If the worlds of industrial goth and garage rock collided, the splitting atom would be the sound of the Raveonettes.

Half Interpol, half Ministry and a whole lot of attitude, The Raveonettes' latest, Whip It On, may look like it is stealing the White Stripes' image of one guy and one gal playing rock 'n' roll. However, the sound is really nothing like the red-and-white-clad duo.

Sharp power chords float over haunting vocals, while industrial beats clatter the distinct rhythms of the macabre tracks. With only eight songs, the album lasts a mere twenty minutes, barely enough time for the listener to take a breath in between the clanging numbers.

It's kind of obvious that two instrumentalists could never play all of the tracks on Whip It On. With frenzied bass lines, pounding drums and fuzzy blues guitar, "Cops On Our Tail," spatters in a hiss of pure fury. The Raveonettes proves it's a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, telling the cops where the men in blue can stick it in two words.

It's almost shocking, but not quite. Sune Rose Wagner's voice usually doesn't register above a hushed whisper on Whip It On, but it works for the duo. Surf guitars and lo-fi hiss make the classic AM radio sound of "Bowels of the Beast" a perfect fit for the soundtrack of a dark Quentin Tarantino film.

Above all, the album compares to a Tarantino film: a lot of style but little substance. There is no real emotive quality to The Raveonettes except that expressed by dark musings and depressed sound. It's as if they watched The Exorcist non-stop during the recording of the album.

Of course, that could have only been about 20 minutes of the movie. As short as it is, Whip It On sounds frighteningly good ... and refreshing.

-- Reviewed by Caleb Sheaffer