Death in June
Encyclopedia
Death in June are a neofolk
group led by English
folk music
ian Douglas Pearce, better known as Douglas P.
The band was originally formed in Britain
in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators. Douglas P. now lives in Australia
.
Over the band's three decades of existence, they have made numerous shifts in style and presentation, resulting in an overall shift from initial post-punk
and Industrial Records
influence to a more acoustic and folk music-oriented approach. Although sometimes considered controversial (largely due to usage of themes and imagery relating to Nazi Germany
), Death in June has become very influential in certain post-industrial music circles. Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in sparking neofolk
, of which his music has subsequently become a part.
, along with Patrick Leagas
and Tony Wakeford
. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the political punk band Crisis, which formed in 1977. Crisis had gained a substantial following in the UK punk subculture
. Crisis performed at rallies for The Right to Work, Rock Against Racism
, and the Anti-Nazi League
.
and martial
style drum
ming, combined with a Joy Division
-influenced post-punk sound. Their lyrics maintained much of the poetry
and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as the early single sides "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. Further on, Douglas P. would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more esoteric approach to his work.
, England
, supporting The Birthday Party
followed by a short British tour in 1982 (the May 28 show was released unofficially by Patrick Leagas later in 1987 as Oh How We Laughed
) and a more extensive tour in 1983.
LP, Death in June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, and combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.
, France
. Wakeford then began a post-punk project called Above the Ruins
shortly before founding Sol Invictus
. Although relations were bad for several years after his enforced departure, Wakeford re-established his friendship with Douglas P. in the late 1980s. He remains on good terms with Douglas P. and has appeared as a guest on stage during one Death in June show in London in 1998.
(1985) LP introduced a temporary dance sound to Death in June accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Douglas P. would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas' other work as Sixth Comm
and later by his joining Mother Destruction
, where he would further explore themes of Germanic paganism
and historically-inspired music.
, later formed Sixth Comm. From that point until the present, Death in June has consisted solely of the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators.
; a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental and post-industrial music, which would distribute his NER
releases until the late 1990s. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists who also had material distributed through the company in various ways.
formed Current 93
in 1982. After being introduced to Douglas P. by Alan McGee of Creation Records at the Living Room Club, London in 1983, Tibet eventually began working with Death in June. Upon meeting Tibet, Douglas P. began to devote more of his time to a new circle of collaborators, who introduced him to various Thelemic
, Satanic
and Hermetic
disciplines that markedly affected his approach to composing music. Familiar with the Runic alphabet
, Douglas P. introduced them to Tibet. Tibet similarly had been long interested in magic and religion
and implemented these concepts in his early recordings with Current 93.
Douglas P. introduced a folk influence to Current 93/David Tibet, who in turn contributed to Death in June's Nada! (1985) LP and its remix version titled 93 Dead Sunwheels (1989), as well as the albums The World That Summer
, Brown Book
, and The Wall of Sacrifice
. He continued his work with Death in June, ending their collaborations with a contribution to the (1995) LP, Rose Clouds of Holocaust
before their eventual split.
Douglas P. also contributed to Current 93 projects, including the definitive Apocalyptic folk LPs Swastikas for Noddy
, Earth Covers Earth, 1888, and Thunder Perfect Mind as well as playing live on many occasions from 1986-93 with Tibet's group. Douglas P. has stated that after he stopped contributing to Current 93, Tibet replaced his acoustic guitar works with that of Michael Cashmore
, whom Douglas P. had tutored in the songs he had written for Current 93.
of NON
met Douglas P. on tour in Japan
during this period. He was invited to assist on the Wall of Sacrifice LP, where he contributed a spoken word piece. This was to mark a long period of collaborations with Boyd Rice from the early 1990s until 2004, leading to side projects such as Scorpion Wind and albums bearing both the Boyd Rice and Death in June names.
collaborated with Douglas P. on the Östenbräun double cassette release. Douglas P. sent LJDLP source material, which LJDLP would remix and send back after making any musical or aesthetic changes. Douglas P. would later appear live with Les Joyaux De La Princesse for a joint show in 2001.
, he came back into contact with John Murphy
of Knifeladder and previously of SPK
. Murphy began playing live percussion with Death in June during tours from 1996 onwards. From 2000 a period of very stripped down, largely acoustic live performances for Death in June began up until Douglas P. announced no further live shows in 2005.
later collaborated and toured throughout Europe between 1998-2000 with Death in June. Together, they produced the albums Take Care & Control
and Operation Hummingbird, as well as the live album Heilige!. In comparison to previous Death In June works these were remarkably extroverted yet plagaristic, courtesy of Martinek's contributions, sampling musical motifs from the likes of Richard Wagner
, Franz Schubert
, French '60s pop icon Serge Gainsbourg
amongst others. This resulted in a bombastic, neoclassical, post-industrial and extremely martial sound with few traces of the previous folk elements. The music created during this period could be classified as a part of the martial music genre which Pearce had initiated in 1986 on "The World That Summer
" album with tracks like 'Death Of A Man' and again in 1989 on "The Wall Of Sacrifice
" album with the title track and 'Death Is A Drummer'. Pearce wrote a song loosely inspired by an untitled Der Blutharsch song for the Fire Danger Season Der Blutharsch tribute compilation. The track title was later created/revealed as "Many Enemies Bring Much Honour", which also appears on the rework and rarities album entitled 'Abandon Tracks!'
Germany, as well as other then well established labels such as Eis & Licht. Eventually, Pearce was issued an out of court settlement for the case, leading to the demise of World Serpent Distribution. This led to reissues of most of the major albums in the Death in June discography being made freely available, with overhauled, deluxe packaging and a considerably cheaper price.
LP, Pearce was assisted by Andreas Ritter of the neofolk group Forseti
who played accordion
on a few tracks on the first half of the LP. This marked a return to the previous folk sound of Death in June. Death in June have also appeared live with Forseti and Pearce appeared on Forseti's Windzeit LP.
After Andreas Ritter suffered a stroke and subsequent loss of memory and ability to play musical instruments, Pearce contributed acoustic versions of Death in June songs to a tribute album to Ritter entitled Forseti Lebt released in August 2006.
LP, Pearce announced it would be his final collaboration with Rice, citing the decision as having been mutually decided during the recording of Alarm Agents in a studio situated in a valley in Wellington
, New Zealand
as helicopters flew beneath the two of them. Pearce recalls:
Sturmabteilung
purge on June 30, 1934, or alternately to the 1914 assassination in Sarajevo
that helped spark World War I
. However, "Death in June" is actually a mondegreen
, Pearce has said that he once misheard Patrick Leagas during a rehearsal and he "heard" it as "Death in June" and settled upon this chance mishearing. The group then subsequently applied it to the project in 1981. Pearce has stated that the name does not express any single idea for him and remains multifaceted.
, The Prisoner
, Night and Fog
, and Come and See
.
Pearce has cited Friedrich Nietzsche
, the Norse
Eddas, Yukio Mishima
, Saxon poetry, and Jean Genet
as strong influences upon his work. Although some of these influences have waned as the discography has increased, Genet and Mishima were quoted in the booklet of the rare track retrospective Abandon Tracks (2001).
