Reviews list for Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence (1990)

I'm quite selective with thrash metal. I like the genre when it's heavy and technical at best. I don't feel up to exploring more of the Big 4 beyond a few songs at the moment. Yet I'm still up for bands that aren't as big as the big ones but take influence and are closer to my generation. This is where bands like Demolition Hammer come in. So despite the horrific cover artwork that might've inspired the aftermath of the "This is fine" dog, what you're gonna witness is some of the most intense thrash around!

That's the kind of intensity Exodus and Slayer don't have, but the intensity those bands have to get more credit. For Demolition Hammer, they've added a lot of catchiness and violence that should reach the top of thrash mountain to avalanche away any naysayers. 30 years before this review, Tortured Existence was quite a metal underground hit album, at a time when most other thrash bands started disbanding or (d)evolving into the dreaded groove/nu metal. Needless to say, Demolition Hammer would fall into both traps a few years later. But before that impending fate, they've released some of the most savage thrash with a few influences from the rising death metal scene.

This headbanging thrash marathon opens with the insane ".44 Caliber Brain Surgery". The more insane "Neanderthal" has killer music that would make you wanna f***ing destroy everything in sight. That song and "Gelid Remains" stomp around with riffing that could cause massive earthquakes if blasted through a thousand loudspeakers. The dueling solos shine as well there.

"Crippling Velocity" is one of the more violent songs here in an effortless blend of fast thrash riff-fury and heavy passages of crushing chaos. So speedy as f***! The entirely memorable "Infectious Hospital Waste" is probably one of the catchiest songs in thrash with a chilling breakdown. Though not as catchy as the more melodic "Hydrophobia".

"Paracidal Epitaph" has thick monstrous bass in presence, performed by frontman Steve Reynolds besides his usual decimating vocals. "Mercenary Aggression" springs through comprehensive aggression harder than a fist in the b*lls, though not in the same heavy weight as those previous couple tracks. For anyone wanting an extra 6 minutes of thrash fury, check out the monstrous bonus track "Cataclysm" that continues of the brilliance of the frontman's vocals and bass.

Tortured Existence has some of the most violent thrash I can stand, enough to be able to come back again for more enjoyment. The more popular thrash albums don't quite top this one, and Demolition Hammer would continue the skull-blowing thrash for one more album. But for now, enjoy the fury!

Favorites: "Neanderthal", "Crippling Velocity", "Infectious Hospital Waste", "Hydrophobia", "Cataclysm" (bonus track)

Even ignoring the insanely bad artwork, I really didn't expect to like this much. It's hyper intense thrash metal with a hardcore edge and that's normally a bad combination in my book. But this is just too good not to enjoy. The band sound at times like an extremely pissed off Kreator mixed with Exhorder, with decent musicianship and production to go with it. The riffs are constantly exciting throughout, the drumming is rapid fire destruction, the vocals are venomous to the max and the leads are surprisingly good, which all adds up to an entertaining debut release by these US thrashers.

While Steve Reynolds vocals are on the hardcore side, they're one of the album's strengths. His ability to create memorable structures out of completely juvenile lyrics combined with all the immensely inspired thrash riffage totally make this album worth tracking down. Demolition Hammer are one of those bands that seemed to remain completely underground, even though they were better than a lot of other more popular bands (yes, I'm looking at you Exodus). Hopefully, sites like Rate Your Music will take their thrashing madness to a much larger audience, albeit somewhat late in the day. Highlight tracks for me are .44 Caliber Brain Surgery, Neanderthal, Crippling Velocity and Cataclysm but it's all solid.