By Devin Morse
In a number of ways, Destroyinat’er is the proverbial whiskey-drenched leather jacket that defined heavy rock two decades ago. Without fail, Give ‘er Hell sports the brand of old-school greasiness that justifies chain-smoking an entire pack of cigarettes, downing a fifth of booze, setting something on fire, or overlooking clever lyrics for a good, easy time.
Destroyinat’er could easily have been the heavy rock parents warned their kids about in the late ‘80s. The prominent use of distortion, energetic percussion, and copulatory guitar screeches casts an indelicate suggestion of rebellion, excess, and toxicity throughout. One will immediately pick out the large influence of bands like Metallica and Pantera from amongst the EP’s grungy vocals and upbeat energy.
Although Destroyinat’er’s lyrics are obvious and trite, this weakness is overshadowed by the group’s solid instrumentals, catchy hooks and use of vocal harmonies.
The track “Snatch Racket” is a good example of the overall sound. The song is a call to arms (“torches up!”) about a guy trying to get his girlfriend back from her new man. The verse section is a thickly distorted, energetic segue to the soaring, rock-ballad chorus. Everything is tied together with a few well-constructed guitar solos.
In the end, Destroyinat’er rocks unapologetically. Although the EP may have a tendency to come off a little cheesy at times, it’s hard to say whether that is a good or a bad thing, given the very nature of the music itself. Perhaps you should decide for yourself, and give ‘er a listen.
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