Pearce has stated that Nico
, Scott Walker
, Ennio Morricone
, Industrial Records
-era Industrial music
, Forever Changes
-era Love
and traditional European folk music
have all had a considerable impact upon his musical output.
Since the early days of Death in June, the band would appear on stage wearing various masks and uniforms pertaining to the subject matters presented. The band shunned group photos, with very few ever taken, usually featuring the band masked or with their back to the camera.
In 1992, during a trip to Italy
, Pearce encountered a unique mask at a carnival shop. Fans were so taken by the mask, it became iconic for Death in June. Pearce often wears the mask when playing live and it appears on various Death in June releases, most visibly on the live Something Is Coming double LP.
are regularly worn by Pearce and appear on various Death in June releases. Most commonly, the variety of camouflage used is the German World War II Waffen SS autumnal Erbsenmuster/"pea pattern" (usually on original items) though sometimes the modern Bundeswehr
Flecktarn
or possibly the post-World War II
Austria
n fleckerlteppich pattern is used.
The subject of camouflage has also appeared in the lyrics of Death in June, notably in the song "Hidden Among the Leaves", a reference to the Japan
ese Hagakure
.
or "Death's Head" symbol. Pearce has stated repeatedly that the symbol is not an endorsement of extermination camp atrocities and the symbol far predates the Third Reich
, having been used by the Prussia
n army under Frederick the Great. Although the particular version used by Death in June is a modified, faintly grinning version of the SS
insignia, Pearce has stated the symbolism is clear: "The Totenkopf for Death, and the six for the sixth month - June."
and fetishistic
element, and is often used either in place of the Totenkopf or with it. This symbol was used later than the Totenkopf and is usually secondary to it. As with the Totenkopf-6, the 6 presumably refers to June.
has been more and more a common theme for Death in June with each successive release. Runic
text has appeared on many Death in June albums, as well as references to runes in the lyrics of the songs themselves.
In a 2005 interview, Pearce states:
There is a combination of runes that is etched on to the To Drown a Rose
10″ and the original cover for Rose Clouds of Holocaust LP. Pearce has also this bind rune
as something of a signature.
According to Pearce:
The Odal rune
has sometimes been used by Pearce. This can be seen very visibly on the Come Before Christ and Murder Love 7″ cover. The algiz rune
has often been used by Pearce for non-album Death in June purposes, appearing sometimes with a circle around it as seen on The World That Summer 2×LP, on the official website and elsewhere.
sympathies. Pearce has said, "At the start of the eighties, Tony and I were involved in radical left politics and beneath it history students. In search of a political view for the future we came across National Bolshevism
which is closely connected with the Sturmabteilung
hierarchy. People like Gregor Strasser
and Ernst Röhm
who were later known as 'second revolutionaries' attracted our attention." The Sturmabteilung (Stormtroopers) were a paramilitary unit of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), and Strasser and Röhm were Nazi leaders who vyed for Adolf Hitler
's power.
Protests have been staged and some performances have been cancelled due to these accusations. Justification for the cancellations stem from strong aversions to the Nazi inspired symbolism of Death in June coupled with an interpretation of select lyrics as containing deliberate Third Reich
-era imagery and tropes. When questioned about his interest in the Third Reich, Pearce responded:"I've an interest in all aspects of the Third Reich. It has had such a huge influence on the world, who could fail to be intrigued by it? However, I've still read more pages of Das Kapital
than Mein Kampf
!"
Pearce, who is openly homosexual
, has collaborated with various ethnic Jews throughout his music career. The official Death in June website site featured the flag of Israel
, and Death in June played a concert in Israel
on June 18, 2004 for a predominantly Jewish audience.
, Fire + Ice, and Der Blutharsch
in Lausanne
, Switzerland
. A day prior the scheduled show, Pearce appeared wearing a sign, restrained by two men (Boyd Rice and Albin Julius) in ape suits wearing Third Reich
-era swastika
arm bands. He gave a press conference announcing that he had been banned for the first time from playing live. After pressure from a local activist group, the decision was made by the local chief of police Bernard Metraux, due to perceived ambiguity, to not allow Pearce to appear on stage. However, Rice, Fire + Ice and Der Blutharsch were allowed to take the stage.
A petition
for the resignation of Metraux circulated amongst concertgoers at the show and eventually equaled 184 signatures. At the concert, a man appearing to be Pearce took the stage and revealed himself to be Rice. Rice performed an altered rendition of Death in June's "C'est un rêve" to commemorate the event. This rendition of the song was later credited to "NON & Freunde", and was released on the Der tod im juni compilation. After the concert, a website was created by Swiss fans featuring photographs recording the event. Pearce later recorded a song about the situation on Operation Hummingbird in 1998.
In a 2005 interview with Pearce, he recalls the event:
, Illinois
. The concert was scheduled to take place at a venue called The Empty Bottle
on December 13, 2003, with Der Blutharsch and Changes
. Initially, pressure from a group calling themselves the Center for New Community was applied to the owner of the club, Bruce Finkelman. Finkelman, who is Jewish, and his staff, which contains African American
s, initially decided the show would go on, feeling there was insufficient evidence to cancel the performance.
Debate continued on The Empty Bottle's website, fueled partially by an email and ten-day telephone campaign waged by the Center for New Community to ban the event. Finkelman offered a compromise: He invited the CNC to distribute anti-racist information within the venue, as well as any other group that wished to do so, and offered to give the venue's proceeds of the concert to the Anti-Defamation League
. The CNC refused.
Finkelman, feeling the pressure, started to relent and decided to remove Changes from the bill. As the controversy mounted from complaints regarding the band due to the Center for New Community's campaign, he eventually cancelled the night altogether. Due to the mounting pressure and threats of violence by other groups, Finkelman expressed regret for this decision, describing the censorship as a "black mark on the arts community" and continued to encourage open discussion instead of censorship.
The venue was moved to Deja Vu, another venue in Chicago that Saturday. Members of Anti-Racist Action
began to gather at the venue. The concert was cancelled by the venue owners just before it was scheduled to begin, due to violence between Anti-Racist Action and fans of Death in June.
banned all sales and distribution of Rose Clouds of Holocaust to minors, which had been available to everyone in the country since 1995. Early in 2006, discussion on the Death in June Yahoo list resulted in a response from Pearce, who revealed that he had been asked several months earlier by his distributor, Tesco Organisation Germany (based in Mannheim
), to explain passages of his work to the German government. Pearce provided his original response to the government, which featured, for the first time, Pearce's explanation for numerous aspects of Death in June, including lyrics, song titles, events and use of aesthetics as well as dates, people and locations. Pearce issued a second letter stating that Tesco Organisation Germany had filed an appeal against the ban. At the request of Douglas P., who viewed it as a demeaning waste of time and money, the appeal was abandoned in November, 2007.
