Search - Death in June :: The World That Summer - CD Edition

I really am a fan, but...

Scott Sweet | Colorado Springs, CO | 01/11/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Admittedly, I'm biased towards DIJ's latter, "dark folk" sound. "The World That Summer" has some good spots ("Torture By Roses," "Rule Again," "Break The Black Ice"), but there's too much monotonous filler. To their credit, it almost has the strummy, avant-garde appeal of Bauhaus' "The Sky's Gone Out." This is kind of a transition album, between their early sound (songs like "Fields of Rape") and the acoustic, apocalyptic glory that followed ("Rose Clouds," "Symbols"). The songs are all over the place, from solid 80's dark dance pop ("Come Before Christ And Murder Love") to WHEN-IS-THIS-GONNA-END mood pieces with Japanese monologue and samples (probably from some World War II atrocity; Douglas P. never hid his fixations.) The three "Reprise" tracks at the end are just three earlier songs with the vocals peeled off - an overused 80's tactic to stretch the album.If you're a hard-core fan, add this album to your collection. I'm just saying that DIJ didn't hit a home run EVERY time. However, try to find a copy of their biography, "Misery and Purity." It's bald-faced idolatry, but it gives you a deeper understanding of the philosophy and fetishism behind Death In June's music."

Death In June's best

Bill Lee | Florida | 12/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the ashes of the left-wing punk band Crisis came the right-wing Joy Division tribute band Death In June. After working hard to establish an independent sound, Death In June released "The World That Summer." As another reviewer mentioned, this is definitely a transitional album in the sense that it bridges the gap between Death In June's post-punk, electronic genesis and their subsequent neofolk stylings on albums like "But What Ends When The Symbols Shatter?" Like another "transitional" album I love -- Bathory's "Blood Fire Death" -- this represents the band's best and most interesting work to date.



From the opening track, "Blood Of Winter," it's clear this album is something new and different. With its hypnotic percussion, recurring Middle Eastern melodies, and clever interplay between the bass guitar and the trumpet, it gives this unpredictable album an attention-grabbing start. Throwing consistency to the wind, the next track is of a Japanese woman delivering a monologue written by Pearce favorite Mishima Yukio over a synthesized organ piece. Guitar-based songs like "Torture By Roses," "Rule Again," and "Break The Black Ice" do much to presage Death In June's truly dark folk turn represented by the above mentioned "But What Ends..." The best song on this album, however, is the monstrously addictive "Come Before Christ And Murder Love." This is a truly perfect song and, as far as I'm concerned, Death In June's best. The only oddity on this album is the bizarre 16-minute war documentary-derived epic "Death Of A Man" that I still don't entirely understand (or like). However, given the strength of every other song on this album, it's easy to overlook.



In short, although this album represents Death In June's transition from erratic and esoteric post-punk to accessible yet apocalyptic neofolk, the band is hardly suffering from an identity crisis. Instead, this is the meeting place of two fruitful eras of artistic creation and Death In June's finest hour. Along with Current 93's, this is the album that all other neofolk bands try (and usually fail) to recreate. Highly recommended."

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scot kimberley | Burbank, Ca. United States | 07/28/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Without pigeonholing them into a catagory, this album seems to be the brige between the old and the new. Dry and haunting, quite cold in texture Death In June have again unleashed an onslought of thought pervoking poetry upon humanity with a vengance. The composition seems to have leaped in complexity but does not sound overdone. The packing shows a good amount of concern in keeping it high quality and closest to the design of the old vynl set of old. Tha fact that this is even on cd is reason enough to buy it, but it really does stand on its own as one of their greatest albums. Two arms high in the sky for this one!"