Death In June
Abandon Tracks!

"Abandon Tracks," published in 2005, aims to be a collection of rarities, remixes and unreleased tracks.

Let's say it right away: the operation does not excite. It does not excite at all, to be honest, and this is for a simple reason: the genuinely interesting episodes can be counted on the fingers of one hand, while the rest sounds like a senseless collection of frankly useless pieces and disjointed in their succession.

So much so that the whole thing ends up being disappointing for the band's fans themselves, and on the other hand, detrimental for anyone else wanting to approach Die in June's music for the first time.

It's a pity because it started well.

"The Concrete Fountain", the opening track, is the only truly unreleased piece: an instrumental track in which the usual apocalyptic folk made in Death in June spreads over a minimal electronic base, resulting in a rather new effect overall. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but in its simplicity, the piece works.

Just as the following track, "The Only Good Neighbor", does, a ballad dating back to 1996, which gives us back the more intense and melancholy Death in June: a true gem capable of rivaling the classics of the past.

However, the enthusiasm will inevitably wane when, as we progress with the listening, we understand that the backbone of the collection is mainly composed of drab reproductions (usually very faithful to the originals, most often penalized by rather approximate mixes): shameless fillers probably packaged ad hoc for the operation, episodes of low value for those already in possession of the band's official discography.

Better then to focus on the strong pieces of the compilation. How not to mention the disturbing "My Black Diaries" and "We Sayd Destroy", authentic industrial nightmares that bring us back to the most sick and claustrophobic Death in June. Or the masterpiece "My Black Diary", which indeed is not even an official Death in June track. It is contained in "Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude", the first album by Nature & Organization, Michael Cashmore's solo project (guitarist of Current 93): a very beautiful work that hosts illustrious characters from the neo-folk scene, including Pearce himself, the protagonist of the piece in question. By itself, the track is still remarkable: a decadent and visionary ballad that bears Pearce's unmistakable mark, adorned with the precious vocal contributions of David Tibet and Rose MacDowell.

Worthy of mention is also the atypical "Unconditional Armistice", a surprisingly dreamy and pathos-laden track that presents Pearce in an unusual singer-songwriter guise. Lastly, the praiseworthy reclamation by Pearce of a fundamental track like "In Sacrilege" (from an album as personal and complex as "Wall of Sacrifice"), although, personally speaking, I continue to prefer the original version sung by David Tibet. These episodes, however, do not redeem the overall bland and at times irritating collection.

Consider the disaster that occurs with "Europa Rising", a catastrophic revisitation of the beautiful "Daedalus Rising" (here stripped of the incomparable vocal performance of David Tibet); or "Death of a Man", which, from a fifteen-minute monument, is reduced here to two miserable minutes that simply report the voices of Jean Genet and Yukio Mishima (originally imperceptible in the industrial chaos of the piece).

Boredom spreads, uselessness reigns, irritation ferments. And when, after seventy interminable minutes, we arrive at the uproarious laughter that Douglas P. pours into our ears at the end of the concluding "Europa: The Gates of Heaven and Hell", doubt turns into certainty: "Abandon Tracks!" is indeed a mockery!

Complete Tracklist:

•·        "The Concrete Fountain" (unreleased from 1996)

•·        "The Only Good Neighbor" (from the compilation "The Pact Flying in the Face", 1996)

•·        "13 Years of Carrion" (originally present in "Rose Clouds of Holocaust", re-recorded, and remixed in 2002)

•·        "Burn Again" (originally present in "Brown Book", re-recorded, and remixed in 2002)

•·        "My Black Diaries" (from the compilation "Im Blutfeuer", 1994)

•·        "Punishment Initiation" (originally present in "Brown Book", re-recorded, and remixed in 2002)

•·        "We Said Destroy" (from a split with Fire + Ice, 2000)

•·        "Europa Rising" (revisitation of "Daedalus Rising" in "But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?", re-recorded, and remixed in 2002)

•·        "Rocking Horse Night" (originally present in "The World that Summer")

•·        "Death of a Man" (extraction of samples from "Death of a Man", originally present in "The World that Summer")

•·        "Passion! Power!! Purge!!!" (from a limited edition CD single distributed during the 1998 European tour)

•·        "My Black Diary" (from "Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude" by Nature &             Organization, 1994)

•·        "In Sacrilege" (originally present in "Wall of Sacrifice", re-recorded, and remixed in 2002)

•·        "Many Enemies Bring Much Honour" (from the Blutharsch tribute-album "Fire Danger Season", 2003)

•·        "Unconditional Armistice" (present on a CD single specially packaged for a performance with NoN, Der Blutharsch, and Forseti at Burg Falkenstein, Germany, 1999)

•·        "Europa: The Gates of Heaven and Hell" (remake of "We are the Lust" originally present in "Brown Book", re-recorded, and remixed in 2002)