Demolition Hammer's violent and destructive debut and sophomore albums "Tortured Existence" and "Epidemic of Violence" are now available for pre-order on cassette tape.
Limited to 250 copies each. Officially licensed by Century Media.
First US tape pressing since the 90's.
When Demolition Hammer released this album in 1992, thrash metal was starting to dissolve, thwarted by bands like Pantera and the push to slow things to a hulking groove. Thrash bands releasing albums during this time became especially violent, including Sodom's "Tapping the Vein," Devastation's "Idolatry," Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains," and the unforgettable "Spectrum of Death" from Morbid Saint. Demolition Hammer was no exception to this trend, getting more vicious and violent the closer to death thrash came. With this album, Demolition Hammer captured the epitome of violent music, becoming one of the heaviest, lobotomizing albums ever made, becoming heavier than any other thrash album and possibly most of death metal too.
Immediately Demolition Hammer decides to set the mood with the unrelenting "Skull Fracturing Nightmare." The lyrics are cold, to the point and disturbing, yet include a large vocabulary, and do not get comically gory in the sense of Cannibal Corpse. Every track on this album is straight brutal and includes some of the heaviest riffs, as well as surprisingly well-crafted solos that encapsulate the intensity of each song. Each band member shows up on this album and everything fits together perfectly. Steve Reynolds, while not having many shining bass moments, plays well with the band and also has the genuinely most inhuman vocals I've heard from any band, they sound psychotic, frenzied and insane, yet every word is understandable. James Reilly and Derek Sykes are responsible for the mangling riffs, every single one feels fresh and distinct from the rest. Finally, the backbone of the band, Vinny Daze (R.I.P) beats the hell out of his drums, every hit sounds like he is going to destroy his set, and some of his double-kick patterns take the songs somewhere new entirely, notably the first minute and a half of "Human Dissection," the middle of "Envenomed," and the later parts of "Aborticide."
Despite being brutal throughout the entire album, every track stands out from each other, and sounds almost thematic. "Skull Fracturing Nightmare" goes 0-100 and in your face, leaving you feel like you just had a brick smashed into your cranium, the way the lyrics are delivered in "Human Dissection" almost sounds explorative, one of the riffs in "Pyroclastic Annihilation" descending like bellowing ashes and scintillating flames, the somehow harsher vocals on "Envenomed" amplifying the theme of hatred, the slow, churning "Carnivorous Obsession" sounding sinister in duality with the cannibalistic lyrics, the manic playing of "Epidemic of Violence" signifying chaos, the intense, almost tremolo riff on "Omnivore" conveying the horrors of being hunted, and "Aborticide", arguably the fastest and heaviest track (2:25 onwards), capturing the feeling of dying in a dense void with seemingly no explanation. It probably wasn't intended to come out like that, but I feel it helps add a sense of depth to the themes of the tracks.
My only tribulation with this album is "Orgy of Destruction." However I usually skip this track anyway, but it definitely could have developed into something more. Despite this, every track is a must-listen, and the only way to really experience it is to play it front to back.
In summary, "Epidemic of Violence" is sheer violence. It doesn't try to be anything but that, a lashing out in the dissipation of thrash metal.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=1ljow3fa8bA&t=478s