A third email was sent regarding the ban, in which Pearce expressed concern for further arbitrary action by the German authorities in banning further albums and artists within the "Neo-Folk/Post Industrial/whatever you wish to label it scene." Pearce requested the organisation of a "Fighting Fund Festival" to help raise funds for legal support.
Meanwhile Brown Book has been banned as well, and selling it is totally illegal in Germany because it contains elements of the song "Horst-Wessel-Lied
", which was the official anthem of the Brown shirted S.A.(Sturmabteilung). This happened according to Strafgesetzbuch section 86a, which outlaws "use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations".
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
group led by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ian Douglas Pearce, better known as Douglas P.
Douglas P.
Douglas P. , is an English folk musician, record label owner, photographer and actor who records under the name Death In June. He was born in Sheerwater in Woking, Surrey, and resides in Australia. Douglas P. is openly gay.-Crisis:Pearce began his musical career in a British punk band called Crisis...
The band was originally formed in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators. Douglas P. now lives in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Over the band's three decades of existence, they have made numerous shifts in style and presentation, resulting in an overall shift from initial post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
and Industrial Records
Industrial Records
Industrial Records was a record label established in 1976 by art/music group Throbbing Gristle. The group, fronted by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Chris Carter, and Peter Christopherson, were to release their experiments in non-entertainment sound and multimedia through the label; in...
influence to a more acoustic and folk music-oriented approach. Although sometimes considered controversial (largely due to usage of themes and imagery relating to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
), Death in June has become very influential in certain post-industrial music circles. Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in sparking neofolk
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
, of which his music has subsequently become a part.
Origin
Pearce formed Death in June in 1981 in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, along with Patrick Leagas
Patrick Leagas
Patrick Leagas is a British musician. Leagas was a founding member of Death In June. After leaving Death In June in 1985 during a tour in Italy, Leagas formed Sixth Comm in 1986 and began working under the name Patrick O-Kill. Leagas later met vocalist Amodali at a Liverpool club in 1989. The two...
and Tony Wakeford
Tony Wakeford
Anthony Charles "Tony" Wakeford is an English folk and neoclassical musician who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus.Wakeford lives in London and is married to Sol Invictus violinist Renée Rosen....
. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the political punk band Crisis, which formed in 1977. Crisis had gained a substantial following in the UK punk subculture
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
. Crisis performed at rallies for The Right to Work, Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
, and the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
.
Early Death in June (1981–1985)
Death in June soon left the reticent punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with electronicsElectronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and martial
Martial music
Martial industrial, also known as martial music, is a music genre originating in late 20th century Europe. It often borrows musically from classical music, neofolk, neoclassical, traditional European marches and from elements of industrial and dark ambient.-Origins:The genre name military pop was...
style drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
ming, combined with a Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
-influenced post-punk sound. Their lyrics maintained much of the poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as the early single sides "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. Further on, Douglas P. would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more esoteric approach to his work.
Live debut
The band played their first show on November 25, 1981 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, supporting The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
followed by a short British tour in 1982 (the May 28 show was released unofficially by Patrick Leagas later in 1987 as Oh How We Laughed
Oh How We Laughed
Oh How We Laughed is a live album by Death In June, released in 1987.-Side 2:# "Holy Water"# "State Laughter"# "In the Nighttime"# "We Drive East"# "How We Laughed"...
) and a more extensive tour in 1983.
Introduction of folk music
For 1983's The Guilty Have No PrideThe Guilty Have No Pride
The Guilty Have No Pride is an album by Death in June, released in 1983. The album was reissued in 2006 as a dual CD/DVD release, with additional live material recorded in London in 1982.- Side 1 :# "Till the Living Flesh is Burned"...
LP, Death in June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, and combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.
Tony Wakeford departs
After some tension in the group regarding the direction it was taking, Wakeford was asked to leave Death in June in January 1984 after a show in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Wakeford then began a post-punk project called Above the Ruins
Above The Ruins
Above the Ruins were an English Post-punk band fronted by Tony Wakeford.-History:After being asked to leave Death In June in 1984 due to his then membership in the British National Front, Tony Wakeford formed Above the Ruins. None of the group's releases name any of its members...
shortly before founding Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus (band)
Sol Invictus is an English neofolk and neoclassical group fronted by Tony Wakeford. Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception, although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with Wakeford under the Sol Invictus moniker over the years.-Overview:For...
. Although relations were bad for several years after his enforced departure, Wakeford re-established his friendship with Douglas P. in the late 1980s. He remains on good terms with Douglas P. and has appeared as a guest on stage during one Death in June show in London in 1998.
Nada! flirtation with dance music
The Nada!Nada!
-Side one:# "The Honour of Silence"# "The Calling "# "Leper Lord"# "Rain of Despair"# "Foretold"-Side two:# "Behind the Rose "# "She Said Destroy"# "Carousel"# "C'est Un Reve"# "Crush My Love"...
(1985) LP introduced a temporary dance sound to Death in June accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Douglas P. would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas' other work as Sixth Comm
Sixth Comm
Sixth Comm is a British experimental, rock and synth pop group founded by Patrick Leagas in 1986. Sixth Comm is influenced by Norse magic and mythology. Leagas would appear to be the main force behind this outfit, which somewhat confusingly, releases albums both as Sixth Comm and as Mother...
and later by his joining Mother Destruction
Mother Destruction
Mother Destruction, formerly Six Comm / Mother Destruction, is a neopagan electronic music project of Amodali and Patrick Leagas.- Discography :* 1990: Sixth Comm/Mother Destruction - Seething* 1990: Sixth Comm/Mother Destruction - Archive 1...
, where he would further explore themes of Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
and historically-inspired music.
Patrick Leagas departs
Patrick Leagas abruptly left the group in April 1985 after a tour of Italy, resulting in many cancelled shows in the UK and Europe due to follow that tour. Leagas, who began calling himself Patrick O-KillPatrick Leagas
Patrick Leagas is a British musician. Leagas was a founding member of Death In June. After leaving Death In June in 1985 during a tour in Italy, Leagas formed Sixth Comm in 1986 and began working under the name Patrick O-Kill. Leagas later met vocalist Amodali at a Liverpool club in 1989. The two...
, later formed Sixth Comm. From that point until the present, Death in June has consisted solely of the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators.
Creation of World Serpent Distribution
In 1991, Douglas P. named and helped form World Serpent DistributionWorld Serpent Distribution
World Serpent Distribution was a British record label and music distribution house formed in the 1990s by David Gibson, Alan Trench and Alison Webster...
; a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental and post-industrial music, which would distribute his NER
New European Recordings
New European Recordings is the music label of Douglas Pearce of Death In June.Founded in 1981 by Douglas Pearce, NER has released material by Death In June and various other artists since the early 1980s until present day. Distribution has varied. In the 1980s, while Pearce was employed by Rough...
releases until the late 1990s. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists who also had material distributed through the company in various ways.
