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
Human Dissection
Demolition Hammer Lyrics
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The lyrics to Demolition Hammer's "Human Dissection" present a gruesome description of a post-mortem analysis of a human body. The song starts by describing a sudden traumatic death, followed by the surgical analysis and anatomy inquiry process. The body is delivered in a body bag and taken to a cryptic frigid vault where it is brandished with a toe tag. The lyrics go on to describe the dissection of skeletal remains, with a scalpel incising flesh and exploring for disease. The tissue decay is abominable, and exfoliative cytology is used to preserve and label the desquamated cells. The process of exhuming viscera from a corpse is described, with a rigid cadaver being torn and microscopic frozen sections being stained. The skull is then chisel-fissioned and the brain is evulsed, leading to inflammatory lesions, gangrene of the lungs, neoplasms, intestinal decay, and carcinomic incursion. The lyrics go on to describe the rigor lividity, pigmentation pale and bruised, pustule discharge, festered clotted wounds, and the siphoning, purging, and draining of embalming fluid, formaldehyde, urine, vomit, and blood. The song ends by repeating the chorus, which emphasizes the human dissection of skeletal remains and the post mortem necropsy victim.
Overall, the lyrics to "Human Dissection" are graphic and disturbing, and their purpose seems to be to shock and horrify the listener. The images of a dead body being torn apart and analyzed in detail are designed to provoke a visceral reaction, and the descriptions of disease, decay, and bodily fluids are intended to be repulsive. At the same time, the song is a commentary on the dehumanization that can occur as a result of scientific inquiry, as well as on the fascination that some people have with death and gore.
Line by Line Meaning
Sudden traumatic death
Death occurring suddenly and due to traumatic causes
Surgical analysis
Analysis done through surgery
Anatomy Inquiry process
Process of inquiring about anatomy
Delivered in a body bag
The dead body being delivered in a bag made for carrying dead bodies
Cryptic frigid vault
A cold and mysterious room
Brandishing a toe tag
Holding a tag that goes on a dead person's toes to identify them
Human dissection of skeletal remains
Cutting open and examining a human's bones after death
Post mortem necropsy victim
A dead body being examined after death
Scalpel incising flesh
Cutting flesh with a scalpel
Exploring for disease
Examining the body to find signs of disease
Tissue decay abominates
The decay of tissue is disgusting and terrible
Exfoliative cytology
Examination of exfoliated cells
Desquamated cells preserved and labeled
Cells that have shed and are saved and identified
Exhuming viscera from a corpse
Digging up the organs of a dead body
Rigid cadaver torn
Cutting the dead body which has become stiff
Microscopic frozen sections stained
Small, frozen parts of the body examined under a microscope and stained for viewing
Chisel-fissioned skull evulsion of the brain
Splitting the skull with a chisel to remove the brain
Inflammatory lesions, Gangrene of the lungs
Inflammation and decay of the lungs
Neoplasms, Intestinal decay, Carcinomic incursion
Abnormal tissue growth, Decay of the intestines, and Cancer spreading into the body
Rigor lividity, Pigmentation pale and bruised
Stiffness and discoloration of the body after death
Pustule discharge, Festered clotted wounds
Fluid and pus being discharged from sores and wounds that have become infected
Embalming fluid, Formaldehyde, Urine vomit blood, Siphoned purged and drained
The process of filling the body with chemicals to preserve it, siphoning out bodily fluids like urine and vomit, and draining any excess fluid from the body
Smears of skin and blood, Lacerated spinal cord
Samples of skin and blood taken for examination, and the spinal cord being cut
Burning protein stench, From a screaming steel bonesaw
The smell of burning protein and the sound of a loud, metal bonesaw being used
Gall bladder bile, Splenectomy, Malodorous tumor
Taking out the gall bladder, spleen, and removing malignant tumors
Morbid inspection
A dark and unsettling examination
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN ROBERT REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind