After reviving and refreshing themselves with three albums in consecutive years, one might argue that Whiplash were at the most productive period in their career, even if what was 'produced' was only a shadow at best of their 80s material. The time was right to strike with a retrospective, as most bands who can at least sell a handful of records inevitable do, and thus they issued this package through Displeased Records, a collection of demos and live cuts that were previously unavailable unless you were kicking around in their early days. I'm a little surprised they didn't tack on their earliest demo here, would have made Messages in Blood more complete, but then, who knows if they even had access to a copy when they were assembling this for release.

Otherwise, this is a decent offering which features a number of demo tracks that didn't make it onto the band's first two full-lengths, and a whopping 19 tracks in over 70 minutes! Several of the tracks from the Thunderstruk demo (1984) wound up on later albums, like "Spit On Your Grave" on Power and Pain and "Thrash 'Til Death" on Thrashback, but you also get the dirty "King with the Axe" and "Chained Up, Strapped Down", both of which should thrill fans of the early sounds of Metallica (Kill 'Em All) and Slayer (Show No Mercy). All the tracks from Looking Death in the Face (1985) would be polished and released over the first two albums, so there's not as much of a rarity value here, but if you want them in the original configurations, you'll be surprised at just how fast, violent and viral the band were, even compared to their more popular West Coast counterparts.

The majority of the disc is actually live material, culled from a pair of 1985 gigs: one in Denver, the other at the legendary CBGB's club in New York. This is unfortunately where the value of the a compilation dips, but only a little. By this I mean that the recordings sound like shit, but they do give you that nostalgic feeling of what this stuff was like on stage, but it sounds a little strained. If you're a diehard for raw sounds, then you'll probably have no gripes about it, and actually prefer some of these choices to any of the studio versions. I feel like the package might have benefited from dropping the material from one of the gigs and adding another demo, or perhaps some of the rarities the band might have accrued through their separate phases of existence, but then, we might end up with shitty outtakes from the Cult of One days, so that could be a double edged sword. In all, Messages in Blood is a decent looking collection, but it's really only got appeal for collectors and fanatics of the band's 1985-1987 period.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

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Thrashback is the 6th full length album from Jersey's Whiplash, and their 3rd through Massacre Records. As the title pretty obviously implies, this was the 'comeback' album, the inevitable return to the band's roots, even though it comes in direct succession to such folly as Cult of One and Sit Stand Kneel Prey. Whatever the reason, Portaro decided to reunite with the other Tonys of the early lineup, Bono and Scaglione, and abandon the glossy groove metal and bizarre heavy/speed metal roots of the preceding pair of albums, and though the vocals here won't always remind you of Ticket to Mayhem or Power and Pain, the music is definitely feeling like 1987 all over again, albeit with a cleaner production and less overall speed and aggression.

The general tendency of this record is that the faster it goes, the better it gets. Songs like "Thrash 'til Death" (yes, before Destruction, just like "Nailed to the Cross") and "Nails In Me Deep" are both classic examples of this band at their best, ripping and explosive as they twist their heavy/speed metal roots into a street ready thrash impetus reminiscent of the Metallica debut Kill 'Em All, and at some points ("Resurrection Chair" for example) it's got a real street flair akin to the band Zoetrope. There are some spots in which the band steps out of this comfort zone, like the frenetic neo-classical shred off duels between Symphony X guests guitarist Michael Romeo and keyboardist Michael Pinella, which seems a little strange to feature on a thrash trio's record; "King With the Axe" starts like some Manowar epic, then busts out the hi octane riffs. "Killing On Monroe Street" is the best at channeling that NWOBHM spirit that influenced early Metallica, and "Stab" once again sounds like the Bay Area legends, with some fast as fuck bass.

Thrashback has a lot going for it, especially the vocals. Not all of the riffs stick with the listener, but it's clear this was Whiplash doing what they always did best, and thus it's easily the best record the band had released since 1990's Insult to Injury. The band could (and did) easily mesh a few of these cuts in with their classic material for live shows, and it would have been a great direction for them to continue, had bassist Tony Bono not sadly passed away a few years after its release. I don't think I'd rank it up alongside the first three in over quality; for all its vigorous, youthful renewal, it's just not that catchy for the most part, but at least it's successful enough to not feel like you're being slapped in the face by 90s bullshit, and it was good to see a band realize this in such order after straying from the path only 1-2 years earlier.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

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New Jersey's Whiplash returning in the mid to late 90s to finish what they started was at first a welcome notion, until I laid my ears on their near complete abortion Cult of One, on which Tony Portaro and his band decided to forage into the new terrains of groove metal and truly dull their blades. There was no "Walk the Plank" to be had anywhere. No "Hiroshima". No "Spit On Your Grave". No, it was essentially run of the mill modern 90s thrash with influence from hot bands of the day like Pantera and Black Label Society. A year later, the band's second offering through Massacre, Sit Stand Kneel Pray, would see even further changes from the Whiplash of the past, but ultimately, the music here is at least more effective, if nothing to write home about.

