Ticket to Mayhem may very well be one of thrash metal's truly forgotten gems. Whiplash's first album, Power and Pain, was quite sloppy and rushed, at least to my ears. However, by their second go-around, Whiplash had tidied up business and unleashed a furious onslaught of aggression, speed and crunchy thrash goodness. Despite the band's career long second (or maybe even third) tier status, Ticket to Mayhem is an incredible release that should be coveted by all fans of thrash.

The album begins and ends with the sounds of aircrafts, perhaps dueling it out over a battlefield. Hence the name "Perpetual Warfare". The songs between the intro and outro reflect a blitzkrieg mentality. Although there are slower paced songs, the majority of this album rushes at you like a battallion of really speedy tanks. Tanks on mechanical amphetamines, which probably consists of nitro fuel of some sort. The trio, down to two Tonys after the departure of drummer Tony Scaglione, provides a thoroughly heavy sound with a very solid production for the era. Guitarist Tony Portaro's vocals, while not exactly American Idol material, are high rasps that work quite well within the music's context. Bassist Tony Bono, unlike many thrash contemporaries, is actually quite audible within the mix, adding a powerful undercurrent. And if nothing else, Ticket to Mayhem features the band's absolute best song: "The Burning of Atlanta", where all their elements come together for one of the better thrash songs you'll ever hear.

Although hopelessly out of print (although it's turned up in a couple limited reissues and a pairing with the band's debut), Ticket to Mayhem is nonetheless entirely worth seeking out. It is one of those unheralded releases from the 80s that probably deserved more attention than it actually got. But you know what they say, it's never too late to uncover a gem.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 12/2003

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By the time Whiplash rolled out their third full length album, the band had picked up a fulltime vocalist to allow guitarist Tony Portaro to concentrate just on his instrument. The resulting release, Insult to Injury, is actually one of the best things Whiplash has done, regardless of the transition to a smoother, more palatable vocalist. The music is still fairly reminiscient to Ticket to Mayhem, albeit a bit less manic and kinetically charged. Tasty thrash riffs are in high abundance here as well as a better sense of melody. New vocalist Glenn Hansen has a bit more of a high pitched wail, though not intolerably high, like many his thrash brethen from the era. Where this album succeeds is, of course, in the songwriting. Nearly every song here is highly memorable, with "Rape of the Mind", "Hiroshima" and the insanely speedy "Pistolwhipped" being some of the highlights. The band is more than competent, with bassist Tony Bono (who later ended up in Into Another, a band of an entirely different breed) providing some very subtle, but nifty playing throughout.

Insult to Injury is certainly one of the more overlooked good albums from the heyday of thrash and one of the best from 1989. Any enthusiast should probably put this down on the list of new treasures to find.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 10/2000

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I'm sure you know how that in the past couple years there has been a wave of younger kids trying to imitate 80s thrash. And I'm sure you're aware that ninety-seven percent of the time these efforts fail miserably to even remotely approach the feel and excitement of that long gone era. The thing is that you actually need the musicians from that era to recapture the feeling. So enter Whiplash back into the picture. If you remember your history, Whiplash was a New York thrash band that had some attention given to them with some high powered, outrageously octaned albums such as Ticket to Mayhem and my personal favorite Insult to Injury. Lo and behold, the original trio of the three Tonys (Bono, Portaro and Scaglione) are back in prime form to remind us what thrash was all about.

From the first moments of "Temple of Punishment", you know that Whiplash has both aged well and still know how to retain the exciting vibe of their 80s work without being derivative. This band excelled back then at speedy, fluid riffing and their knack has not diminished one iota. Fortunately, Portaro's singing has improved immensely over the past decade as well. He know sounds a bit like Helloween's Andi Deris in tone (though not having that same range, which is just as well). Bono, who spent time in Into Another during the 90s, and Scaglione work very well together, creating a solid rhythm section. The songs range from old school throttle attacks like the instrumental "Strike Me Blind" to a more mid-paced stomper like "King With the Axe". The album never lets down at any point. If you ever liked Whiplash at any point in your life, do yourself a favor and find a copy of this. And for you younger kids who wonder why us old guys sneer at retro-thrash projects, Thrashback is an apt lesson in why.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 08/1999

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