Power and Pain

It doesn't matter what style of music you're talking about, nothing beats a good tune. Over the years I've heard some strangely disparaging remarks about Whiplash. For example, some have said they were "generic" while others said they simply weren't fast enough. Now certainly by 1985 the year "Power And Pain" was released, Whiplash were nowhere near the fastest band on the planet. However, they were pretty damn fast and would certainly be considered extreme for the time. As for the comment that Whiplash was "generic", I'll simply never understand and often have discovered that those who felt that way had never really listened to Whiplash...

Whiplash hailed from New Jersey, and like fellow NJ residents Blessed Death, played a style of traditional thrash/speed metal very much their own. Operating as a trio (with all three band members bearing the first name Tony), Whiplash possessed one of the thickest sounds in early-mid 80's thrash. And when it came to songwriting these guys were simply incredible. Stylistically, Whiplash has similarities to bands like Exciter, early Anthrax, Hallow's Eve, a bit of Nasty Savage, etc. They played a style of thrash with little, if any, Slayer influence but with a direct connection to Judas Priest and metal's roots. Cross this traditional sound with the speed of hardcore punk and you come close to Whiplash. In reality though, they truly had a sound all their own. Much of this has to do with their tremendously well-written and catchy songwriting. These guys knew how to use catchy choruses and hooks to their benefit without ever sounding remotely poppy.

Vocalist and guitarist Tony Portaro has one of the most badass vocal deliveries of all time and one which was very unique for 1985. Very punked out and delivered with tons of attitude, his raspy, spitfire style growl is timeless and inimitable. Lyrically, Whiplash were way above average as well and one can tell that they put much effort into their lyrics (just check out "Red Bomb", "Last Man Alive", or the simple yet supremely wicked "Message In Blood"). To this day their tune "Power Thrashing Mad" is my all-time fave "metal as a drug" tune and "Spit On Your Grave" is one of those tunes that I've played for people and they give you that "this is f'ing rad" look and ask you to make them a copy of the album. The musicianship on "Power And Pain" is also superb. Bolstered by a red hot production in an era when sadly many thrash LPs sounded like crap, Portaro's intense speed-picking, awesome leads, and heavy duty riffage, bassist Tony Bono's steady, yet killer and dynamic rhythm attack, and drummer Tony Scaglione's wicked and tight performance all add up to make "Power And Pain" one of the most powerful and fun thrash LPs of all-time and an album which still sounds very fresh to this day.

"Power And Pain" is mostly composed of tunes which had appeared on Whiplash's '85 "Looking Death In The Face" demo (albeit different versions of course), so by the time Whiplash recorded "Power And Pain" they were simply as tight as it gets and locked in. Now from a historical perspective "Power And Pain" was not the most cutting-edge for 1985, nor did it intend to be. Whiplash never tried to fool anyone or hide their early thrash roots. Yet, for '85 this LP is easily intense enough to get almost any thrasher's blood flowing! In many ways I consider "Power And Pain" the culmination of the early thrash metal sound. It's just such a well thought-out LP and each song is highly memorable to the point where the tunes will get stuck in your head. I couldn't imagine anyone who is a thrash fanatic not having "Power And Pain" (as well as Whiplash's demo tapes) in their collection. Simply put: it's timeless.

The fact that the band is called Whiplash should not be lost on anyone, because here on their debut Power and Pain, the New Jersey trio of Tonys sounded quite like a sped up, hyperactive and vicious East Coast answer to Metallica (with a few shots of Slayer to get the drunk on faster). In particular, Power and Pain reminds me highly of Kill 'Em All, only if that album hadn't shaved for a few month, and sauntered on into your life with not only more stubble than you could remove outside of a Brazilian wax, but additional shreds of gross carnage stuck to its beard. That said, it's a ripping good time, if not so refined or memorable as its followup Ticket to Mayhem, and on occasion here the band rips out one of the best riffs of their career.

The trademark of Whiplash is not necessarily their mid paced, aggressive thrash material, but the way they spasm through such fast guitar lines, similar to how Canada's Razor would become a few years into their career. There is almost always the guarantee of some cutting guitar fill running rampant like a serial slasher, and this is best appreciated in no frills assaults like "Message in Blood", "Power Thrashing Death" or the unbelievable "War Monger", which bleeds the ears with cool. Judging by this material, its a wonder Whiplash did not escalate rapidly to the ranks of a Metallica, Megadeth, or Slayer, but in truth, some of the songs simply lack the staying power of those heard on Kill 'Em All, Killing is My Business, or Show No Mercy. For every "Spit On Your Grave" we've got a "Red Bomb" or "Stirring the Cauldron", and though they penned their "Nailed to the Cross" long before Destruction's popular anthem of the same name, it's just not as exciting.

