Customer Reviews

But, What Ends When Symbols Shatter?

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This is an astonishing record. DIJ achieves here the peak of his main theme: ambiguity. If «the world that summer», «brown book» and «the wall of sacrifice» are indeed excellent albuns the tone is still mainly one-sided: apocaliptic both in sound and lyrics. The difference that I find in this record in contrast with the previous ones is that for the first time ambiguity reigns. The lyrics are darker («death is the martyr of beauty») but the base of some of them are indeed altered Christian songs, that maintain the religious sound and tone. Some of the songs have really problematic ideas («helping one race, one creed to meet their need», «to love, to cull, to share», «let us try today to live and die the same way», «when out of men's hearts all hate is gone it's better to die than forever live on», «don't you know God is disabled», etc). All this is not new in DIJ («to love is to lose, and to lose is to die», «my hate is love to me», etc). But the most relevant thing in «what ends when the symbols shatter» is that paradoxically the apocaliptic message is presented in a harmonious beauty to catch us by feeling. This is the possible future that Douglas P. dream of and believe in that can be found in the end of the line through the inversion of all values, his new world. And here he expresses it not mainly by racional ideas but by an excess of sensibility. For us it's not a question of supporting his ideas (its all built in a world of ambiguity, remember) but a way of experiencing this fragmented world we live in. To appropriate this record is mainly to experience our irreversible ambiguity as human beings. For those who fall in the trap of the pure racional approach, there is no ambiguity and conversely no way of entering this/our world.

If anyone is looking for a great, dark,landmark album, death in june's "but what happens..."is waiting for you! not only does it supply the dark and beautiful voice of douglas P. but also the awesome depressing,mystical and mellow sound of witch these songs portray. i love every song on here, except:"daedalus rising." but alas, there unforgetable songs like "little black angel" alot of acoustic,but very dark. also one of my favorites "the giddy edge of light." you can loose yourself in this song and lyrics.if you love the dark yet the beautiful,dont deny it, get it now!

The question asked in the title sets the tone and theme of this CD. What happens when the archtypes of our culture are destroyed? This is a call to the real cultural war, a call to return to the pre-Christian symbols driven deep into our souls.

I just finished watching Mussolini Ultimo Atto and "Death Is The Martyr Of Beauty" reminds me of Mussolini just sitting, exhaustedly contemplating everything with a look of not wanting to be here nor there. Symbols shattering, definitely. I love the humour of this whole album -- it's so subtle. I took me a little bit to get into this album but the simplicity and ambiguity go a long long way.

I hate how Douglas P.'s music is always associated with the trite gothic/industrial subset. I know that scene is kind of his bread and butter but his work goes far beyond whatever crud is churned out by that genre. It's actually quite Roman Catholic(as I am), especially NADA! and The World That Summer. Very powerful and sacrificial, Very bright and golden. Very Rosa Mystica. The Virgin Is Blessed!

This has got to be one of the best albums I've ever owned in my cd collection.

The cd is layed out really well, like listening to a story almost, I love the lyrics and the instruments are truely amazing in this album.

If you like Death in June, I must say that this may be a little different than most of there other albums, but I like that about them, but none the less, you must own this album, if you can still find it..

This is my favorite DIJ album, too. "Rose Clouds" was a good follow-up, but this album is the stronger of the two. From the first warbly strum of "Death Is The Martyr of Beauty," you fall into Douglas P.'s world, decorated in swaztikas and runes, where hope is only spoken of in the past tense.

The songs have some variety, but the thrust of the CD is the acoustic guitar and the "c'mon, just a little closer...sucker" vocals. "Little Black Angel" is a classic, but my personal favorite is "The Golden Wedding of Sorrow." It sounds like one of the most cheerful, serene ditties ever. Death in June pulled that trick often. It works.

"But, What Ends..." is the dominant twin of their two "Apocalyptic folk" releases. If you like Legendary Pink Dots, Sol Invictus or Current 93, Get This Album. The Brits didn't just have the Beatles to offer.

Finally I've managed to write a review of this album, I've been meaning to for over a year... It's not like it's not inspiring, just never got around to it. A lot of this album has the same feel, but the sound is so soothing and atmospheric, you don't want it to change. That gentle, rhythmic, melodic, yet mysterious strumming is what you will come to expect in each song. A few songs have the addition of trumpets and keyboards, other than that it is mainly guitar and vocals, with a thick echo layered over most of the album.

The first four songs are probably the most solid of the album; they will envelop you and inevitably hold your attention for the rest of it.
"Little Black Angel" seems to be a popular favorite, with relatively fast-paced strumming and the trumpet evolving near the end of the song.
"The Giddy Edge of Light" is probably my favorite; it's a little slower-paced and more atmospheric. "Hollows of Devotion" includes trumpet sprinkled throughout the entire song. "Ku Ku Ku" and "This is not Paradise" are the two oddballs on the album, the former having some strange African drumming and very unusual lyrics, and "This is not Paradise" having French and English vocals atop each other, which is kind of interesting, but kind of annoying.
The last song, the title track is one of the best, leading up to that great chorus, and the ending very suddenly.

This was my first DIJ album and one of my first folk-noir albums, it truly pushed me to further check out the genre. This album has a truly unique feel that I don't experience on any of my other 290+ CDs, not even other Death in June albums. It is also my favorite all-around DIJ album, I enjoy many aspects of their other albums but nothing else is quite as perfect as this.

I've heard a few DIJ albums and I like this one best(although I've yet to hear the new one).Brilliantly constructed "folk"(in the broad sense) that is sure to please people that love true gothic music!The songs utilize acoustic guitars,trumpets,dreamy keyboards,chimes,timpani and other percussion,and haunting vocals and paint a bleak view of our world.There are a few songs that are reinterpretations of songs from a Jim Jones gospel song book(really!).Very creepy,scary stuff.

