Album Review: Direct Hit! - Domesplitter

What do you get if you take a little of Andrew WK's raw vocals, mix with the Ramones' punk rock guitars and finish off with a bit of the Offspring's catchiness? That's right folks, Direct Hit! The four-piece from Milwaukee have created a punk rock album which ranges from a major assault on the ears with 'Snickers Or Reece's (Pick Up The Pieces)' to a calmer sing-a-long track in 'Living Dead'. But the one thing every track has in common is the passion and enthusiasm to get a crowd up off their feet.

'Domesplitter' is a compendium of the bands hits from the first five Eps. Luckily, they get the weakest tracks over and done with at the start of this album. 'Satan Says' seems to take the worst of Direct Hit's influences and mash them together to create a song which, thanks to the synth, is quite frankly painful to listen to. But if you manage to make it past this, you'll be rewarded with some real gems.

'Kingdom Come' and 'Boredom Addict' are by far the best songs on the record, closely followed by 'We Are Alone', all of which feature some brilliant vocals and memorable, albeit slightly generic, guitar riffs. Despite the gang vocals which are a bit messy, the endearing 'In Orbit' is another song which will have fans humming it for hours on end. Final track 'They Came For Me' is a bit of an anti-climax. Considering some of the other tracks on the album, this is a very average song to finish the record on.

Overall, I think I'd have to say that 'Domesplitter' is a very frustrating album. There are some diamonds amongst the rough, but unfortunately you have to work hard to get to them. There's so much potential in this band, so their next album could definitely be one to watch out for.

3.5/5

'Domesplitter' by Direct Hit! is released on August 2nd through Kind of Like Records

Direct Hit! on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Bandcamp.

Blaise Ruston