Despite the general tightness of Scaglione's hammering and Tony Bono's audible and bustling bass lines, it's really Portaro's throat tearing, painful vocals and dexterous fingers that launch Power and Pain into the memory. The album also has a classic, timeless production to it that is sure to please ears enamored of a Show No Mercy, Kill 'Em All, or Darkness Descends. Dirty, distinct, and unforgiving. As far as East Coast thrash, Whiplash were certainly one of the best we had, blitzing alongside the better works of Anthrax, Nuclear Assault and Overkill, and leaving most of the rest completely in the dust. It's not my favorite of the bands works, as I prefer the writing on Ticket to Mayhem and the more melodic Insult to Injury, but it's undoubtedly their most vicious and energetic, the blazing trio putting everything on the line to hack the listener into bits and stake out a claim for themselves in the goldmine of their rising art form.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

The palm-muting on Whiplash’s “Power and Pain” is the most forced, tastelessly fast style of riffing I’ve ever heard. It’s like putting a microphone up to a speeding train raging over the tracks. Your CD isn’t spinning half as fast as these notes are smashing into your brain. One might assume that an album revolving entirely around rampaging speed metal songs would get tiresome, but the Judas Priest style guitar solos and Tony Portaro’s unusually raspy, screaming vocals keep things entertaining the whole ride through.

In fact, things only get boring on the rare occasions when they slow down. An example would be the minute-long opening to “The Red Bomb” which consists entirely of mid-paced thrash riffs. Fortunately, these only appear a couple of times and about 97% of this album is over-the-top speed, and therefore 97% perfection, and hence the 97% score. Yes, I timed the slow parts and used a calculator to figure this out.

As far as the musicianship is concerned, Tony is highly impressive with his incredibly fast riffs and leads, both of which are highly memorable. He has a distinct style where almost every riff consists of hitting a single note furiously, then transitioning to a quick, catchy lick. Tony, on the other hand, does a great job pounding away at the drums quickly enough to keep up with pace. Finally, Tony’s bass is relatively high in the mix and packs a nice punch to the dry production. Although all three are good musicians, it’s definitely Tony whose performance is the most enjoyable.

It’s hard to choose highlights, but "Power Thrashing Death" is probably my favorite. There’s really no particular reason, as all the songs take the same approach, but the riffs and melodies (did I mention that the frontman actually tries to sing with his nails-down-a-chalkboard rasps?) grab me the most. This kind of stuff should appeal to you if you’re into aggressive speed metal like Exciter or Tank, but keep in mind that this is much more unique and full of its own quirks (oh yeah, and it’s a tad faster too).

It's a heavy explosion that will simply destroy you. It's relentlessly unstoppable, utterly dirty, and completely endless. This is Power and Pain, Whiplash's infamous debut and easily the craziest thing they've ever released. Every fan of the band knows about this insanity of an album! Also a personal note, after writing up a few Whiplash reviews here I think it's become pretty clear that they're overall one of my top favorite bands. It's not just "yeah this one album here slays", but the majority of their stuff kicks a whole lot of ass. Of course I don't want to contradict myself here, this is after all my personal favorite from Whiplash along with many other fans.

This is roughly over 30 minutes of Whiplash's true identity, their unmistakable sound with screamingly high pitched guitars provoking every single track here, riddled around the corner of every riff. We've got nobody here but the infamous Tony trio making up the entire band. Portaro does an insane job handling both vocals and guitars. As a vocalist here he probably wouldn't sound too out of place in the black or death metal realm, but it's possibly better to compare him to the likes of Exumer's Mem Von Stein off their debut and vocalists similar to that style. He growls and has a sctrachy tone to his singing, which is incredibly aggressive and downright sloppy at times. Though as many will tell you, that's the magic that is Whiplash. Who cares how sloppy this can get at times, this is metal! The production could probably be noted as a bit thin and has an emphasis on the guitars over everything else, but in Whiplash's case here such a mix is appropriate. Both Tony Bono on bass and Tony Scaglione on drums are clearly audible but overall the guitar stands out the most. Bono is top notch as usual when he falls under the spotlight while drummer Scaglione who'd end up being replaced on the next Whiplash albums is practically just as skilled as next drummer Joe Cangelosi. Speed, style, and techniqure isn't much of a chore for him. Simply put, these Tony's are all totally killer.

