D.A.M.

Morecombe's D.A.M., whose name stood for Destruction and Mayhem, emerged from the same late-'80s and early-'90s British thrash scene as many other acts that found themselves both tardy and short on distinctive ideas when measured against the era's dominant American and mainland European outfits. Those groups were already shifting toward different styles by the time D.A.M. began to register. Following the release of two early demos, vocalist Jason McLoughlin, guitarists Dave Pugh and John Bury, bassist Andy Elliot, and drummer Phil Bury secured a deal with Noise and committed their first full-length effort, Human Wreckage, to tape in 1990. Occasional live dates alongside fellow British band Toranaga, followed by runs with U.S. acts Dark Angel and Nuclear Assault, cleared the path for the group's second album, Inside Out, which appeared in 1991. The band dissolved not long afterward, due in part to Pugh's decision to join the folk-thrash outfit Skyclad.