Demolition Hammer - Epidemic Of Violence
After reviewing Demolition Hammer's blistering debut album "Tortured Existence" awhile ago now, I thought it'd only be fitting to review their sophomore effort too. For those who have been hiding under a very un-metal rock the past 20+ years, Demolition Hammer hailed from Bronx, NY and released two brilliant demos - 1988's "Skull Fracturing Nightmare" and 1989's "Necrology" - before signing to Century Media Records in 1990 when they released "Tortured Existence", which was the heaviest album ever put to disc. That is, until the band released their second (and technically, their final) album in 1992.... "Epidemic of Violence".
You read that right, "Epidemic of Violence" is the heaviest album ever, BAR NONE. You think "Annihilation of the Wicked" was heavy? Nope. "Pleasure to Kill"? Wrong. "Reign In Blood"? Nuh-uh. Hell, even the legendary "Spectrum of Death" has absolutely fuck all when put next to this - this is the epitome of brutality. As with "Tortured Existence", the first and biggest round of applause goes to the devastating drumwork of Vinny Daze who, as with the band's debut, is an unstoppable force in all aspects. Sure, we hear a lot of stupidly fast double bass these days, but even Nile drummer George Kollias would have shat himself in he presence of Vinny's work here - there is literally no room to fucking breathe. His drumming sounds like a fucking earthquake that's engulfing a whole continent, he's so precise and by fucking lord, he's so goddamn FAST! Listen to 'Skull Fractuing Nightmare', 'Human Dissection' and the brutal title track for your evidence, then come back here once your injuries have healed. Go ahead, I'll wait. Back? Now you know exactly what I mean. As with the debut, "Epidemic of Violence" wouldn't have been anywhere near as heavy (or as good) without Vinny's work here... I have to stop, I could go on forever about the drumming on display throughout this record.
Although Vinny is once again the shining star of this CD (face it, it was inevitable) the rest of the band are on colossal form themselves - guitarists James Reilly and Derek Sykes have dramatically improved as players, writing riffs that are on an astonishing level of speed and far more technical than a large majority of the songs from "Tortured Existence". A lot of the groove influences have been toned down slightly in favour for more balls-out aggression, which sets this record apart from its predecessor in the best way possible as some of the songs on the first album weren't as heavy as they could've been. Tracks like the appropriately titled 'Skull Fracturing Nightmare' and the closing assault of 'Aborticide' exhibit intensity and ferocity at the furthest end of the extreme spectrum, with 'Skull Fracturing Nightmare' containing the heaviest bridge riff in history at the 1.32 mark, then at the same time they can pull back slightly with the mostly mid-tempo bulldozers of 'Carnivorous Obsession' and 'Human Dissection' without letting up any of the energy. The solos, whilst not as melodic as some of those found on "Tortured Existence", just add to the hell-bent chaos that's already more than obscenely vicious enough to live up to its title - this truely is an epidemic of violence.
Steve Reynolds has made a remarkable improvement upon the previous record too, with his vocals sounding even more violent and rabid than before and his bass playing stepping up 20 notches - I'm still left in disbelief when I think 'Fuck, he played that and sang over it?!' and I can't stress enough just how fucking evil he sounds here. His lyrics have become even more brutal and vile too, with songs about medieval torture ('Skull Fracturing Nightmare'), brutal forms of murder ('Epidemic of Violence') and even dinosaurs ('Omnivore' - seriously!) and as with "Tortured Existence", he hasn't taken the immature route in writing these lyrics. There are countless medical references and the like to sink your teeth into, so to quote another review I read of this album; "Thank you Steve for choosing intelligence over stupidity". Combined with his terrific vocal delivery, Steve is the pinnacle of brutal vocals here with a production job to compliment it - speaking of production, it's almost completely different to that of the previous album (obvously). Scott Burns did the band's debut, and Tom Soares has taken over the producing and mixing job on here and he's made the album sound even heavier - unlike "Tortured Existence", everyting is less bassy than before and balanced a bit better with the guitars and drums being much more upfront in the mix, a much crispier drum tone than before and the guitar tone... jesus christ, that fucking guitar tone! What a fucking crunch!!
I'll have to end this review here before I shit myself with over-excitement, so here is my final verdict: If you don't own this record, you're not worthy of owning any metal album or calling yourself a metalhead in any way. Ever. I hate hailing albums so much, but this just utter perfection on every level - everything is so tight and precise, the music and lyrics are fucking relentless, the production is devastating... it's just perfect. It's such a shame that the band broke up after the 1993 demo that followed this - 1994's "Time Bomb" was never intended to be a Demolition Hammer release, you have the money-grubbing idiots at Century Media Records to thank for it being released under that moniker - but we can rest assured that the band stuck to their statement; "If we were to do anything different it would never be as Demolition Hammer". After the split, James Reilly and Vinny Daze went on to form Deviate NY and record their "Gallery of Death" demo in 1995, but Vinny tragically passed away on March 11th 1996 from globefish poisoning, thus ensuring that a reunion will never happen. R.I.P. Vinny, your music and art will be remembered forever.
Demolition Hammer's "Epidemic of Violence" is the heaviest album ever made, and it will never ever be bettered. Anyone who says otherwise is both a fucking liar and a complete idiot. Buy this record above all else. Warning: Skull fracturing may ensue.