What you have hear is the departure of vocalist Rob Gonzo and drummer Tony Scaglione, and another somewhat new direction, a mix of straight up heavy, speed and thrash metal which is thankfully brimming with good riffs, even though it retains a few of the groove and shuffle elements of its direct predecessor. Guitarist Warren Conditi stepped in here for vocal duties, and while his style is not entirely different than Gonzo, he's much better at it, with a decent melodic tone that would honestly fit right in to some progressive or power metal band. There are some moments like "Left Unsaid" where the vocals very much remind me of a mix of Alice in Chains' late Layne Stayley (due to the melodic layering) and Zakk Wylde, but it's never so bad that you want to throw the album at the nearest concrete surface and watch its plastic and steel bits skitter off into the urban waste. No, Sit Stand Kneel Pray is not a good album, but it's got some tasteful enough tracks that it doesn't belong in the cult of none like its boring step-sister.

Though it never really feels like we're listening to the Whiplash of days gone by, "Climb Out of Hell" has a nice, speedy lick to it that reminds me of something like Wolfsbane or the Rhoads era of Ozzy Osbourne. The tones and texture to the licks creates a positive momentum, and Conditi has a far better range than the man he's replacing, even if he's no replacement for Tony Portaro or Glenn Hansen, who remain the band's best singers. "Left Unsaid" is only suitable to those seeking out a mix of Ozzy and Alice in Chains, and the groovy plummet of "Hitlist" grows less interesting with every subsequent riff past the intro, but then you've got "Cyanide Grenade" which is groovy thrash that wouldn't be out of place on Pantera's Cowboys from Hell, or "Lack of Contrition" which has most of the best riffs and vocals on the album in one place. Other fare, like the dreadful "Knock Me Down" or blues grooves of "Word to the Wise", is best not discussed, because it's just as bad if not worse than anything on Cult of One.

Perhaps the muscles here were not so rusty as on the album before it, and that's why, despite its flaws, Sit Stand Kneel Pray doesn't leek quite the same terrible taste on the buds. However, it still leaves so much to be desired, and when you run it up against Insult to Injury or Ticket to Mayhem you can quickly conceive exactly why the band never needed to journey this path. The production here was the best yet of the band's career, and the guitars deliver about 50% of the time, but it only made me pine for the thrashing excess and manic testosterone of their 80s output. Apparently, I'm not the only one, because the album to follow this was almost a complete reversion to the speed/thrash metal that put the band on the underground map to begin with. If it weren't for the mediocre Unborn Again that the band have recently released, I'd tell you that Sit Stand Kneel Pray had gotten all of this rock and roll out of the band's system, but that's a well they seem to still drink from time to time.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

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The 90s were surely the bane of the thrash band, as even titans of the genre decided in whatever drunken corporate stupidity that afflicted them to release nonsense like Load, Re-Load, Risk, and even Slaya's bouncy bed-shitting Diabolus in Musica. Sadly, these ill-advised and variably ill-met decisions were not alone, as the sub tiers of US thrash would also succumb to this menace, the menace of false assumptions that one must change and adapt in the wake of whatever trend is hammering the charts. I'm not saying change is always a bad thing, mind you, but the mentality seemed to trickle on down to even Whiplash, whose shoddy offering was the jump the shark mediocrity of Cult of One.

The band had been on a long hiatus after Insult to Injury, and their return was a pretty major letdown, though I was shocked by it at all. Glenn Hansen had left the band, and Tony Bono was very busy with his other band Into Another (a great band, worth hearing). There are several new members here, including bassist Jimmy Preziosa and guitarist Warren Conditi, and the new vocal slot was filled by Rob Gonzo, who is perhaps one of the most debilitating factors of this album. Gonzo has a vocal style very typical for the time, not terrible mind you, but full of the crass Phil Anselmo styled emotional 'huah', with a dash of Ozzy influence in places like the bridge of "Apostle of Truth". Now, as I said, he's not really that bad of his own accord. He hits all the notes, and he's not a critical fumble in several of the tracks, but on the whole he's just so much less interesting than Hansen or Portaro himself.

