Description

White vinyl with lyric insert. Limited 350 copies

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. 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.

Track listing:
1. Climb Out of Hell
2. Left Unsaid
3. Hitlist
4. Cyanide Grenade
5. Jane Doe
6. Knock Me Down
7. Lack of Contrition
8. Word to the Wise
9. Strangeface
10. Catharsis
11. Sit Stand Kneel Prey