Direct Hit!

Domesplitter (2011)

Ricky Frankel

Domesplitter is a collection of songs that Direct Hit! chose from their very first EP's (#1 through #5) rerecorded and put onto one full length. This album is one of those fun-spirited pop-punk albums that can get anyone is a good mood. But Direct Hit! isn't on of those pop-punk bands that rely solely on three or four power chords. They put a lot of work in to vocal arrangements and guitar riffs that really make them stand out from other bands. Also, they add ton of humor and imagery in their lyrics of which talk about a wide range of different types of monsters and aliens to candy bars.

The first track entitled "Snickers Or Reese's (Pick Up The Pieces)" on this album starts off with the band's AMAZING catch phrase, "FUCK YOU! GET PUMPED!" Then right after that, the whole band and vocals burst into action. The song is fast and the screaming is accompanied by fantastic back up vocals.

The second track on Domesplitter is probably the best songs on the album. It's called "Satan Says" and this song is just as fast and aggressive as the previous one. It is has a great main riff and the drumming has some awesome fills. The chorus in this song is extremely catchy and the backs up vocals add a lot to make it that way.

Another really good song on this album is called "Living Dead," which I'm sure you can guess is about zombies. It is filled with violent imagery and hard screaming lyrics. What truly sets this song apart from the others is the really interesting timing the lead vocalist, Nick Woods, and the back up vocalists switch off singing extremely fast and short phrases.

Is the subject matter on this album immature? Sure. But in the best possible way. It's nice to listen to some punk that doesn't take itself too seriously and has a (really funny) sense of humor. However, Direct Hit!'s musicianship is far from immaturity. And that's very apparent when listening to Domesplitter and their other releases.

Note to my fellow vinyl nerds:
This album came in 250 copies of red vinyl with white streaks in it, however due to an issue with the pressing plant some of them also came in white vinyl with red streaks in it. The other 250 copies were pressed in black.