What's most frustrating about Cult of One is that there are actually a few genuinely decent riffs scattered among the quickly forgotten detritus, and it even seems to begin where Insult to Injury left off, with some clean guitars that herald the chord smack down of "Such is the Will". Even the grooves of the verse have some speedy fills, but the vocals sort of suck here, and in the end only the lead is any good. Then it goes into the awful groove metal track "No One's Idol" which sounds like an unwanted median of 90s Armored Saint and Black Label Society. I shit you not. "No Fear to Tread" is about half-thrash, and "1,000 Times" is another toss away groove/heavy metal song, like Down or Black Label Society or Alice in Chains. I'm sure the track "Heavenaut" had some meaning to someone in the band, and that's not to scoff at, but musically it's a power ballad cesspool which wouldn't have surprised me if the Creed guy started singing over it.

There are a few tracks, like "Apostle of Truth" or the strange and out of place melodic power metal instrumental "Lost World" which possess the tint of a good idea or two, and some fine playing from the band, but ultimately this record is the true low point of the band's career, ideas grouped together that simply do not work out as a whole. The production is nice, and the band were able to maintain themselves on another decent label, Massacre, but there is just so little here worth coming back to that one wonders if the band should have just stayed quiet until their real reunion album Thrashback. Cult of One is certainly not the worst album I've heard in the 90s from a promising 80s thrash band, but it's yet another testament to the notion that not all mutations of sound are beneficial, and as a result it was tossed immediately into the vortex of overlooked ideas and forgotten jibberish.

Verdict: Fail [4.25/10]

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While Ticket to Mayhem had been a refinement and progression directly of the New Jersey band's debut Power and Pain, their third effort Insult to Injury would see changes on a larger scale, not the least of which was the decision to bring in a separate vocalist, freeing up Tony Portaro to his guitar and writing duties without the added pressure. This would be the first of three frontmen Whiplash would cycle through before finally returning to themselves, but to be fair, Glenn Hansen did a pretty bang-up job with this album, his slick and knife-like, melodic delivery a manageable fit for the busy rhythm section, responsible for some of the best chorus sections the band have ever committed to disc.

But he's not the only difference here, the band have decided to temper the speed of their past efforts with more accessible tracks in general, and here is one of those cases where such a decision pays off. The first five tracks on this album are all quite good, from the nut busting, mosh epic "Voice of Sanity" with blazon guitars not unlike California's Vio-Lence, and Glenn wailing away over the crashing rhythmic waves. "Hiroshima" has some solid bass performance ala the late Tony Bono, and an even more memorable chorus section, while title track "Insult to Injury" is winding and playful do to the melodic mutes of the verse and popping guitar fills. I would say "Dementia Thirteen" is my favorite of the entire album, with the soothing walls of flange on the verse guitars, the strutting bass, and fairly rock & roll styled vocals which just work. "Essence of Evil" is yet another scorcher with great, working man riffs and another memorable, escalating chorus.

The rest of the record is not quite so evenly distributed in quality. You've got a few gems like the wild, weaving "Rape of the Mind" with its groovy rhythm guitars and goofy but endearing chorus, and then "Pistolwhipped" which is perhaps the closest the band will get here to the raw, speed thrashing of Ticket to Mayhem or Power and Pain, with the obvious difference in vocals. "Witness to the Terror" and "Battlescars" have their moments, but neither is quite so difficult to brush off the memory once the riffing has subsided. The final track here is an instrumental ironically named "Ticket to Mayhem/4 E.S." which certainly has some potential in its mix of desperate, melodic clean guitars and thrashing palm mutes, but it feels in need of vocals, not really being wanky enough aside from a few solo licks to succeed in its current format.

