And we’re back with Part 2 of our Holiday Spectacular Diril Splash giveaway sponsored by Arsenal Musical! To enter this week’s drawing, send a quick email to dgrblog@gmail.com with the subject line “Diril Aggressive Splash”, and you’ll be eligible to win!

Diril Aggressive Splash

Round two of our giveaway and review series focuses on something just a bit more exotic than the HammerXL model we looked at last week. The first thing that jumps off the page is the split lathing pattern on both top and bottom. The 10” splash features a very wide lathe around the bell and the outermost inch and a half. Meanwhile the bow has a tight, clean lathe that’s highlighted by a buffed finish.

The total effect created a really intriguing blend of raw, earthy appeal and brilliant punctuation provided by the bright bow. However, while the cymbal had more than enough visual appeal, it was the sound that really made this guy interesting.

The Aggressive splash seemed curiously named to me as it had a much darker tone than most of the other models I checked out. With a slightly milder bark than the HammerXL series, and an ultra-trashy finish, the Aggressive disc struck me as a nearly quintessential Turkish splash.

Offering plenty of sharp attack to cut through the wash from larger cymbals, and enough mellow control to keep it from getting in the way, the Aggressive splash proved to be the most versatile model I received. Paired with a set of large jazz rides and a bop kit, it made an excellent melodic counterpart to its dark, smoky neighbors. Conversely, when I brought it to a metal band’s rehearsal, it made a perfect punctuation mark at the end of intricate (read: convoluted and messy) tom driven fills, and was never overrun by loud crashes.

Wrap Up

The Diril Aggressive series splash had loads of eye and ear appeal. Dark and controlled, yet punchy and present, it would make an excellent addition to any cymbal family. It was never really too loud or too soft, and it was capable of finding the right voice for any situation I used it in. I’m not going to say that this was my favorite among the splashes I received, but it was definitely the most usable. A great little cymbal.