Demolition Hammer
Tortured Existence

A simple question: are you in the mood for ''VIOLENCE''? If the answer is yes, you can do nothing but get your hands on this little jewel of destruction brought to you by those beasts, the American Demolition Hammer, a highly underrated and I dare say forgotten band in the Heavy Metal world. And to think that Thrash Metal was already clearly established when "Tortured Existence" came out in 1990. In fact, let's even say it was beginning to see its slow decline, which would see it disappear clearly in front of the rise of new trends of the early '90s, such as Grunge and Alternative, but also Death Metal.

Demolition Hammer formed towards the end of the '80s in New York, home to other immense groups like Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, Stormtroopers Of Death, Method Of Destruction, and others. The very first line-up included Steve Reynolds on vocals and bass, James Reilly and Derek Sykes on guitars, and finally Vinny Daze on drums. The latter, in particular, better known by the nickname ''Helicopter'' due to his remarkable mastery behind the drums, met a truly crappy end, poisoned and killed (R.I.P) by a puffer fish. And he was indeed a Helicopter, since his double bass drum sounded strikingly similar to the rotor of a moving helicopter, giving the band's music an uncommon violence and speed.

"Tortured Existence" is destructive, it is one of the most brutal Thrash Metal albums, comparable to a steamroller: Death Metal-like rhythms, heavy and substantial riffs, very fitting vocals, because they are damn dirty, almost a growl. The influences found on this album are not many, just a few references here and there to Vio-lence, Exodus, but also Kreator, not forgetting the old Sepultura. I repeat, they are just references because I consider their sound completely unique and original, you can recognize them immediately. The opener 44 Caliber Brain Surgery immediately stands out for its impact, practically thrown in the listener's face testing the eardrums. It is undoubtedly a Must, which cannot be missing from their concerts, as well as Gelid Remains, which starts with a riff vaguely inspired by Metallica's Master Of Puppets. Notable is also the use of Hardcore choirs, which further enrich the fierce sound. The first part of the album closes with the immense Infectious Hospital Waste, for which a black-and-white video clip was shot. It starts immediately with a Riff in full Moshpit Style slightly reminiscent of the sounds of Exodus' Bonded By Blood, and continues with its inimitable power, dragging the listener into a frenzied Headbanging (I challenge you to resist eh). That genius Daze definitely doesn’t stop for a moment, continuing to beat the drums violently gifting us yet another blow right to the face called Hydrophobia. Even the guitarists know their stuff, but besides the powerful riffs I have already talked about extensively, the guitar solos of notable technique should be mentioned, which for some reason have an oriental touch. Reynolds instead stands out more for his characteristic voice than for his bass skills, which are slightly overshadowed. Another track worth mentioning is Mercenary Aggression, absolutely chilling, as it sums up, once again, the album's typical sonic violence. The choir screaming: MERCENARY AGGRESSION! is absolutely perfect, fantastic, utterly furious.

The album production is good, very raw, certainly not perfect (perhaps a bit low in volume), but there is absolutely nothing to complain about. Also worth mentioning is the disgustingly fantastic cover, as it depicts a man engulfed in flames with completely burnt skin. They couldn't have chosen a better cover for an album like this. Surprisingly, the original album, despite the band's lack of fame, is easily obtainable. I managed to find it at Recordi Mediastore to my utter amazement, given that you rarely find such albums right under your nose.

In 1992, Demolition Hammer released another gem called "Epidemic Of Violence", an album that in some respects is even more destructive than the first, and in terms of quality, they are indeed very close. However, for sentimental reasons, I prefer their fantastic debut slightly, which will always remain one of the many unjustly forgotten masterpieces of this vast genre.