All told though, Insult to Injury is one of the better of Whiplash's catalog, and remains so to this day, especially when you pair it up against the next two albums, which see a remarkable and unwelcome shift in focus that retains only a part of the band's thrashing value. The mix here is bold and bright, and clearly the band were going for the status of an album like Master of Puppets or So Far, So Good, So What?, even if the songs are really not at that same level. I can recall a generally negative reaction to this when it was released, but hardly a loud one, since the band were never in the more popular thrash camp of the late 80s, just another of those publicly undiscovered gems that were lurking on the Roadracer label of the day. It's still got enough of Ticket to Mayhem in it to sate fans of that album, but on the whole its a positive progression, even if it can't match its predecessor track for track.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (take as much as you need)

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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.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

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Unborn Again is the first Whiplash album to be recorded after the unfortunately passing of bassist Tony Bono, who was with the band all through their 'Three Tony' years and beyond. I had lost much interest in this band after their third album Insult to Injury, but they plugged away in the 90s and produced a few more mediocre works with various lineups. Unborn Again is their 7th full-length, and though it does occasionally delve back into the band's earlier style from Ticket to Mayhem and Insult to Injury, a lot of that early energy is admittedly lost here.

This is not to say that the band are not still capable of producing some moments, as in the rocking if constrained opener "Swallow the Slaughter", the old school thrashing charms of "Float Face Down", or closing speed metal "Feeding Frenzy". But there are tracks here which feel rather half-assed and unnecessary. "Hook in Mouth" is a swaggering, bluesy bore which borders on goofy. "Firewater' tries to do big Sabbath riffs with an American Indian theme, but comes off like a bad stoner impersonation. And the cover of Montrose's "I've Got the Fire" may not feel entirely tacked on, since many of the songs bear a heavy rock'n'blues influence, but...well...it's hardly exemplary...especially when Portaro incants: I've got the mother fuckin' fire. Really?

Joe Cangelosi's drumming is par for the course, he gives it a lot of energy, but the riffs on this album are rarely worth it. Tony Portaro is still a competent axeslinger, but his vocals are all over the place...from lame, lurching blues melodies to the thrash that we want to hear from him. Nowhere near the level of his earlier performances, or Glenn Hansen's vocals on Insult to Injury. I'm happy to see Whiplash trekking on into the 21st century, but it would seem the band grows ever more distant from the triumvirate of early albums that set them up. Unborn Again is even less interesting than the mediocre albums they released in the previous decade. It's unfortunate.

Highlights: Swallow the Slaughter, Float Face Down, Feeding Frenzy

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

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I'd first like to note that Ticket to Mayhem is a great album title, and the cover art here is wonderful. I'd also like to state that this may just be the finest hour for New Jersey speedsters Whiplash. The later Insult to Injury had some excellent, memorable tracks, but this album is just so fast and fun, for the most part. As far as the band's career post-1990, let's NOT go there. I'll just say they played a lot of older material at gigs, and we'll leave it at that.

"Walk the Plank" is the first metal injection of the disc, and it's quite intense, catchy riffs like a wilder, uncouth Metallica meets Destruction. It's also called WALK THE PLANK. "Last Nail in the Coffin" mellows out for just a moment with some acoustics, before a string of power chords start alternating with acoustics and Tony Portaro's wicked vocals. Interesting to put a song like this so near the beginning of the album, but it's still pretty good (again, slightly akin to Metallica from the Ride the Lightning era). "Drowning In Torment" returns to a blood-crazed frenzy thrash barrage, breaking for speed riffing amidst the chug and crash of its verse rhythm. "Burning of Atlanta" has a slightly high seas metal feel, like the thrashier twin of Running Wild. "Eternal Eyes" incorporates some classic blues metal groove to its verse, quite cool. "Snake Pit" is one of those thrashers you don't forget because it's called SNAKE PIT, and also because of the fucking insanely fast picking riffs. "Spiral of Violence" revisits the acoustic intro, but it gets a lot heavier than "Last Nail in the Coffin". "Respect the Death" is an excellent track to lead out the metal festivities, though the album closes with another "Perpetual Warfare" dark ambient piece.

Ticket to Mayhem sounds as it should, razor sharp guitars playing quite fast through much of the material. Tony Bono (later of Into Another) is a good, fast bass player and keeps the single-minded shred of Tony Portaro anchored. The drums of Joe Cangolisi are energetic for their day, and all of this combined makes the album hold up well in today's metal clime. The lyrics are quite mediocre, but they suffice, as most of the songs are quite good. Definitely a nice American alternative to the wilder days of Kreator and Destruction, and perhaps what Metallica might have sounded like had they gone all balls out instead of the progressive, grounded thrash of ...And Justice for All.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10] (silence overcomes the court)

http://www.myspace.com/whiplashusa