Time To Kill Records have signed WHIPLASH, and the New Jersey thrash veterans will release their new album "Roar" on November 27, 2026.
The record already exists, and some people already own it. A small number of CD promos circulated independently during WHIPLASH's European "Campaign For Musical Destruction Tour" with NAPALM DEATH earlier this year, under the original title "Thrashquake". Those copies are now, effectively, collector items — the official worldwide release arrives with a new title, brand-new artwork by Ed Repka, and distribution behind it.
Tony Portaro explained the change plainly. "'Thrashquake' was the original title, and we made a limited number of copies available independently while we were touring earlier this year," he said. "As things developed and we started looking at the bigger picture for the worldwide release, 'Roar' just felt like a stronger title and a better representation of the album as a whole."
He was equally direct about why the label deal mattered: "Partnering with Time To Kill Records gives us the opportunity to take this record far beyond that initial tour release and give it the international campaign and worldwide distribution it deserves. With the new title, the new Ed Repka artwork and Time To Kill behind the official release, 'Roar' represents the definitive version of this album."
The title track survives as the opener, so "Thrashquake" has not disappeared — it has just been demoted from album title to song one.
Ten tracks were recorded at Studio Mozart and Concrete Island Studio, produced by Portaro and mixed at Jamie King Audio. Titles like "Sonic Asylum", "Bullet Train" and "Who Stole My Whiskey" set the tone; the label's own description — thrash "crafted for the mosh pit, not the algorithm" — is a fair summary of the pitch.
"Roar" track listing:
- Thrashquake
- Bullet Train
- Can't Take Back A Bullet
- Sword Meet Skull
- Who Stole My Whiskey
- When The Deadman Calls
- Red Tape Riot
- Mother's Kill Club
- Sonic Asylum
- Graveyard Of Good And Evil
The current touring lineup is Portaro on vocals and guitar, William Winton on bass and Mitch Hull on drums.
Formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1984, WHIPLASH built the East Coast thrash template alongside a New York scene that was otherwise dominated by punk and hardcore. "Power And Pain" (1985) landed through Roadrunner's Road Racer imprint and remains a cult reference point; "Ticket To Mayhem" (1987) and "Insult To Injury" (1989) followed. After lineup churn and a dormant stretch, the band returned with "Thrashback" in 1998 before another long hiatus.