Demolition Hammer

Demolition Hammer is an American thrash metal band formed in 1986 in the Bronx, New York by bassist and lead vocalist Steve Reynolds, guitarist James Reily and drummer John Salerno. While not as popular as other East Coast thrash metal bands, such as Anthrax, Overkill and Nuclear Assault, their first two albums, Tortured Existence (1990) and Epidemic of Violence (1992) are considered cult classics in the thrash and death metal genres. The band's third and final album, Time Bomb (1994), has a slower, groove metal style, which led to the departure of both Reily and drummer Vinny Daze. The band disbanded a year after its release, but reunited as a quartet in 2016. This line-up, with drummer Angel Cotte and secondary guitarist Derek Sykes, is exclusively a touring band, with no new releases since the compilation album Necrology: A Complete Anthology (2008). Demolition Hammer has released three studio albums, all of which have been out of print for years, as well as one compilation album and two demo tapes. Despite their small discography, the band is seen as pioneers of deathrash, a fusion genre combining thrash metal with death metal, alongside Possessed and Sepultura. Joe Divita of Loudwire described the band as "thrash’s best kept secret" with "trench-digging riffs" and a "constant sense of groove."