After a little local difficulty this masterpiece is re-released featuring the Roger Whittiker of Goth, strumming away on the sunny balcony of some imaginary Berchtesgaden, now with added Freddie Mercury tache. Self confessedly half filched from Jim Jones choir. Why these goth types are obsessed with toadying up to such people (Charles Manson is another favourite) I don't know. The frisson, I suppose. Naffness. When Mr P branches away from his war obsession (which I don't share) the results can be sublime. It's hard ultimately to know what elements come together to make a true work of art, but it all happened here. A lesson in how simple arrangements work best. Tibet seems a good influence on the jackbooted one and they should get together again, post hocter prompt. 'Symbols' is vibeamatic. Are we allowed to use that word? Yes, we are. This is vibeamatic.

Wenn sich in der Disko ploetzlich das halbe Publikum, was ansonsten den ganzen Abend nur herumsteht auf die Tanzflaeche bewegt und mit verzueckten Mienen zu ganz ruhigen Gitarrenklaengen tanzt, ist man oftmals dabei eins der offenen Geheimnisse der schwarzen Szene beobachten zu koennen.
Quasi jeder, der sich etwas auskennt, bekennt sich zum Titeltrack dieses Albums, welcher mit klarer und absehbarer Sprache ein gutes Stück des Lebensgefuehls ausdrueckt, welches die meisten Grufties haben.
Es wird eine Angst davor beschworen, dass die großen Ideen (oder Illusionen?), die ein leeres, betont enttaeuschendes Leben lebenswert machen, kaputtgemacht werden. Fazit ist der Wunsch, an diesen festzuhalten.
Das Ganze toll verpackt in diesem ruhigen, gitarrenbasierten Stil, unter dem man seither "Neofolk" versteht. Und weshalb seither die alten DI6- oder COIL-Fans nicht mehr wissen, wie man erklaeren kann, dass man diese Musik mag, aber mit diesem Liedermacherzeugs eigentlich nix anfangen kann.
Und ich muss sagen, dass diese Form von Musik extrem zugaenglich ist. Und weil sie nicht so abgrundtief bitter, traurig und enttaeuscht ist, wie die zehn Jahre zuvor ist, ist quasi jeder auf den ersten Blick dafuer empfaenglich.
Und ich muss zugeben, dass, als ich dieses Album als Erstes kennen lernte, ich Feuer und Flamme war.
Nur haelt diese Musik dem ersten Eindruck nicht stand. Vor allem im Vergleich zu den 10 Jahren zuvor gibt es erschreckende Unterschiede, welche dazu zwingen einen Bruch in der Tradition von DI6 festzustellen.
DI6 waren immer negativ. Bis auf die Zeit mit Wakeford war jedes Lied, scheinbar auch das allergrasseste, so finster, dass man es einfach nicht politisch, ideologisch zustimmend verwenden kann (Ausnahme das ignorante "c'est un reve", das Horst-Wessel-Lied und mit Einschraenkung (sample am Anfang) "runes and men").
Alle anderen DI6-Lieder muss man als noch gepraegt von der radikalen Linken sehen, zu deren Sprengung von innen Douglas Pearce beitragen wollte. (DI6 als Anti-Linkes Projekt, welches eine perfekte Uebersetzung aller trotzkistischen Dogmen in den NS darstellt).
Aber hier wird es schwammig. Und aus Interviews weis ich, dass Pearce um '89 mit seinem Leben nicht mehr weiterwusste. Er nach der Aufnahme dieses Albums alleine nach Australien ging, alles irgendwie magisch gesehen hat usw.
Psychologisch Interessierte wuerden daraus eine Depression ableiten. Der Mann suchte ein neues Ziel in seinem Leben. Und kurze Zeit spaeter zog er nach YU in den Krieg, wo er die Songs dieses Albums vor Frontsoldaten aufführte. Was unverzeihlich ist. Denn nicht nur der Titeltrack ist so stark von rueckwaerts gewandter Botschaft durchzogen, sondern alle Songs beschaeftigen sich mit so Quatsch, wie Blut, Ehre und Treue. Nicht dass das unbedingt schlimm sein muss, aber die Art ist einfach nicht mehr negativ. Dieses Album stellt den Punkt in der Biografie von DI6 dar, an der ihre Musik z u s t i m m e n d geworden ist. Mit dieser Musik aendert sich Botschaft und Publikum. War es frueher die frustrierte, hasserfuellte, negative Linke erwartet Pearce diesen Hintergrund von seinem Publikum nicht mehr.
Jeder kann diese Musik gefahrlos konsumieren, sobald er einem Teil der vermittelten, melancholischen Lebenseinstellungen zustimmt.
Ab diesem Album kann man "Tod Im Juni" Musik, sowohl vor kindskoepfigen Halbfaschos spielen, wie vor konsumierenden Grufties.
Death in June bewegen sich ab '89 scheinbar in der Grauzone zwischen der Subkultur und der extremen Rechten. Und alle seither erschienenen Alben vereindeutigen diese Gewissheit. Und die vielen Unverzeihlichkeiten seither (YU-Buergerkrieg(!), Kooperation mit "Blutharsch", VAWS, usw) beweisen: "To fail is human, To fall is human, Do not weep"

So großartig Du warst, Douglas. Du hast uns viel gegeben, aber jetzt wird es Zeit dafuer, sich zu trennen. Niemand kann Dich auf Deinem zukuenftigen Weg mehr begleiten.

Ein letzter Salut.
Machs Gut