Personally I have never been too concerned with the pseudo-politics and politically incorrectness of the band, which is one of the reasons opinions on them is so decisive. For the most part, other than the militaristic rhythms and references to Klaus Barbie on "C'est un Reve," there’s not a whole lot of National Socialism to be found here, but a fair helping of nihilism and sadness abound.
The acoustic folk songs are, unsurprisingly, the ones courtesy of DIJ mainstay Douglas Pearce, the nascent sound that he would ram into the ground over the next 25 years, with diminishing returns. Here it’s not just a matter of it being fresh, there's also just a greater depth in arrangement and variety of songwriting. Songs like opener "The Honour of Silence" and "Behind the Rose (Fields of Rape)" remain among his strongest compositions, and have just the right amount of drama and bombast to accompany the guitar and vocals.
The classic "She Said Destroy," featuring David Tibet, continues this, leaning more into the pop realm than the other two, but losing none of the mystique. This is what makes this album stand out in the DIJ discography: the songs are catchy and memorable. For me, starting around The Wall of Sacrifice and continuing to the present day, too many of the songs since then simply disappear into the same mire of acoustic guitar and esoteric lyrics, mostly indiscernible from one to the other. Here each are distinct and powerful, never blurring into another track.
The other half of the album is mostly the work of Patrick Leagas, prior to forming Sixth Comm, and has a decidedly synth pop bent to it. Between the chintzy drum machines and rudimentary keyboards, it sounds very much a product of the era. For me, that’s not a problem at all, and it only adds to the quality of songs like "Rain of Despair," which sounds like nothing else the band has ever did with its almost dance-floor oriented drum programming and focus on rhythms more than vocals.
Picking a favorite out of Death in June's early work isn't easy for me, because the holy trinity of this, The Guilty Have No Pride, and The World That Summer are all so different, yet brilliant in their own unique ways.
Tracklist:
1. The Honour Of Silence
2. The Calling MK2
3. Leper Lord
4. Rain Of Despair
5. Foretold
6. Fields of Rape - Behind The Rose
7. She Said Destroy
8. Carousel
9. C'est Un Reve
10. Crush My Love
Download:
https://mega.nz/#!1VRTwZYZ!u7wlURCyR9LUuTr2vrL_pZ2Ljccyo9Uc66hPA0Mrzu0
