bidhardcore.com

Metal Monday Vol.11today, and I have another selection for the Thrash Metal Sleeper category, and maybe something to gnaw on for the hardcore purist too. Observe Whiplash - “Power and Pain”. Their first and most remembered lp, and also, one of the best NY/NJ thrash records to ever exist. First thing you might notice is that our old pal, Sean Taggert is responsible for that cover art, which looks like a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot crushing a skinhead’s head. The music on here sounds kind of like Exodus - Bonded By Blood at double speed, maybe with a little Slayer tossed in. In fact drummer Tony Scaglion is one of only 2 drummers to have ever subbed for Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, and on the Reign in Blood US tour no less. He’s also laid it down in Sheer Terror, Cause For Alarm, and Ludichrist. While I’m at it bassist Tony Bono (R.I.P.) did some time in Into Another in the 90’s. This brings me to another important point: the guitarist/vocalist on this record is also named Tony (Portaro), in other words, the entire band is named Tony. This is a very fine distinction, later to be stolen by pop group Tony, Toni Tone. By my calculation, this is one of the greatest American thrash lps by a band that didn’t strike it big.

Also in the “kind of hardcore related thrash metal sleepers” post: Necrophagia - “Season of The Dead”. This is a record I actually have a promotional copy of including a press sheet where the bands influences are listed which are: “Celtic Frost, Bathory, Sodom, Slaughter, and all hard-core“. Yes the entire genre folks. Nonetheless this record doesn’t have a trace of any hardcore on it, opting for kind of just a mix of the metal bands they listed, and definitely leaning towards the earlier portions of those band’s catalogs. In other words this is shockingly primitive for an lp issued in the USA in 1987. This is on one of my favorite cult labels, New Renaissance Records who issued dozens of no-name metal bands through the 80’s. If following cult-level thrash metal releases is comparable to being a horror movie fanatic, then this is definitely one of those infamous, z-grade, plotless gore flicks. Enjoy.