Collaboration with David Tibet
David TibetDavid Tibet
David Tibet is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member. He had earlier collaborated with Psychic TV and 23 Skidoo...
formed Current 93
Current 93
Current 93 is an eclectic British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet .-Background:Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton has appeared on...
in 1982. After being introduced to Douglas P. by Alan McGee of Creation Records at the Living Room Club, London in 1983, Tibet eventually began working with Death in June. Upon meeting Tibet, Douglas P. began to devote more of his time to a new circle of collaborators, who introduced him to various Thelemic
Thelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
, Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
and Hermetic
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
disciplines that markedly affected his approach to composing music. Familiar with the Runic alphabet
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
, Douglas P. introduced them to Tibet. Tibet similarly had been long interested in magic and religion
Magic and religion
Magical thinking in various forms is a cultural universal and an important aspect of religion.In many cases it becomes difficult or impossible to draw any meaningful line between beliefs and practices that are magical versus those that are religious, but in general the term religion is reserved for...
and implemented these concepts in his early recordings with Current 93.
Douglas P. introduced a folk influence to Current 93/David Tibet, who in turn contributed to Death in June's Nada! (1985) LP and its remix version titled 93 Dead Sunwheels (1989), as well as the albums The World That Summer
The World That Summer
The World That Summer , is an album by Death In June, released in 1986....
, Brown Book
Brown Book (album)
Brown Book is an album by Death In June, released in 1987.- Side 1 :# "Heilige Tod"# "Touch Defiles"# "Hail! The White Grain"# "Runes and Men"# "To Drown a Rose"# "Red Dog - Black Dog"- Side 2 :# "In the Fog of the World"# "We Are the Lust"...
, and The Wall of Sacrifice
The Wall of Sacrifice
The Wall of Sacrifice is an experimental, dark folk album by Death in June. The original vinyl pressing, released in 1989, was limited to 666 copies...
. He continued his work with Death in June, ending their collaborations with a contribution to the (1995) LP, Rose Clouds of Holocaust
Rose Clouds of Holocaust
- Side 1 :# "Lord Winter"# "God's Golden Sperm"# "Omen-filled Season"# "Symbols of the Sun"# "Jerusalem the Black"- Side 2 :# "Luther's Army"# "13 Years of Carrion"# "The Accidental Protégé"# "Rose Clouds of Holocaust"# "Lifebooks"-External links:**...
before their eventual split.
Douglas P. also contributed to Current 93 projects, including the definitive Apocalyptic folk LPs Swastikas for Noddy
Swastikas For Noddy
Swastikas for Noddy is a 1988 album by English music group Current 93.The lineup for the recording was: David Tibet, Steven Stapleton, Jhon Balance, Rose McDowall, Boyd Rice, HÖH, Ian Read, Freya Aswynn, and Douglas P., Gary Carey and Bee....
, Earth Covers Earth, 1888, and Thunder Perfect Mind as well as playing live on many occasions from 1986-93 with Tibet's group. Douglas P. has stated that after he stopped contributing to Current 93, Tibet replaced his acoustic guitar works with that of Michael Cashmore
Michael Cashmore
Michael Cashmore is a British composer and musician who has created music under the name of Nature And Organisation and more recently under his own name.Cashmore has also been a member of the group Current 93 since the late 1980s...
, whom Douglas P. had tutored in the songs he had written for Current 93.
Collaboration with Boyd Rice begins
Boyd RiceBoyd Rice
Boyd Blake Rice is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard...
of NON
Boyd Rice
Boyd Blake Rice is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard...
met Douglas P. on tour in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during this period. He was invited to assist on the Wall of Sacrifice LP, where he contributed a spoken word piece. This was to mark a long period of collaborations with Boyd Rice from the early 1990s until 2004, leading to side projects such as Scorpion Wind and albums bearing both the Boyd Rice and Death in June names.
Collaboration with LJDLP
Les Joyaux De La PrincesseLes Joyaux De La Princesse
Les Joyaux De La Princesse is a French industrial band, founded in 1986 by Erik Konofal. The musical style is a mixture of ambient and neo-classical, often utilizing samples from original works in tandem with French chansons, operatic works, and historical speeches...
collaborated with Douglas P. on the Östenbräun double cassette release. Douglas P. sent LJDLP source material, which LJDLP would remix and send back after making any musical or aesthetic changes. Douglas P. would later appear live with Les Joyaux De La Princesse for a joint show in 2001.
Collaboration with John Murphy begins
Douglas P. having recently moved to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he came back into contact with John Murphy
John Murphy (musician)
John Murphy , sometimes credited as "Jonh Murphy", is an Australian drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumental session musician who has played in numerous Australian and British post-punk, ambient and industrial music groups...
of Knifeladder and previously of SPK
SPK (band)
SPK, formed in 1978 in Sydney, Australia, was a 1980s and early 1990s industrial music and noise music group. One member, Graeme Revell, would later go on to become a successful Hollywood movie composer.-History:...
. Murphy began playing live percussion with Death in June during tours from 1996 onwards. From 2000 a period of very stripped down, largely acoustic live performances for Death in June began up until Douglas P. announced no further live shows in 2005.
Collaboration with Albin Julius Martinek
After queuing to meet his idol Douglas P. backstage at a performance in Munich in December 1996, Albin Julius Martinek of Der BlutharschDer Blutharsch
Der Blutharsch is the primary musical project of Austrian musician Albin Julius.-History:...
later collaborated and toured throughout Europe between 1998-2000 with Death in June. Together, they produced the albums Take Care & Control
Take Care & Control
Take Care & Control is an album by Death In June, released in 1998. This album is a collaboration with Albin Julius , with whom Douglas P...
and Operation Hummingbird, as well as the live album Heilige!. In comparison to previous Death In June works these were remarkably extroverted yet plagaristic, courtesy of Martinek's contributions, sampling musical motifs from the likes of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, French '60s pop icon Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
amongst others. This resulted in a bombastic, neoclassical, post-industrial and extremely martial sound with few traces of the previous folk elements. The music created during this period could be classified as a part of the martial music genre which Pearce had initiated in 1986 on "The World That Summer
The World That Summer
The World That Summer , is an album by Death In June, released in 1986....
" album with tracks like 'Death Of A Man' and again in 1989 on "The Wall Of Sacrifice
The Wall of Sacrifice
The Wall of Sacrifice is an experimental, dark folk album by Death in June. The original vinyl pressing, released in 1989, was limited to 666 copies...
" album with the title track and 'Death Is A Drummer'. Pearce wrote a song loosely inspired by an untitled Der Blutharsch song for the Fire Danger Season Der Blutharsch tribute compilation. The track title was later created/revealed as "Many Enemies Bring Much Honour", which also appears on the rework and rarities album entitled 'Abandon Tracks!'
Demise of World Serpent Distribution
The late 1990s marked the beginning of a court case between Death in June and World Serpent Distribution regarding payment and distribution issues with several other artists that were then on the label. This led to many artists that had sided with or had a similar experience to Pearce's leaving the distribution company and largely moving to Tesco DistributionTesco Organisation
Tesco Organisation is a German record label, mail order company and distributor, specialising in industrial, noise, neofolk and ambient music. Tesco has also organised music festivals in the past such as “Heavy Electronics”, “Tesco Disco” and “Festival Karlsruhe” -Formation:Tesco Organisation...