You read that right, "Epidemic of Violence" is the heaviest album ever, BAR NONE. You think "Annihilation of the Wicked" was heavy? Nope. "Pleasure to Kill"? Wrong. "Reign In Blood"? Nuh-uh. Hell, even the legendary "Spectrum of Death" has absolutely fuck all when put next to this - this is the epitome of brutality. As with "Tortured Existence", the first and biggest round of applause goes to the devastating drumwork of Vinny Daze who, as with the band's debut, is an unstoppable force in all aspects. Sure, we hear a lot of stupidly fast double bass these days, but even Nile drummer George Kollias would have shat himself in he presence of Vinny's work here - there is literally no room to fucking breathe. His drumming sounds like a fucking earthquake that's engulfing a whole continent, he's so precise and by fucking lord, he's so goddamn FAST! Listen to 'Skull Fractuing Nightmare', 'Human Dissection' and the brutal title track for your evidence, then come back here once your injuries have healed. Go ahead, I'll wait. Back? Now you know exactly what I mean. As with the debut, "Epidemic of Violence" wouldn't have been anywhere near as heavy (or as good) without Vinny's work here... I have to stop, I could go on forever about the drumming on display throughout this record.
Although Vinny is once again the shining star of this CD (face it, it was inevitable) the rest of the band are on colossal form themselves - guitarists James Reilly and Derek Sykes have dramatically improved as players, writing riffs that are on an astonishing level of speed and far more technical than a large majority of the songs from "Tortured Existence". A lot of the groove influences have been toned down slightly in favour for more balls-out aggression, which sets this record apart from its predecessor in the best way possible as some of the songs on the first album weren't as heavy as they could've been. Tracks like the appropriately titled 'Skull Fracturing Nightmare' and the closing assault of 'Aborticide' exhibit intensity and ferocity at the furthest end of the extreme spectrum, with 'Skull Fracturing Nightmare' containing the heaviest bridge riff in history at the 1.32 mark, then at the same time they can pull back slightly with the mostly mid-tempo bulldozers of 'Carnivorous Obsession' and 'Human Dissection' without letting up any of the energy. The solos, whilst not as melodic as some of those found on "Tortured Existence", just add to the hell-bent chaos that's already more than obscenely vicious enough to live up to its title - this truely is an epidemic of violence.
Steve Reynolds has made a remarkable improvement upon the previous record too, with his vocals sounding even more violent and rabid than before and his bass playing stepping up 20 notches - I'm still left in disbelief when I think 'Fuck, he played that and sang over it?!' and I can't stress enough just how fucking evil he sounds here. His lyrics have become even more brutal and vile too, with songs about medieval torture ('Skull Fracturing Nightmare'), brutal forms of murder ('Epidemic of Violence') and even dinosaurs ('Omnivore' - seriously!) and as with "Tortured Existence", he hasn't taken the immature route in writing these lyrics. There are countless medical references and the like to sink your teeth into, so to quote another review I read of this album; "Thank you Steve for choosing intelligence over stupidity". Combined with his terrific vocal delivery, Steve is the pinnacle of brutal vocals here with a production job to compliment it - speaking of production, it's almost completely different to that of the previous album (obvously). Scott Burns did the band's debut, and Tom Soares has taken over the producing and mixing job on here and he's made the album sound even heavier - unlike "Tortured Existence", everyting is less bassy than before and balanced a bit better with the guitars and drums being much more upfront in the mix, a much crispier drum tone than before and the guitar tone... jesus christ, that fucking guitar tone! What a fucking crunch!!
I'll have to end this review here before I shit myself with over-excitement, so here is my final verdict: If you don't own this record, you're not worthy of owning any metal album or calling yourself a metalhead in any way. Ever. I hate hailing albums so much, but this just utter perfection on every level - everything is so tight and precise, the music and lyrics are fucking relentless, the production is devastating... it's just perfect. It's such a shame that the band broke up after the 1993 demo that followed this - 1994's "Time Bomb" was never intended to be a Demolition Hammer release, you have the money-grubbing idiots at Century Media Records to thank for it being released under that moniker - but we can rest assured that the band stuck to their statement; "If we were to do anything different it would never be as Demolition Hammer". After the split, James Reilly and Vinny Daze went on to form Deviate NY and record their "Gallery of Death" demo in 1995, but Vinny tragically passed away on March 11th 1996 from globefish poisoning, thus ensuring that a reunion will never happen. R.I.P. Vinny, your music and art will be remembered forever.
Demolition Hammer's "Epidemic of Violence" is the heaviest album ever made, and it will never ever be bettered. Anyone who says otherwise is both a fucking liar and a complete idiot. Buy this record above all else. Warning: Skull fracturing may ensue.
1. Skull Fracturing Nightmare
2. Human Dissection
3. Pyroclastic Annihilation
4. Envenomed
5. Carnivorous Obsession
6. Orgy of Destruction
7. Epidemic of Violence
8. Omnivore
9. Aborticide
Century Media Records
Reviewer: Dave Ingram Jr.
Dec 30, 2009
Dec 30, 2009
Next review:
Barastir - Under The Banner Of Hate
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