Demolition Man

Demolition Hammer, a New York City outfit, surfaced on the East Coast thrash metal circuit around 1986. Their opening demo, Skull Fracturing Nightmare, soon circulated among independent labels and tape-trading listeners. Two years afterward, the Necrology demo secured a Century Media Records contract for vocalist/bassist Steve Reynolds, guitarists James Reilly and Derek Sykes, and drummer Vinny Daze. The band issued the competent thrash albums Tortured Existence in 1990 and Epidemic of Violence in 1992, yet the style had already begun to fade, prompting a shift toward a contemporary, Pantera-like death metal approach on 1994’s Time Bomb. That record also featured a reduced trio after Reilly and Daze departed and former Malevolent Creation drummer Alex Marquez joined. All alterations ultimately proved fruitless, as the group disbanded the following year once Reynolds and Marquez accepted offers to play with Florida’s Solstice.