Germany, as well as other then well established labels such as Eis & Licht. Eventually, Pearce was issued an out of court settlement for the case, leading to the demise of World Serpent Distribution. This led to reissues of most of the major albums in the Death in June discography being made freely available, with overhauled, deluxe packaging and a considerably cheaper price.
Collaboration with Andreas Ritter
On the All Pigs Must DieAll Pigs Must Die
All Pigs Must Die is an album by Death In June, released in 2001. The first half of the album bears the typical later-Death In June Neofolk sound, whereas the second half of the album has a much more chaotic, experimental sound to it.-Track listing:...
LP, Pearce was assisted by Andreas Ritter of the neofolk group Forseti
Forseti (band)
Forseti was a dark folk / apocalyptic folk crossover of German musician Andreas Ritter, from the city of Jena. For studio recordings and live performances, he is supported by other musicians. Forseti is a Norse god of justice, peace, and truth...
who played accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
on a few tracks on the first half of the LP. This marked a return to the previous folk sound of Death in June. Death in June have also appeared live with Forseti and Pearce appeared on Forseti's Windzeit LP.
After Andreas Ritter suffered a stroke and subsequent loss of memory and ability to play musical instruments, Pearce contributed acoustic versions of Death in June songs to a tribute album to Ritter entitled Forseti Lebt released in August 2006.
Collaboration with Boyd Rice ends
After completing the Alarm AgentsAlarm Agents
-Credits:*Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Douglas Pearce*Lead Vocals – Boyd Rice*Percussion – Jonh Murphy*Recorded By – Dave Lokan , Mark Hamill , Robert Ferbrache -Studios:Recorded between Halloween, October 2002 and Mid-Winter's Night, December 2003...
LP, Pearce announced it would be his final collaboration with Rice, citing the decision as having been mutually decided during the recording of Alarm Agents in a studio situated in a valley in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as helicopters flew beneath the two of them. Pearce recalls:
"We turned toward each other and said, 'This is going to be the last collaboration. It can't get better than this.'"
Etymology
Much has been made of the origins of the name Death in June. It is sometimes considered to be an allusion to the Night of the Long KnivesNight of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
purge on June 30, 1934, or alternately to the 1914 assassination in Sarajevo
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six Bosnian Serb assassins coordinated by Danilo Ilić...
that helped spark World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. However, "Death in June" is actually a mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
, Pearce has said that he once misheard Patrick Leagas during a rehearsal and he "heard" it as "Death in June" and settled upon this chance mishearing. The group then subsequently applied it to the project in 1981. Pearce has stated that the name does not express any single idea for him and remains multifaceted.
Neofolk music
Pearce's influence was also instrumental in creating a genre of music called neofolk throughout Europe. Pearce often plays live with artists that are considered a part of this genre and guests on their records.Influences
Film and certain television programs have been a major influence on Death in June, sometimes being worked into compositions or referenced directly in album titles. Influential films and television shows include The World That Summer, Take a Closer Look, The Night PorterThe Night Porter
The Night Porter is a controversial 1974 film by Italian director Liliana Cavani, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling.- Synopsis :...
, The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, Night and Fog
Night and Fog (film)
Night and Fog is a 1955 French documentary short film. Directed by Alain Resnais, it was made ten years after the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. The documentary features the abandoned grounds of Auschwitz and Majdanek while describing the lives of prisoners in the camps. Night and Fog was...
, and Come and See
Come and See
Come and See directed by Elem Klimov, is a 1985 Soviet war movie and psychological horror drama about and occurring during the Nazi German occupation of the Byelorussian SSR. Aleksei Kravchenko and Olga Mironova star as the protagonists Florya and Glasha. The screenplay is by Ales Adamovich and...
.
Pearce has cited Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
, the Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
Eddas, Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
, Saxon poetry, and Jean Genet
Jean Genet
Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
as strong influences upon his work. Although some of these influences have waned as the discography has increased, Genet and Mishima were quoted in the booklet of the rare track retrospective Abandon Tracks (2001).
Pearce has stated that Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
, Scott Walker
Scott Walker (singer)
Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel on January 9, 1943 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and the former lead singer of The Walker Brothers. Despite being American born, Walker's chart success has largely come in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums...
, Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
, Industrial Records
Industrial Records
Industrial Records was a record label established in 1976 by art/music group Throbbing Gristle. The group, fronted by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Chris Carter, and Peter Christopherson, were to release their experiments in non-entertainment sound and multimedia through the label; in...
-era Industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, Forever Changes
Forever Changes
Forever Changes is the third album by American rock band Love, released by Elektra Records in November 1967. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Forever Changes 40th in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...
-era Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
and traditional European folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
have all had a considerable impact upon his musical output.
Symbolism and aesthetics
Death in June has always used symbolism, in lyrics and aesthetic approaches. Often these symbols are sometimes slightly modified European historical or ancestral symbols or point to general areas of time, with a small 6 applied.Masks
According to Pearce, since its inception Death in June:"[We] did not want to become a part of a normal rock 'n' roll thing. Pretty boys staring into the cameras with huge cocks and IQs of one million... It doesn't work like that."
Since the early days of Death in June, the band would appear on stage wearing various masks and uniforms pertaining to the subject matters presented. The band shunned group photos, with very few ever taken, usually featuring the band masked or with their back to the camera.
In 1992, during a trip to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Pearce encountered a unique mask at a carnival shop. Fans were so taken by the mask, it became iconic for Death in June. Pearce often wears the mask when playing live and it appears on various Death in June releases, most visibly on the live Something Is Coming double LP.
Camouflage
Specific varieties of camouflageCamouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
are regularly worn by Pearce and appear on various Death in June releases. Most commonly, the variety of camouflage used is the German World War II Waffen SS autumnal Erbsenmuster/"pea pattern" (usually on original items) though sometimes the modern Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
Flecktarn
Flecktarn
Flecktarn is a 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-colour disruptive camouflage pattern. The use of spots creates a "dithering" effect, which eliminates hard boundaries between the different colours in much the same way the squares in the newest digital camouflage patterns do...
or possibly the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n fleckerlteppich pattern is used.
The subject of camouflage has also appeared in the lyrics of Death in June, notably in the song "Hidden Among the Leaves", a reference to the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Hagakure
Hagakure
Hagakure , or is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, former retainer to Nabeshima Mitsushige, the third ruler of what is now the Saga prefecture in Japan...
.
Totenkopf-6
A slightly grinning skull, framed by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. Death in June has, since at least the State Laughter / Holy Water 7″, used variations of the Prussian TotenkopfTotenkopf
The Totenkopf is the German word for the death's head and an old symbol for death or the dead. It consists usually of the skull and the mandible of the human skeleton...
or "Death's Head" symbol. Pearce has stated repeatedly that the symbol is not an endorsement of extermination camp atrocities and the symbol far predates the Third Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, having been used by the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n army under Frederick the Great. Although the particular version used by Death in June is a modified, faintly grinning version of the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
insignia, Pearce has stated the symbolism is clear: "The Totenkopf for Death, and the six for the sixth month - June."
