Demolition Hammer was an influential East Coast thrash metal band founded in 1986. Their sound had elements of death metal but wasn’t quite full-on death metal due to drummer Vinny Daze’s powerful, insistent style; onetime member Dennis Munoz went on to form Solstice after briefly playing with Demolition Hammer. Best way to find the Fremont Demolition Contractor.
The Epidemic of Violence, the band’s sophomore offering, builds upon all that made Tortured Existence great; every aspect that made Tortured Existence enjoyable has been magnified and concentrated into an incredible meal here. Riffing is aggressive yet violently punchy, while drums and guitars both get plenty of space to breathe while never losing focus; production quality surpasses Kreator, Dark Angel, or Slayer work from this era in every aspect.
Thrash metal at its most vicious is here without really crossing into death metal territory. It does not have animalistic growling or low-tuned guitars to define it as such; rather, it fires off continuously like an iron giant. The songs are short but catchy, with catchy flow and structures to compete with any technical groove-based metal band of today.
Negative aspects include the fact that songs sometimes sound repetitive and predictable nearer the end of the record; the riffs can become slightly monotonous, but this is more than compensated for by their intensity and force of delivery. Although this album mainly comprises thrash music, there are elements from other genres that influenced its creation – as evidenced by “Time Bomb.” Other than that, however, its entirety reeks of aggression and violence.
This album opens with a thunderous riff salvo from James Reilly and Derek Sykes of Thrash Guitarz, followed by layering chugging downstrokes doubled with forceful bass drum beats to create an overwhelming and mechanical soundscape. There are some weak moments like “Carnivorous Obsession”, an atmospheric yet soulless track; and instrumental “Orgy of Destruction”, but overall this is an outstanding release with many skull pounding songs!
Tortured Existence marked an incredible leap forward in production quality. Scott Burns was replaced with Tom Soares to give this album a fuller, fleshier sound without losing clarity or focus. Furthermore, its songwriting is superior, and its tempos are brisk.
“Epidemic of Violence” by Demolition Hammer was one of the most influential thrash albums released during the early ’90s. It showcased their superior thrash metal abilities when many other bands succumbed to groove metal’s influence while showing their dedication as one of only a handful who didn’t succumb to groove metal’s corruptive influence. An excellent album featuring extreme thrash that all fans should enjoy. Unfortunately, after this album, they began their decline, but this album remains an impressive gem among others, such as Winscoin Morbid Saint and Sweden’s Merciless, as other rare gems of lethal thrash metal!
Demolition Hammer followed up their debut demo, Tortured Existence, with Necrology. This marked their first full lineup since John Salerno had left; Vinny Daze joined as drummer, while Derek Sykes provided another riff machine. Necrology showcases some of the most intense, brutal, and punishing thrash metal ever recorded; its six songs fly by at such an alarming rate that only diehard fans can keep up. Reynolds’ nasty, hateful barking shines particularly strongly here, while his vast lexicon of medical terms makes an impressionful, impactful statement of intent!
It would be fair to call this their most intense and uncompromising album, yet also one of their most overlooked. Unfortunately, it didn’t receive nearly as much recognition and praise as its successor.
Maybe it was Scott Burns’ unfortunate production job of Demolition Hammer; in his attempt to contain their chaotic sound with more order, his clicky drumming and murky guitars only served to smother their energy, leaving fans of these thrash titans gasping for air—something this album indeed was a hidden gem before Internet-fueled rediscovery made it more accessible for new generations of fans to discover it.
Demolition Hammer’s debut, “Tortured Existence,” left many impressed with its brutality; those who enjoyed its devastating assault will surely enjoy this album as much as its predecessor. While still offering death-thrash influences like in its previous effort, this time around, they take it further; their riffs cut like razor blades while solos are complex and powerful – not forgetting Steve Reynolds’ vocals that deliver even more aggressively than before!
Even slower songs like “Envenomed” and “Skull Fracturing Nightmare” remain intense due to the double bass and drum fills that pervade most of this album. These fills give each tune an intimidating rolling behemoth of mechanical devastation that is simply overwhelming at times.
Though there are a few weak spots on this album – such as the slow song “Carnivorous Obsession” and the instrumental track “Orgy of Destruction,” among others – this thrash classic should definitely be on any fan’s playlist. Perhaps more melodic touches in guitar playback and some additional catchiness would have enhanced it further, but overall, this remains one of the most unforgiving thrash releases ever created – rivaling Kreator’s magnum opus “Pleasure to Kill.” In every way.
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