CLXI. Various Artists | Im Blutfeuer

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Im Blutfeuer

©Cthulhu. Deutschland, 1995.

‟Tan misteriosa como su nombre es la música que encontramos en esta placa, donde se reunen bandas de reconocida trayectoria como Death In June y Sol Invictus junto a otras muy prometedoras como lo son Blood Axis, Ernte y Allerseelen.

El inicio corre por cuenta de Blood Axis con 2 temas, el primero "Walked In Line" un cover de Joy Division en el que se aprecia un sonido oscuro y crudo muy en la línea de los de Mnachester, el sengundo corte de Blood Axis "The Storm Before The Calm" está directamente influenciado por Death In June, en el cual un piano da comienzo a una triste pieza musical; acompañado por lluvia, truenos, vientos y ruidillos varios que van formando la atmósfera perfecta para una inquietante abstracción.

Una balada acústica es la que ofrecen Ernte en su corte "Sonnenwende", la unión de voces por parte de Will-I Stasch y Rose Kasseckert nos seducen de principio a fin, y si a esto agregamos la participación de Tony Wakeford en guitarras, en entorno se vuelve alucinatemente celestial.

Siempre en una compilación hay un tema que sobresale en forma especial, ya sea por su originalidad, por su interpretación, por los arreglos o su magia. En este caso "Hebba Gabbler" de Sol Invictus es un joya de pieza musical, piano y cello adormecen melancólicamente bajo la voz de Wakeford, produciendo un estado de calma imborrable, uno de los mejores temas del grupo que he escuchado (con letra del Sr. John Cale además).

Apartándose un poco de la sutileza quietud de este álbum, Allerseelen se hace presente con "Santa Sangre" (canción inspirada en la película del chileno Jodorowsky). Un corte ácido e industrial, fuerte y opresivo con grabaciones del film y mucha niebla, similar a lo que hace gente como In Slaughter Natives o Metal Destruction.

Finalmente Death In June nos regala "My Black Diaries", un tema caótico, lleno de sonidos y sin un ritmo a seguir, sólo la tristeza y la intuición nos conducen por la poesía maldita de Douglas Pierce.

Para ser un sello tan poco conocido como Cthulhu Records, impresiona por las bandas que logra reunir, un buen apronte para seguir investigando.‟

José Villegas

(Revista Fakxion, 1998 Rancagua, Chile)

CIII. Death In June | Something Is Coming

DEATH IN JUNE

Something Is Coming (Croatia Live! + Zagreb Studio)

©NER. UK, 1993.

‟A good live album inluding songs from up to 'But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter?' (1992). The setting of the band is Douglas and Simon Norris, so the sound is quite minimalistic, but nonetheless is't quite powerful. The song picks are very good, it's fun to hear the old favourites in new verions. The release is in form of a double cd, one cd with a live performance and one cd with live studion performance from croatian radio. This release features new good versions of old favourites like "Fall Apart", "Runes And Men", "Leper Lord", "Torture By Roses" and "Heaven Street". I think this record will appeal as much to new Death In June fans as old fans. For a Death In June release it's very easy lisenable. Summa summarum, a very worthwile album if you like Death In June.  

Recorded live in Zagreb 1992. Benefits from this album were given to The Bolnicki Clinic, Zagreb, Croatia.‟

Deathinjune.net

 

XL. Death In June & Les Joyaux De La Pricesse | Östenbräun

DEATH IN JUNE & LES JOYAUX DE LA PRINCESSE

Östenbräun

©Les Joyaux De La Princesse. France, 1989.

‟When i first heard this album i was incredibly suprised. Alot of death in junes music has a heavy folk element to it, which has slightly detered me quoting them as one of my favourite bands, albums such as "Nada" (my favourite album of theirs) and the debut "The guilty have no past" are pretty good examples of early/mid eighties joy division styled new wave, yet this rather mysterious offering sees them coupled with the french collective "Les joyeaux...." and is actually a damm good example of ambient, nostalgic music. The old trade marks are very evident; germany, soldiers, war songs etc and of course not forgetting nazism and hitler, the album glides along with a freefalling, looped kind of feel, heavy echos and militant muted drum beats with the occasional offering of poetry and text. When the album closes, i always find myself wanting more. A very fine, nostalgic stab at ambience.‟

Schwarz

 

XXV. Death In June | Burial

DEATH IN JUNE
Burial
©Leprosy. UK, 1984.

"Industrial innovators Death in June emerged in 1980 from the remnants of the punk unit Crisis, reuniting singer/multi-instrumentalist Douglas Pearce and bassist Tony Wakeford; drummer Patrick Leagas completed the original lineup, which made its live debut late the following year with an opening slot for the Birthday Party. The 12-inch Heaven Street soon followed, and in 1983 Death in June issued their first full-length effort, The Guilty Have No Pride; from the outset, the group was criticized for its adoption of fascist imagery, and charges of Nazism dogged Pearce throughout his career".

Jason Ankeny

"By 1984, angry punksters Crisis had miraculously transformed into Death in June - gone were the leftist ideas and in came black uniforms adorned by the totenkopf. Still, the band didn't really sound like Nazi drummerboys at a Nurenberg rally. Burial is a weird record that bears a notable punk feel, clearly signifying what the band members practiced some years before. The actual studio tracks are but five, the rest of the album consisting of live recordings. Opener Death of the West still serves as one of the neofolk evergreens: a simple but emotional anti-capitalist anthem composed in classic Death in June fashion, concentrating on strumming acoustic guitar and vocals exclusively. Fields, Nirvana and Black Radio all possess a definite '80s sound, meaning they're unmistakably post-punk and have strong new wave leanings. Sons of Europe delivers more pathos: martial drumming, trumpets blowing and atonal singing - it is probably the strangest track of the album. The live section, recorded somewhere in London in late 1983, is predictably psychedelic and somewhat chaotic. Even more than the studio material, the live recordings deliver a mix of proto-industrial, psychedelic rock and punk-influenced wave sound that is impenetrably esoteric and avant-garde".
 

Chroniclesofchaos

VI. Death In June | Nada!

 

DEATH IN JUNE

Nada!

©NER. UK, 1985

‟Nada! seems to be still the favourite album of many Death In June and goth fans in general. It's surely one of their most accessible and melodic, quite far from the gloomy industrial atmospheres of "The World That Summer" or "The Wall Of Sacrifice".


The album can be divided in two parts, clearly showing the interests and taste of each Death In June member at the time: Douglas P. (with the aid of Christ 777 aka David Tibet sometimes) wrote the acoustic ballads, while Patrick Leagas created the darkwave/electro tunes. I have to say, listened today most of the "experimental" songs sound quite dated and primitive, especially "Foretold", "Carousel" and "C'Est Un Rêve", with Patrick's voice not at its best in these episodes. Surprisingly, two years later he would have re-recorded everything under his new identity of Sixth Comm with far superior results. Doug's ballads, on the contrary, stood the proof of time, and are to be regarded as some of DI6's most charming classics: "The Honour Of Silence", "Leper Lord", the poppy "She Said Destroy", "Behind The Rose". The final, depressing carillon of "Crush My Love" is a beautiful, delicate and underestimated omen of what would have later happened in DI6's world.


I personally regard "Nada!" as a very interesting and historical, but inevitably transitional album. The real Death In June masterpieces would have started to appear only the following year‟

Scrap_Iron