Whip-Hand
A studded, gloved hand holding a whip surrounded by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. This symbol has been used by Death in June since at least the She Said Destroy 7″/12″, stated by Pearce to signify control and relates to having the whip hand, a British expression. The hand is gloved, giving it both a medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and fetishistic
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
element, and is often used either in place of the Totenkopf or with it. This symbol was used later than the Totenkopf and is usually secondary to it. As with the Totenkopf-6, the 6 presumably refers to June.
Three Bars
Three parallel, up-standing vertical bars accompanied by a small six in the lower right corner. Although a very basic symbol, this symbol likely originates, for the use of Death in June, from the 1943 Kursk version of the insignia of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf. This symbol was used as vehicle markings on the vehicles of that unit. It may have been used to signify the three members of Death in June at the time. Scantly used afterwards for the purpose of Death in June, it first appeared on the Lesson One: Misanthropy! LP and is rarely used when not referring directly to this period of Death in June.Runes
Germanic paganismGermanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
has been more and more a common theme for Death in June with each successive release. Runic
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
text has appeared on many Death in June albums, as well as references to runes in the lyrics of the songs themselves.
In a 2005 interview, Pearce states:
"I'm very happy about that because I see Death in June as part of a European cultural revival. I'm pleased that the Old Gods are being resurrected, for want of a better word. Old symbols. I feel very pleased that I am a part of that process and that I have had influence. At this stage in the game, so to speak, it's not false modesty to say that I am content with my influence."
There is a combination of runes that is etched on to the To Drown a Rose
To Drown A Rose
To Drown A Rose is a single by Death in June. Additional music performers include: Christ 777, Douglas P., Gary Carey, Jan O', John Balance, Rose McDowall. The vinyl has the phrases "Our time has been..." and "....and will be again" scratched into it...
10″ and the original cover for Rose Clouds of Holocaust LP. Pearce has also this bind rune
Bind rune
A bind rune is a ligature of two or more runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscriptions, but are common in pre-Viking Age and in post-Viking Age inscriptions....
as something of a signature.
According to Pearce:
"In 1986 whilst staying with Tibet in his flat in Freya Aswynn's house in north London over a period of 3 nights I dreamed I was falling in a sort of rain of indistinct runes. On each separate night I managed to concentrate enough on one particular rune to stop it from spinning and moving so I could actually see which one it was. When I awoke I made a note of it. After 3 nights the dream stopped and I decided to try and form an 'appropriate' bind rune from the original 3. This I did and after Freya saw it I basically was given a 'thumbs up' about the whole thing. It definitely does not refer to my name but it definitely does refer to ME."
The Odal rune
Odal rune
The Elder Futhark Odal rune represents the o sound. Its reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *ôþalan. The corresponding Gothic letter is o, called oþal. Variations of the name include Othila and Othala...
has sometimes been used by Pearce. This can be seen very visibly on the Come Before Christ and Murder Love 7″ cover. The algiz rune
Algiz
The Algiz is part of the ancient Nordic and Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, often equated to the modern day z, however was traditionally pronounced yr. The letter has come to symbolize many neo-pagan religions and is often worn as a pendant...
has often been used by Pearce for non-album Death in June purposes, appearing sometimes with a circle around it as seen on The World That Summer 2×LP, on the official website and elsewhere.
Controversy
Detractors have accused Death in June of harboring neo-NaziNeo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
sympathies. Pearce has said, "At the start of the eighties, Tony and I were involved in radical left politics and beneath it history students. In search of a political view for the future we came across National Bolshevism
National Bolshevism
National Bolshevism is a political movement that claims to combine elements of nationalism and Bolshevism. It is often anti-capitalist in tone, and sympathetic towards certain nationalist forms of communism and socialism...
which is closely connected with the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
hierarchy. People like Gregor Strasser
Gregor Strasser
Gregor Strasser was a politician of the National Socialist German Workers Party...
and Ernst Röhm
Ernst Röhm
Ernst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
who were later known as 'second revolutionaries' attracted our attention." The Sturmabteilung (Stormtroopers) were a paramilitary unit of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), and Strasser and Röhm were Nazi leaders who vyed for Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's power.
Protests have been staged and some performances have been cancelled due to these accusations. Justification for the cancellations stem from strong aversions to the Nazi inspired symbolism of Death in June coupled with an interpretation of select lyrics as containing deliberate Third Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-era imagery and tropes. When questioned about his interest in the Third Reich, Pearce responded:"I've an interest in all aspects of the Third Reich. It has had such a huge influence on the world, who could fail to be intrigued by it? However, I've still read more pages of Das Kapital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
than Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
!"
Pearce, who is openly homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, has collaborated with various ethnic Jews throughout his music career. The official Death in June website site featured the flag of Israel
Flag of Israel
The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment. It depicts a blue Star of David on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes...
, and Death in June played a concert in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
on June 18, 2004 for a predominantly Jewish audience.
Banned in Lausanne, Switzerland
On November 19, 1998, Death in June was scheduled to play with Boyd RiceBoyd Rice
Boyd Blake Rice is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard...
, Fire + Ice, and Der Blutharsch
Der Blutharsch
Der Blutharsch is the primary musical project of Austrian musician Albin Julius.-History:...
in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. A day prior the scheduled show, Pearce appeared wearing a sign, restrained by two men (Boyd Rice and Albin Julius) in ape suits wearing Third Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-era swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
arm bands. He gave a press conference announcing that he had been banned for the first time from playing live. After pressure from a local activist group, the decision was made by the local chief of police Bernard Metraux, due to perceived ambiguity, to not allow Pearce to appear on stage. However, Rice, Fire + Ice and Der Blutharsch were allowed to take the stage.
A petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
for the resignation of Metraux circulated amongst concertgoers at the show and eventually equaled 184 signatures. At the concert, a man appearing to be Pearce took the stage and revealed himself to be Rice. Rice performed an altered rendition of Death in June's "C'est un rêve" to commemorate the event. This rendition of the song was later credited to "NON & Freunde", and was released on the Der tod im juni compilation. After the concert, a website was created by Swiss fans featuring photographs recording the event. Pearce later recorded a song about the situation on Operation Hummingbird in 1998.
In a 2005 interview with Pearce, he recalls the event:
This has to do with politics, not to do with me because they had a local election and they thought I was going to bring an army of skinheads to Lausanne and destroy the city. Because they've heard from someone in Germany who contacted a policeman in Bern. And the policeman in Bern contacted the authorities in Lausanne. This is like gossip. This is like fishwives. This is like old women. I don't care about old women gossiping. If at the end of the day, it means I don't play, good, I don't want to play in the city of old women talking about people behind their backs. And they are so stupid they believe in all the rumours.
