Demolition Hammer arrived on the East Coast thrash metal scene circa 1986. The original line-up consisted of Steve Reynolds as the vocalist and on bass, James Reilly on guitar, and John Salerno on drums. Their first demo tape, Skull Fracturing Nightmare, was released in 1988. It gained notice from fans of the genre and independent record labels. Derek Sykes was brought in as a second guitarist and Vincent Civitano (a.k.a. Vinny Daze) replaced Salerno. Their second demo, Necrology, secured the group a recording contract with Century Media Records.
Their first album, Tortured Existence, was produced by Scott Burns with a small budget. The songs were composed with fast riffs, chunky breakdowns, and expressive guitar solos. In 1992, the band released Epidemic of Violence. The production was clearer and included faster and leaner songs. The covers of these first two releases featured horror based artwork and a logo designed by Daze.
Fast paced thrash metal became less popular in the '90s. Daze and Reilly left the band to form the group Deviate NY. Former Malevolent Creation drummer Alex Marquez joined Reynolds and Sykes to write material for another project. The label wished to release the songs with the band's original name. The result was the 1994 album Time Bomb with a new Demolition Hammer logo on the cover. It was slower and lacked guitar solos. The style was similar to that of groups like Pantera and Machine Head.
Marquez and Reynolds were offered new gigs with Solstice. Daze died of globefish poisoning while traveling in Africa on March 11, 1996. With Demolition Hammer's music becoming increasingly hard to come by, Century Media released Necrology: A Complete Anthology in 2008. It included every title from their first three albums, two pre-production demos from Time Bomb, and one video clip.
After 22 years of being disbanded, they regrouped in 2016 with Alex Mar
Epidemic Of Violence
Demolition Hammer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Severed remnants, disembodied veins
Brutal homicide
Bloodbath trauma, diabolic gash
Tempered alloy sledge
Bludgeoned to death in a manic rage
Massive torque condemned
Malevolent scourge, vital decrement
Epidemic of violence
Persecution reigns
Blood
Rampant siege of pain
Violent purveyors of death
Depraved reprobates
Venomous vile rampage
Lacerating horde of maleficence
Savage murderous binge
Blatant anarchy
Sadistic damage tantrum
Brute malignancy
Callous hostile attack
Strangled blue and cold
Tracheal crush victim
Respiratory death, agonized torment
Carnage dilation
Bullet-ridden dead
Ballistic lead rupture
Barbarous maelstrom of pain
Chaos dominates
Plundering rape, pandemonium
Raging killing spree, vicious decadence
Epidemic of violence
Persecution reigns
Kill
Rampant siege of pain
Despiteful savagery perponderates
Viperous destruction regnant
Vigilant snipers exterminate
Staring down the barrel of a gun
Rabid vicious assault
Sordid massacre
Multiple slain corpses
Decomosed remains
Of butchered innocents
Seething heinous disease
Lethal butchery
Psyhotic raving culture
Pestilence of hate
Scathing truculence
Rancorous plague of ferocity
Defenestration
Vehement contempt, sanguinary raid
Epidemic of violence
Persecution reigns
Death
Rampant siege of pain
The song “Epidemic of Violence” by Demolition Hammer is a brutal depiction of the horrors of senseless violence. The opening verse describes the collision of flesh and steel, result in severed body parts, brutal homicide, and bloodbath trauma. The lyrics describe the use of a tempered alloy, sledgehammer, for lethal attacks that result in massive damage and vital decrement. The chorus, “epidemic of violence,” highlights the prevalence of violence in the world and the persecution that reigns as a result. The song goes on to describe the perpetrators of the violence as “violent purveyors of death,” “depraved reprobates” and a “lacerating horde of maleficence,” promoting a culture of psychopathic rage and a pestilence of hate.
Moving into the second verse, the song gives more examples of the violence perpetuated, including “tracheal crush victim,” “carnage dilation,” “ballistic lead rupture,” and “barbarous maelstrom of pain.” Chaos dominates the world of the song, with “plundering rape, pandemonium,” and “raging killing spree, vicious decadence.” The bridge of the song calls for a sense of vigilance to address the violence, with “vigilant snipers” who may effectively stare down the barrel of a gun. The song ends with a final verse underscoring the widespread of violence, with a “scathing truculence,” “rancorous plague of ferocity,” and “sanguinary raid.”
Line by Line Meaning
Flesh and steel collide
A description of a violent interaction between two physical entities.
Severed remnants, disembodied veins
The aftermath of a violent encounter that has caused body parts to be ripped away from the main body.
