Black Hammer

The Horror Demo

Impious Desecration Records 2010

A diabolical mood permeates the 5-song debut demo from these hellish thrashers from France.  Black Hammer treads a similar path as a lot of the more obscure thrash bands these days, Deathhammer for instance.  Acidic riffs that burn and maim as the guitars shred flesh.  The title-track gets the assault underway with some brooding Sodom-esque riffage and demonic blackened vocals.  On Time For Revenge more mid-tempo shredding comes our way in between volleys of speeding black metal riffs.  The guitars unleash a cascade of sawing riffs that are rhythmic in their devastation.  Total morbid black metal barrages leap out during the old school mayhem of Black Tormentor.  Awkward songwriting brings to mind Endless Pain-era Kreator combined with some South American primitiveness as the song devolves into some Sarcofago-ish intensity.  The South American bestial obscurity continues on Persuasive Darkness.  Violent drum rolls slide easily into a bouncy Bay Area set of riffs that surprisingly don't sound out of place.  Fucking Death closes out the demo with a set of thrash Celtic Frost/Hellhammer riffs, rhythmically bludgeoning the listener.  Black Hammer is not doing anything new but their passion and old school attitude imbue this demo with a caustic dose thrashing sincerity.  A worthy demo from a band that would fit nicely alongside some of the bands on the Witches Brew or Hells Headbangers rosters.  Thrash Hard!!!!!!!