For fans of a certain epic Dutch female-fronted band, the phrase ‘featuring two ex-God Dethroned members’ might ring a bell. In the case of Kill Division, who feature two different alumni of Henri Sattler’s extinct beast, this phrase makes a lot more sense; not least because musically KD expounds a similar message of death-thrash. As well as Susan Gerl on guitars/vocals and Roel Sanders on drums, the other Dutch maniac consolidating this new creation is Richard Ebisch who takes credit for guitars/vocals and bass on ‘Destructive Force’. Maybe best known for his participation in the seemingly popular Legion Of The Damned, Ebisch’s resumé also includes Inhume and, more relevantly, LOTD’s predecessor Occult.
Beyond the brief militarist intro we are thrown into a world which very much resembles these past endeavours. ‘Mechanic Domination’ bursts into life with a drum roll, fast riffs and those characteristic Roel Sanders blast-beats. In the vocal department, we are assaulted by a combination of Susan Gerl’s rasping growls and Ebisch’s deeper tones which spit fire over the unrelenting music. Even without knowing of Ebisch’s involvement during my first listen, the combination of speed, brutal female and male vocals automatically brought to mind Occult. There are, however, differences – like Gerl’s vocals compared to Rachel Heyzer’s and a thrashier vibe to KD. And on its own terms, Kill Division is perhaps more single-minded than any of the acts mentioned above. Aside from isolated slower sections or the odd catchy part, almost everything is geared towards methodic destruction: as in the winding speed of ‘Fear of Life’ or the nifty ‘Locked Up Forever’.
Speaking of which, that last one brings up the interesting aspect of Gerl’s lyrics fuelling the entire record. Away from the militaristic imagery and general tales of death/destruction common to extreme metal, here the front-woman explores the unfortunate story of Natascha Kampusch. One can imagine the sense of gravity that Gerl’s female perspective lends to this grim subject matter. Elsewhere, there are apparently also thematic nods to Sci-fi and the messed up nature of humanity in general. With regard to the music though, unfortunately there is not a great deal to differentiate the tracks as the album plays through. While it’s all high-octane, with a few great passages thrown in, the approach is ultimately too linear to rip my brain to shreds. (Rather it becomes a case of desensitisation.) ‘Destructive Force’ is what you would expect – hard-hitting drum/guitar interplay and brutal dual vocals – but as a whole it never quite surpasses this base level in any significant way.
So, fundamentally good but it’s apparent that Kill Division are a band in the process of finding their feet. A bit more dynamism in the song writing would have helped captivate this listener, as would a bassier production, but these are really just subjective gripes. There’s definitely an audience who will lap this up (Legion Of The Damned fans, perhaps?) but it’s not an album I can imagine delving into all that often.
(6.5/10 Jamie)
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