Brutal homicide
An act of murder that is characterized by its extreme violence.
Bloodbath trauma, diabolic gash
The aftermath of a violent encounter that has caused a lot of bleeding and a deep wound.
Tempered alloy sledge
A description of the weapon used to commit the violent act; a sledgehammer made of strong and durable material.
Bludgeoned to death in a manic rage
A description of the manner in which the victim was killed; repeatedly hit with the sledgehammer in a state of extreme anger.
Massive torque condemned
The destructive power of the weapon that was used is being condemned.
Malevolent scourge, vital decrement
The act of killing has been characterized as evil and resulted in the loss of a life, which is a vital decrement.
Epidemic of violence
A widespread occurrence of violent behavior.
Persecution reigns
A situation where people are being treated unfairly, typically because of their race or religion.
Blood
A symbol of the violence and brutality that is taking place.
Rampant siege of pain
A situation where the violence is spreading and causing a lot of pain to those affected.
Violent purveyors of death
People who are actively involved in causing death by using violence.
Depraved reprobates
People who act in a morally corrupt and wicked manner.
Venomous vile rampage
An act of extreme violence that is characterized by its malicious and evil nature.
Lacerating horde of maleficence
A group of people who are causing harm and destruction with their violent actions.
Savage murderous binge
An act of killing that is characterized by its wild and uncontrolled nature.
Blatant anarchy
A situation where there is a complete breakdown of law and order.
Sadistic damage tantrum
An act of causing harm to others in a cruel and violent way that is characterized as a tantrum.
Brute malignancy
A violent act that is characterized by its brutish and evil nature.
Callous hostile attack
An unfeeling and aggressive act of violence.
Strangled blue and cold
A description of the aftermath of a violent act that has resulted in the victim's death; the body is now blue and cold due to the lack of oxygen.
Tracheal crush victim
The victim was killed by crushing their windpipe, resulting in asphyxiation.
Respiratory death, agonized torment
A description of the victim's death; they died due to a problem with their breathing, which caused them to experience a lot of pain.
Carnage dilation
The aftermath of a violent act that has resulted in a lot of destruction and chaos.
Bullet-ridden dead
The victim was killed by bullets and is now dead.
Ballistic lead rupture
A description of how the victim was killed; they were shot with a gun, resulting in a rupture caused by the ballistic lead.
Barbarous maelstrom of pain
A situation where a lot of pain is being inflicted on people in a cruel and violent way.
Chaos dominates
A situation where there is complete disorder and confusion.
Plundering rape, pandemonium
A situation where there is a lot of looting, sexual violence, and chaos happening at the same time.
Arson escalates
A situation where there is an increase in the number of fires being set deliberately.
Raging killing spree, vicious decadence
A series of violent acts where people are being killed in a brutal and cruel way.
Despiteful savagery perponderates
A situation where the dominant force is characterized by its cruel and brutal nature.
Viperous destruction regnant
A situation where the destructive force is characterized by its venomous and evil nature.
Vigilant snipers exterminate
A situation where snipers are actively killing people who are deemed as a threat.
Staring down the barrel of a gun
A situation where someone is facing a dangerous threat that could result in their death.
Rabid vicious assault
A violent attack that is characterized by its extreme cruelty.
Sordid massacre
A violent act of killing where a lot of people are killed in a cruel and brutal manner.
Multiple slain corpses
The aftermath of a violent act that has resulted in the death of many people.
Decomposed remains
The aftermath of the victims' bodies breaking down and decomposing.
Of butchered innocents
The victims were people who did not deserve to be killed, i.e., innocents.
Seething heinous disease
A situation where the violent behavior is spreading and causing a lot of harm to those affected.
Lethal butchery
A situation where people are being killed in a cruel and brutal manner.
Psychotic raving culture
A situation where the violent behavior is being perpetuated and normalized as part of the culture.
Pestilence of hate
A situation where there is a widespread feeling of hate that is causing a lot of damage and destruction.
Scathing truculence
An act of violence that is characterized by its harsh and cruel nature.
Rancorous plague of ferocity
A situation where there is a widespread occurrence of violent behavior that is characterized by its malicious and cruel nature.
Defenestration
An act of violence where someone is thrown out of a window.
Vehement contempt, sanguinary raid
An act of violence that is characterized by its extreme hatred and bloody nature.
Death
A symbol of the violence and destruction that is taking place.
Rampant siege of pain
A situation where the violence is spreading and causing a lot of pain to those affected.
Contributed by Aria W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.