I first wanted to introduce this band as a side-project of Dreadlord, but actually they are both so differing from each other, so that I will not do so. Besides, Satanic Assault Division are quite active, in contradiction to Dreadlord lately, which would be denigrating for Satanic Assault Division. Anyway, these Danish guys return with their second album, a year and a half after March To Victory. It was recorded with studio assistance of no one else but Marduk’s Magnus ‘Devo’ Andersson, who took care of mix, mastering and drum engineering at the famous Endarker Studio. And he provided a guest solo too (in the track Beast). And seen the artwork (a pig-priest baptising a new-born in blood with a statue of someone I do recognize in one way or another, weeping tears of blood). Ahum…
Indeed, Kill The Cross breathes blasphemy and criticises the hypocrisy and naivety of the (catholic) church. But it must been taken with quite an important sense of irony and sarcasm. The tracks clock almost an hour and they stand for tradition with quite an evident Swedish basic approach. The leads (sometimes twin leads) and main melodies, the pounding rhythm section, as well as the overall structures of the tracks are clearly inspired / influenced by the nineties-scene from Sweden, and then I am thinking about everything in between Marduk, Dark Funeral, Thy Primordial, Setherial, Sorhin, Naglfar and the likes. But it has quite some own aspects too, and cannot be compared as just another Marduk-clone.
There is quite a Black’n’Roll vibe present throughout several passages, focusing on accessibility and tradition, I guess (check out the title track, for example, with those punky riffs). Speed Heavy Thrash Punk ‘n’ Roll baby! Besides, Devo did turn this album’s sound into a fat, voluptuous and decadent aural feast. Personally I think the result might have been little rougher, but the decent mix makes every contributor standing in the spotlights (blacklights indeed). Especially the contradiction in between the grotesque production at the one hand, and the old styled execution (the Scandinavian Second Wave trend in general; there are quite some hints from Impaled Nazarene, Immortal or Satanic Warmaster too, besides those Swedish combos I mentioned in the former paragraph), leaves undersigned little confused. But that’s not an insoluble, insuperable problem. No, because the slower songs (or excerpts) are blessed by that additional flair of heaviness. Pleasures Of The Flesh is a great example (and hey, listen to those Hellhammer-infused riffing at the background; but that aside…).
Cool is the variation in atmosphere. While many (faster) pieces are blaspheme and evil, some others are more gloomy and occult; then again it is based on having fun, or just the contrary, i.e. being angry and malicious; and from time it’s even creepy and suffocative (like the technically high-standard piece Proselytized). And last but not least, I need to mention the last track, Once A Whore, which is a cover of legendary act The Murder Junkies (you know, one of the best known outfits with GG Allin). It stands miles away from the ‘roots’ of Satanic Assault Division, but it shows this band’s adoration for Punk-laden weirdness.