When I had a meeting with the Council a day before the concert, they were absolutely petrified of me. I wanted to play the records and say 'I am not going to destroy you' but they were just so scared. Because they were worried about their political future. They were not thinking about Death in June as Being a Nazi group, they are thinking that I, Jean Pierre Nobody, want to be Mayor of this town and I must win the good citizens over of this town to my cause and, therefore, I will be a knight in shining armour, I will always stand up to those things that everybody hates. So, I will stand up to Nazi, skinhead hordes that are coming to destroy Lausanne.
Of course, there were no Nazi, skinhead hordes and I didn't play and they got elected. So, life goes on. The fishwives got their way.
Cancelled performance in Chicago, Illinois
Death in June were banned a second time in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The concert was scheduled to take place at a venue called The Empty Bottle
The Empty Bottle
The Empty Bottle is a nightclub and concert hall located at 1035 N. Western Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Located in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, this has been one of the many venues for Chicago's alternative music scene. This venue hosts a variety of forms of music, ranging from...
on December 13, 2003, with Der Blutharsch and Changes
Changes (band)
Changes are an American folk band formed in 1969 by cousins Robert N. Taylor and Nicholas Tesluk. Changes saw three distinct periods with rotating band members before their contemporary incarnation, heavily associated with the neofolk genre....
. Initially, pressure from a group calling themselves the Center for New Community was applied to the owner of the club, Bruce Finkelman. Finkelman, who is Jewish, and his staff, which contains African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, initially decided the show would go on, feeling there was insufficient evidence to cancel the performance.
Debate continued on The Empty Bottle's website, fueled partially by an email and ten-day telephone campaign waged by the Center for New Community to ban the event. Finkelman offered a compromise: He invited the CNC to distribute anti-racist information within the venue, as well as any other group that wished to do so, and offered to give the venue's proceeds of the concert to the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
. The CNC refused.
Finkelman, feeling the pressure, started to relent and decided to remove Changes from the bill. As the controversy mounted from complaints regarding the band due to the Center for New Community's campaign, he eventually cancelled the night altogether. Due to the mounting pressure and threats of violence by other groups, Finkelman expressed regret for this decision, describing the censorship as a "black mark on the arts community" and continued to encourage open discussion instead of censorship.
The venue was moved to Deja Vu, another venue in Chicago that Saturday. Members of Anti-Racist Action
Anti-Racist Action
The Anti-Racist Action Network is a decentralized network of anti-fascist and anti-racists in North America. ARA activists organize actions to disrupt neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, and help organize activities against fascist and racist ideologies. ARA groups also oppose sexism,...
began to gather at the venue. The concert was cancelled by the venue owners just before it was scheduled to begin, due to violence between Anti-Racist Action and fans of Death in June.
Federal restrictions in Germany
On December 21, 2005, the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende MedienBundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons is an upper-level German federal agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It is responsible for examining media works allegedly harmful to young people and entering these onto an...
banned all sales and distribution of Rose Clouds of Holocaust to minors, which had been available to everyone in the country since 1995. Early in 2006, discussion on the Death in June Yahoo list resulted in a response from Pearce, who revealed that he had been asked several months earlier by his distributor, Tesco Organisation Germany (based in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
), to explain passages of his work to the German government. Pearce provided his original response to the government, which featured, for the first time, Pearce's explanation for numerous aspects of Death in June, including lyrics, song titles, events and use of aesthetics as well as dates, people and locations. Pearce issued a second letter stating that Tesco Organisation Germany had filed an appeal against the ban. At the request of Douglas P., who viewed it as a demeaning waste of time and money, the appeal was abandoned in November, 2007.
A third email was sent regarding the ban, in which Pearce expressed concern for further arbitrary action by the German authorities in banning further albums and artists within the "Neo-Folk/Post Industrial/whatever you wish to label it scene." Pearce requested the organisation of a "Fighting Fund Festival" to help raise funds for legal support.
Meanwhile Brown Book has been banned as well, and selling it is totally illegal in Germany because it contains elements of the song "Horst-Wessel-Lied
Horst-Wessel-Lied
The Horst-Wessel-Lied , also known as Die Fahne hoch from its opening line, was the anthem of the Nazi Party from 1930 to 1945...
", which was the official anthem of the Brown shirted S.A.(Sturmabteilung). This happened according to Strafgesetzbuch section 86a, which outlaws "use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations".
Discography
Death in June have an extensive discography, including compilations of older material mixed with (then) newer, singles, limited editions and multiple versions of a single releases.Albums
- The Guilty Have No PrideThe Guilty Have No PrideThe Guilty Have No Pride is an album by Death in June, released in 1983. The album was reissued in 2006 as a dual CD/DVD release, with additional live material recorded in London in 1982.- Side 1 :# "Till the Living Flesh is Burned"...
(1983) - Burial (1984)
- Nada!Nada!-Side one:# "The Honour of Silence"# "The Calling "# "Leper Lord"# "Rain of Despair"# "Foretold"-Side two:# "Behind the Rose "# "She Said Destroy"# "Carousel"# "C'est Un Reve"# "Crush My Love"...
(1985) - The World That SummerThe World That SummerThe World That Summer , is an album by Death In June, released in 1986....
(1986) - Brown BookBrown Book (album)Brown Book is an album by Death In June, released in 1987.- Side 1 :# "Heilige Tod"# "Touch Defiles"# "Hail! The White Grain"# "Runes and Men"# "To Drown a Rose"# "Red Dog - Black Dog"- Side 2 :# "In the Fog of the World"# "We Are the Lust"...
(1987) - The Wall of SacrificeThe Wall of SacrificeThe Wall of Sacrifice is an experimental, dark folk album by Death in June. The original vinyl pressing, released in 1989, was limited to 666 copies...
(1989) - Östenbräun (1989)
- But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter? is an album by Death in June, released in 1992."He's Disabled", "The Mourner's Bench", "Because of Him", and "Little Black Angel" are covers/re-interpretations of songs from Jim Jones' People's Temple Choir 1973 gospel album He's Able...
(1992) - Rose Clouds of HolocaustRose Clouds of Holocaust- Side 1 :# "Lord Winter"# "God's Golden Sperm"# "Omen-filled Season"# "Symbols of the Sun"# "Jerusalem the Black"- Side 2 :# "Luther's Army"# "13 Years of Carrion"# "The Accidental Protégé"# "Rose Clouds of Holocaust"# "Lifebooks"-External links:**...
(1995) - Death in June Presents: Occidental MartyrDeath In June Presents: Occidental MartyrDeath In June Presents: Occidental Martyr is an album by Death In June released in 1995. It features actor Max Wearing reading the lyrics to Death In June songs over a new soundtrack by Douglas Pearce.- Side 1 :# "13 Years of Carrion"...
(1995) - Death in June Presents: KAPO!Death In June Presents: KAPO!Death In June Presents: KAPO! is an album presented by Death In June, released in 1996.-Side 2:#"Lullaby to a Ghetto"#"Hero Gallow"#"The Rat and the Eucharist"#"Wolf Wind - Reprise"...
(1996) - Scorpion Wind : Heaven Sent (1996)
- Take Care & ControlTake Care & ControlTake Care & Control is an album by Death In June, released in 1998. This album is a collaboration with Albin Julius , with whom Douglas P...
