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Power & Pain/Ticket to Mayhem

Whiplash - Power & Pain/Ticket to Mayhem Audio CD

A fair review of the Whiplash "Power & Pain/Ticket to Mayhem" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Whiplash reviews here, or go back to the Whiplash tabs.

Band: Whiplash
Title: Power & Pain/Ticket to Mayhem
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-04-08
Media: Audio CD

Tracks:

Thrash metal at its fastest and most brutal
Early thrashers like Exodus and Metallica invented this extreme offshoot of metal and as incredible as it may seem, did not claim the fastest crown. One wonders in the world of metal how extreme the form can be - sludge paced Sabbath influenced outfits like Crowbar, or a maniacal pace that verges on total breakdown yet keeps its refinement intact. That accolade would probably go to Whiplash.
Obviously speed alone won't earn a band the crown. There has to be some chops going on, too, and the "Triple Tonys" deliver. This two-CD compilation is difficult to find but worth the chase. "Power & Pain" is slightly muddier mix-wise than its follow-up "Ticket To Mayhem" but it still sounds fine. The tempos are superhuman, the growling vocals like that of a castrated jaguar, and the guitars slice and dice like a chainsaw factory.
This music somewhat blurs the line between thrash and speedcore. Fans of Agnostic Front will dig this music, as will Ironchrist fans. It's unrelenting and pure. As one Creem magazine writer stated, and I paraphrase, "if you like your coffee black and your whiskey straight, Whiplash is your band. " Nobody who considers Scorpions or Bon Jovi heavy need to apply here. It's metal for the truly faithful and has no sympathy for wimps.

Two Classics here!

If you weren't part of the speed metal/thrash scene in the eighties than listening to this album will not give you the full effect of what this album is like. Since I have the original two albums on (Roadracer) separate CDs, I'll review them that way. Back in '87 there were so many Thrash albums coming out, it was hard to tell what was good from what was standard or bad quality. Whiplash never made it: 1)because they were from New Jersey; 2)Roadracer failed to pay them for any of their (3) albums.

-Power and Pain-

It's generally a good album with the guitar work standing out the most. Tony, Tony and. . . Tony make some good music here that has the usual speed metal tempo for '85 while songs like "Nailed to the Cross" change tempo a little bit.

The drums are pretty standard but that was actually this bands main attraction back in the day. Tony Scaglione was most famous not for his drumming here but -and anybody who saw them in '86-'87 would know this- for being the Slayer drummer for the Reign in Blood tour while Dave was off gettin' married. Nevertheless, the drumming fits.

The bass work is alright, there are some cool fills. Apparently Bono died in '02 of a heart attack -rest in peace.

But the guitar work and vocal growl is the most standout thing about this band. The guitars are Megadeth/Metallicesque -hey they named themselves based on a song of Kill 'em All- but unique altogether. The high harmonics placed in between the muted open Es are killer.

Favorite songs are "Spit on your Grave", "Nailed to the Cross".

-Ticket to Mayhem-

One of the best Thrash Metal albums ever, and for me that's saying a lot (got hundreds if not thousands including demo tapes).

Tony Cangelosi fills in on the drums and makes quite an entrance on "Walk the Plank". He has good fills and a little bit speedier drumming than Scaglione but his style is entirely different. Best work is on the snare high-high snare change-up on "Walk the Plank".

Portaro's guitars are wailing with the heavy riffs and the crazy constant slides up and down the fretboard. Bono's bass is heavy and keeps it all together. Overall this album has more tempo changeups than the first and for this reason it is my favorite.

Favorite songs "Drowning in Torment", "Eternal Eyes", and "Snake Pit" (Used to play Nintendo's Pitfall to this one). .

2 THRASH CLASSICS ON ONE DISC !!!
Top of the line musicianship from all three Tonys in the band (Portaro,Bono,Scaglione) and a tight and heavy thrash/speed sound. WHIPLASH is one of my all time favorite thrash bands, and they should have been huge. Portaro,in particular,is one of the best guitarists in this style of music ever, in my opinion. Plus his gut wrenching and shrill sounding vocals (not the over used and eventually ridiculous growling vocals of some "Death metal" bands trying to sound heavy or evil) made it all the better. Not only were the songs fast and heavy, but had almost memorable "hooks" for lack of a better word. "Last Man Alive", "Spit on your Grave" and "Nailed to the Cross" are all classics, but the whole LP is awesome. "Ticket to Mayhem" takes over where the first LP started, just as fast,heavy and tight. "Snakepit" "Burning of Atlanta" and "Respect the Dead" are brilliant thrash pieces. Both of these are must haves for your collection. Much more talented than some of their counterparts who got big. Awesome stuff.

A Classic Thrash Release...
There is a tiny dash of hardcore fused into the sound, but not enough to toss Whiplash out of the thrash metal category. Raw and catchy, "Power And Pain" would be a great addition to the collection of any fan of the old school thrash scene. Great sing-along choruses are the strong point on this release, especially on tracks like "Last Man Alive". Although some may disagree, I feel that "Ticket To Mayhem" (the second album on this two-album collection) is the weaker of the two efforts, and just doesn't showcase the charm of "Power and Pain". Thus, the five star rating is actually for the "Power and Pain" album. Overall, this is a worthy release, and any thrash metal fan would certainly appreciate it.

Must Have 80's Metal
Overlooked by the mainsteam label fan during metal's peak when they came out, they're borderline thrash,speed and power metal. Any fan of true metal will appreciate this combination of albums. I'm not going to go song by song with the review, screeching vocals, lightining guitar riffs and bombastic drums should sum it up for these guys. I prefer "Ticket To Mayhem", which is one of those rare albums where you don't need to fastforward while listening because every song stands on it's own. If you liked early Overkill, Testament or Anthrax you will enjoy this combination of albums.

You can see a complete list of all Whiplash discography, or go back to the Whiplash tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.