### Demolition Hammer: Time bomb

#### 15/08/11 || InquisitorGeneralis

Demolition Hammer are a band that anyone who gives a shit about serious metal need to listen to. Sadly, they are not well known but, without fail, every single person I have introduced them to is instantly hooked. I know I was after Habakuk’s coverage of their sophomore masterpiece “Epidemic of Violence”. I myself probably should have put their debut “Tortured Existence” in the Class6(66) section also. My bad on that one. Sadly, the band lost steam (and their amazing drummer Vinny Daze due to some bad fish) after those two albums and only released one final full-length before calling it quits. “Time Bomb” pales in comparison to its predecessors but, taken for what it is, it is a pretty decent record. I was expecting the world from these guys after beating my cock senseless to thousands upon thousands of listens to “Human dissection” and “Gelid remains”. Let me explain this in terms you may be able to understand; “Time Bomb” is Demolition Hammer’s “Chaos AD” without all the big success. They followed up two massively heavy and aggressive records with something more simple and riff oriented. There are many reason for this, which will be covered later…don’t you worry.

Check out Power struggle for a little taste of what I am talking about. It is a slow, heavy, enjoyable song…until you start comparing it to what you know these guys are (were?) capable of. Now, I hate people that always judge everything a band does by what came before, but it’s hard when you love Demolition Hammer as much as I do. “Mindrot” kicks ass all on its own regardless of anything else. But, it’s cool off-tempo and heavier parts sounds quite a bit like the older stuff. Same goes for Waste. Blowtorch comes close to the capturing the magic of previous crushing songs like “Human dissection” and “Pyroclastic annihilation”; it is pretty fucking sweet. Alex Marquez, of Malevolent Creation fame, is on drums this time around and his performance is solid but lacks the intensity of Daze’s efforts. Or of his own work with Malevolent, for that matter. The band also lost guitarist James Reilly before this record was made, and along with Derek Sykes he was a major player in Demolition Hammer’s sound. Bassist and frontman Steve Reynolds delivers though; his throaty, harsh vocals are still on point. All changes and style issues aside, I can’t say anything is wrong with this line-up. They still bring metal pain.

With most of the thrash titans toning down the speed and aggression in the mid 90’s (“Countdown to Extinction”, “Chaos AD”, “The Ritual”, The Blvck Album, “The Sound of White Noise”…the list goes on and on) it is understandable that Demolition Hammer went for a more Pantera-esque sound. I love Pantera. Who the hell don’t? And songs like “Unidentified”, “Bread and water” and “Time bomb” will definitely appeal to anyone else who tickles their little Dimebag to “Mouth for war” and “Five minutes alone” on a nightly basis…like I used to in college. They are pretty fucking good tracks, and if all the bands and albums from the groovy mid-90’s tickle your pickle, by all means get “Time Bomb” as soon as fucken possible. Sykes does lay down some tasty, heavy riffs on “Time Bomb”, even if he is rolling solo. I just have a hard time separating this Demolition Hammer from the one that stripped, raped, and strangled my anus on Tortured Existence and Epidemic of Violence. However, when you (and me) realize that there is only two members from those albums on “Time Bomb”, there was a major shift in thrash metal, and the band went from two guitarists down to one (a huge change in terms of songwriting and style), it is easy to see why “Time Bomb” sounds the way it sounds; simple, heavy, and focused more on groove than skull-fracturing nightmares.

I’m glad I own this puppy because Demolition Hammer is one of my absolute favorite metal bands and I still fly the groove metal flag high. I just never thought those two worlds would collide. Either way, if you have never heard of these guys you know by now what two records to check out first. If you already are soaked in the awesomeness of those albums, pick up “Time Bomb” and celebrate the final output of one of extreme metal’s most underrated and overlooked bands. The awesomeness of tracks like “Blowtorch” and “Mindrot” can not be denied.

On one final note, if every other fucking band in the world can reform and come back, why not Demolition Hammer? I hear the Maryland Deathfest is the perfect place for that kind of shit. I could provide free lodging…

- Information
- Released: 1994
- Label: Century Media
- Website: Demolition Hammer MySpace
- Band
- Steve Reynolds: vocals, bass
- Derek Sykes: guitars
- Alex Marquez: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. …
- 02. Under The Table
- 03. Power Struggle
- 04. Mindrot
- 05. Bread And Water
- 06. Missing: 5/7/89
- 07. Waste
- 08. Unidentified
- 09. Blowtorch
- 10. Mongoloid
- 11. Time Bomb