(1998) - Operation Hummingbird (2000)
- All Pigs Must DieAll Pigs Must DieAll Pigs Must Die is an album by Death In June, released in 2001. The first half of the album bears the typical later-Death In June Neofolk sound, whereas the second half of the album has a much more chaotic, experimental sound to it.-Track listing:...
(2001) - Death in June & Boyd Rice : Alarm AgentsAlarm Agents-Credits:*Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Douglas Pearce*Lead Vocals – Boyd Rice*Percussion – Jonh Murphy*Recorded By – Dave Lokan , Mark Hamill , Robert Ferbrache -Studios:Recorded between Halloween, October 2002 and Mid-Winter's Night, December 2003...
(2004) - Free TibetFree Tibet (Death In June album)Free Tibet is an mp3 album by Death In June featuring David Tibet on vocals. The album is available for download on the official Death In June website...
(2006) MP3 release only via official website - The Rule of ThirdsThe Rule of ThirdsThe Rule of Thirds is an album by Death In June released in 2008 as CD and LP . This is the first actual studio release since the 2001 album All Pigs Must Die...
(2008) - Peaceful Snow/Lounge CorpsPeaceful Snow/Lounge CorpsPeaceful Snow/Lounge Corps is an album by Death in June released in November 2010. This version was available to download from iTunes in November 2010, the CD version with bonus tracks was limited to 3,000 copies...
(2010)
Singles
- Heaven StreetHeaven StreetHeaven Street is an album by Death In June, released in 1981....
(1981) - State Laughter (1982)
- She Said Destroy (1984)
- Born Again (1985)
- Come Before Christ and Murder Love (1985)
- To Drown a RoseTo Drown A RoseTo Drown A Rose is a single by Death in June. Additional music performers include: Christ 777, Douglas P., Gary Carey, Jan O', John Balance, Rose McDowall. The vinyl has the phrases "Our time has been..." and "....and will be again" scratched into it...
(1987) - Paradise Rising (1992)
- Cathedral of Tears (1993)
- Sun Dogs (1994)
- Black Whole of Love (1995)
- KameradschaftKameradschaft (album)Kameradschaft is an album by Death In June, released in 1998.-Track listing:# Kameradschaft 1# Satan's Feast# Kameradschaft 2# To Drown a Rose -Trivia:...
(1998) - Passion! Power!! Purge!!! (1998)
- We Said Destroy (2000)
- The World That Summer EXTRAS (CD EP) (2008)
- Peaceful Snow (2010)
Live albums
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Oh How We Laughed Oh How We Laughed Oh How We Laughed is a live album by Death In June, released in 1987.-Side 2:# "Holy Water"# "State Laughter"# "In the Nighttime"# "We Drive East"# "How We Laughed"... |
LP, CD, live recording from 1982 |
| 1991 | Night and Fog | LP, CD, live recording from 1984 |
| 1991 | Frankfurt Sound Depot Death In June/Current 93/Sol Invictus Death In June/Current 93/Sol Invictus is a CD album recording of a March 24, 1991 concert by Death In June,Current 93, and Sol Invictus at the Frankfurt Sound Depot in Frankfurt, Germany... |
CD, includes live recording from 1991 |
| 1993 | Something Is Coming | 2×LP, 2×CD, live recording from 1992 |
| 1999 | Heilige! | CD, live recording from 1999 |
| 2008 | Black Angel - Live! | CD limited to 2000 copies |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Lesson 1: Misanthropy Lesson 1: Misanthropy Lesson 1: Misanthropy is an album by Death in June, released in 1986.- Side 1 :# Heaven Street# We Drive East# In the Night Time# State Laughter# Holy Water-Side 2:# All Alone in Her Nirvana... |
LP, material from 1981–1984 |
| 1989 | 93 Dead Sunwheels | 12″, CD, material from 1984–1987 |
| 1989 | The Corn Years The Corn Years The Corn Years is an album by Death In June, released in 1989.The first Death in June material to be released in CD format, this album compiles and reinterprets output from 1985 through 1987... |
CD, material from 1986–1988 |
| 1990 | 1888 | split 12″ with Current 93 Current 93 Current 93 is an eclectic British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet .-Background:Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton has appeared on... , includes material from 1986–1990 |
| 1991 | The Cathedral of Tears The Cathedral of Tears The Cathedral of Tears is a 1991 album by Death In June.-Track listing:# "Brown Book "# "Burn Again"# "Death of a Man"# "Rule Again "# "Touch Defiles"# "Hidden Among the Leaves"# "Red Dog - Black Dog"... |
CD, material from 1986–1988 |
| 1997 | DISC-riminate | 2×CD, material from 1981–1997 |
| 2005 | Abandon Tracks | 2×LP, CD, reinterpretations, remixes, rarities |
Compilation appearances
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | New Horizons New Horizons New Horizons is a NASA robotic spacecraft mission currently en route to the dwarf planet Pluto. It is expected to be the first spacecraft to fly by and study Pluto and its moons, Charon, Nix, Hydra and S/2011 P 1. Its estimated arrival date at the Pluto-Charon system is July 14th, 2015... |
Tape |
| 1983 | The Angels Are Coming | 2xTape |
| 1984 | From Torture to Conscience | LP, compilation includes non-album material |
| 1996 | Sacred War Sacred War The term Sacred War can refer to a number of wars:* a series of wars carried out by members of the Amphictyonic League:** First Sacred War** Second Sacred War** Third Sacred War* the song Svyaschennaya Voyna... |
CD |
| 1994 | Im Blutfeuer Im Blutfeuer Im Blutfeuer is a compilation CD released by Cthulu Records in 1995. Includes Blood Axis, Ernte, Sol Invictus, Allerseelen, and Death In June.-Track listing:#"Walked In Line" - Blood Axis Featuring - Thomas Thorn... |
CD, compilation includes non-album material |
| 1996 | Terra Serpentes | CD |
| 1996 | The Pact... Flying in the Face | CD, compilation includes non-album material |
| 1996 | Riefenstahl | 2×CD, compilation includes non-album material |
| 1998 | Thorak | 2×CD, compilation includes non-album material |
| 1999 | Der tod im juni | CD, compilation includes non-album material |
| 1999 | Hate People Like Us | CD |
| 1999 | The Torture Garden | CD |
| 2002 | Fire Danger Season | 4xCD |
| 2003 | Steelnights | 4×CD, includes live recording from 2001 |
| 2005 | Looking For Europe | 4xCD, 4xCD+Book |
| 2006 | Forseti Lebt | CD |
Videos
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Live In Italy | VHS, DVD, live in Italy 1999 |
| 2005 | Behind the Mask | DVD, documentary and interview with Douglas P. |
| 2006 | The Guilty Have No Pride | CD + DVD, live in London 1982 |
| 2006 | Live In New York | DVD, live in New York 2002 |
Tributes
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Reaping Time | Tape |
| 1995 | Heilige Tod | CD |
| 2002 | Taciturne : Tod Im Juli | CDR |
| 2008 | Down In June - Covers... | CD |