy riffs. Guitarist/vocalist Tony Portaro has some really harsh vocals, shouted and pushed almost to the point of death-metal gruffness, and his razor-sharp guitar tone slices through the riffs. Bassist Tony Bono is surprisingly agile - his bass lines are supportive without being merely doubling, and he knows exactly when to throw in a good fill. Both original drummer Tony Scaglione (yes, they had three Tony's in the original lineup) and second-album drummer Joe Cangelosi were human whirlwinds, and kept up the pace admirably.
Both albums stuck to the same basic style, but I personally think that "Power and Pain" is the slightly better of the two, simply because it's a bit more cohesive as a whole and has a thicker guitar sound (plus, with songs like "Stage Dive", "Nailed to the Cross", and "Power Thrashing Death", how could you NOT like it more?). That's not to downplay "Ticket to Mayhem", though - it's just slightly more varied, as they experiment with a few slower tempos (of course, slower for them is still fast as hell, but you know what I mean....), and the guitar tone is a bit more high-end 'metallic'. These two albums are thrash classics, and being both available on one CD makes it absolutely irresistible if you like your music fast fast fast - get your fix of Power Thrashing Death NOW!
© 1999 lord vic