There is absolutely no arguing that this release is hands down Whiplash's simplest and most straightforward album. Starting off with Stage Dive and ending with Nailed To The Cross eight tracks later, it's pure speed/thrash never giving you room for a short breath in sight. You could say this is pretty comparable to what Agent Steel did with their debut Skeptics Apocalypse, the entire point of this album is just to simply kick your ass repeatedly song after song. Power and Pain easily accomplishes this challenge if you're craving for a dose of nonstop speed/thrash.

What I said in my review for Agent Steel's debut can be applied here too - while this is certainly not that innovative compared to Whiplash's follow up albums, if you went to a fan of the band and asked them what some of their favorite picks were chances are they'd name off a handful of tracks from this release. Whether it's the insane numbers Stage Bomb, Message In Blood, Power Thrashing Death and Stirring The Cauldron, or the more traditionally influenced and catchy tracks Last Man Alive and Nailed To The Cross, the consistency is constantly there and you'll surely find yourself favoring a handful of the tracks here if you dig the style. For me the honorable mention goes towards Power and Pain, it's the epitome of what this debut is and Whiplash in general, undeniably their own sound that has never been truly copied. So I'll simply end with that, if you want relentless speed/thrash with an aggressive rough vocals, with crazy razor sharp fast guitars, and don't mind simplicity, get Power and Pain immediately. Also do yourself a favor and check out the bands other releases, especially Ticket To Mayhem which does have some tracks that wouldn't have been out of place here.

Power thrashing death? Try 'none of the above', pretty much... okay, the vocals are borderline death, and at times there's a power-metal or thrash-metal riff, but this is just about as SPEED METAL as it gets. And it is very good speed metal indeed. Lots of fast riffage that is halfway between the first Agent Steel and Endless Pain, with lots of single-note repetition stuffs. It's also a bit reminiscent of Possessed with the short melodic licks, though it doesn't have the evil atmosphere of that, or the overwhelming crunch of Kreator. The production is a bit lacking, which may explain the lack of overwhelming guitar force - I detect a distinct lack of harmonic treble, similar to the problem plaguing And Justice for All (contrary to popular belief, it's not the lack of bass that makes AJFA sound shitty, it's the 6000Hz low pass filter - this album seems to have it too).

Power and Pain is pretty much a 'fun' album, though fun here is defined to be smashing skulls and drinking blood at 900 miles an hour. The guitar tone is more classic-metal than anything else, and there are a lot of melodic moments that straddle the line between 'riff' and 'solo'. Check out the main Judas Priest style solo in Stage Dive, or the opening staple speed-metal riff of War Monger: single note repetition, combined with a quick squealing counterpoint.

For more squealing fun, try the main riff of Power Thrashing Death, which is probably the highlight of the LP. This one definitely has the air of 'hit single', since the production seems just a bit clearer on this one, and the song is a bit slowed down compared to some of the others. When they play very fast, at times the songs kinda sound the same (a problem for a lot of speed metal bands, really), and then when they slow down a bit do they really get character. Then throw in a very well-constructed solo that is fast and shredding without tempting God to kill a kitten.

Most of the songs have at least a somewhat melodic solo. These guys definitely listened to their Screaming For Vengeance. Check out the Freewheel-Burning style melodic interlude in War Monger, or the aforementioned Stage Dive, or even the solo in Spit On Your Grave, which sounds almost Helloween-like (Victim of Fate). The album is heavier than Helloween, especially in the rhythm department - the strongest, thrashiest riffage probably appears on the closer, Nailed to the Cross, though the main riff is actually none other than a sped-up Keel's Speed Demon (!).

If you like classic metal with an edge, you'll like this. When all is said and done, this album doesn't quite sound like anyone else - you may notice the absurd range of similar bands I mentioned. Maybe Show no Mercy is the closest comparison, though it's more straight-up speed metal for the most part. It's not an overwhelmingly amazing work, but still worth getting if one likes this sort of thing. As Vic mentioned, this comes as a two-on-one re-release with Ticket to Mayhem. Worth picking up that CD, for two classic albums.

***(Note 2002: This review is of the "2-on-1" that was released by Displeased Records, and so this review applies to BOTH albums, not just this one)***

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!

(Originally published at LARM (c) 1999)