Demolition Hammer
Epidemic Of Violence

When it comes to new blood that belonged to the second wave of Thrash metal, it can safely be stated that the later a debut occurred, the lesser the chances of a band receiving the recognition it truly deserved. Indeed, around the late '80s and early '90s, countless pseudo-bands followed the path already marked by the great masters of the genre; it’s a shame, however, that most of them ended up monstrously lacking any musical identity. Only a very few groups had the personality (and means) to try writing new chapters of history but, inevitably, they drowned among the clones, dragged down by the general mediocrity. I had developed a similar discussion a few weeks ago during the Exhorder review and I cannot refrain from drawing a parallel with their fellow countrymen, Demolition Hammer: both did a lot of legwork before signing with respectable labels, Roadrunner for the New Orleans guys (which ended up being a big mistake), Century Media for the jackhammers; both were authors of debut works of great impact and florid originality (dated 1990); both unfortunately – over time – became little known and forgotten. A sort of final evolution of a species shortly before a great extinction; and for me, the Hammer represented the Final Evolution of American Thrash, perhaps the purest, certainly the most violent.

After the nice debut '‘Tortured Existence’’, penalized, however, by a sound output (read production) not entirely convincing, with the second ‘'Epidemic Of Violence’’ the group rises in level in all respects. The production here is sensational, clean and ‘'unleashed’' giving that raw sense that every album of the genre should imply; apart from the bass which as usual doesn’t enjoy much consideration (the priorities of vocalist Reynolds are obviously elsewhere), the guitars appear piercing, ferocious, and in some ways mechanical, producing an average of 10/15 riffs per song, while Vinnie Daze’s drums are undoubtedly the most impressive element: bass drum, snare, toms, cymbals, everything is endowed with the right depth, powerful and meticulously curated in every detail during the mixing phase; what emerges is comparable to an infantry army with M16s poised, frothing at the mouth and bloodshot eyes ready to exterminate everything in sight; in two words, frighteningly destructive.

This admirable sound performance paves the way for a Thrash metal angrier and notably evolved compared to the past; the overall sound has become aggravated clearly taking cues from Floridian Death, from its gut-wrenching growls, from its obsessively double-pedaled drumming, from deliberately lowered tunings, and from an unparalleled destructive intent. The care our guys devote to the tracks is truly incredible: the presence (as I hinted earlier) of numerous riffs per song makes listening quite challenging but, ultimately, it becomes undoubtedly a significant quality because it allows for a multitude of nuances and certain variety among the songs: thus expanding from the mid-tempos of ‘'Carnivorous Obsession’’, which I strongly advise against listening to in your car (but please, do try it, though when you’re kissing a nice oak tree don’t say I didn’t warn you), moving through the three indescribable initial outbursts ('‘Skull Fracturing Nightmare’’, '‘Human Dissection’’ and ‘'Pyroclastic Annihilation’’) which are worth more than entire discographies, up to the final paroxysm (even in the lyrics) of ‘'Aborticide’’: an intoxicating vortex of palm muting.

Recommended with all my (still bleeding) heart to all thrashers.

‘'Epidemic Of Violence’’: further information on how to correctly annihilate the human race.