Death in June
Essence!

It has been almost 20 years since Douglas P. and Death In June haven't gotten it right: so, when I heard that a new Death In June record was coming out, my first reaction was almost one of disinterest. I expected nothing: by now the disappointments had been too many, starting from the disappointing and slapdash "All Pigs Must Die" of 2001, a record that featured a second experimental side that was frankly senseless and flat. The Rule Of Thirds from 2008 presented us with a not very inspired Douglas P., alone with his guitar, with an increasingly sparse and, at times, boring sound, but the record is not to be dismissed entirely as it contained some nice songs in his style. In Peaceful Snow from 2010, the novelty introduced was the piano but, in the end, it all sounded a bit soporific. Worse was The Snow Bunker Tapes from 2013, which presented the songs of Peaceful Snow in an acoustic version: a work of disarming flatness. So it was a great surprise when I listened to the new Essence!: finally the production is better, the bass returns, there's a distorted electric guitar and even electronic elements. But, above all, a certain gloomy atmosphere has returned which I hadn't heard since the days of Brown Book. Although I must say that, overall, the album reminds me a lot of Rose Clouds Of Holocaust: the second track "God A Pale Curse" almost sounds like an outtake from that record. Perhaps it doesn't reach the levels of the best records, but at some moments, it's not that far off either. Tracks like the typically "The Trigger" ballad, the splendid "The Humble Brag" that cites certain western sounds we have only heard in Nada!, the dark and diseased "Snipers Of The Maidan," the pleasant "No Belief," or the concluding, electronic and dark "My Florida Dawn" present us with a Douglas P. in great shape. I think some will wrinkle their noses and, tired of the turn Death In June has taken, won't even consider this work. I can honestly understand that, but I believe that this Essence! definitely deserves at least a listen. I don't know if this album represents a sort of "new artistic life" for our artist, but it is undoubtedly an encouraging sign. Perhaps he realized that something wasn't working and corrected the course. If you loved Rose Clouds Of Holocaust and But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter? you will find something to sink your teeth into. Available on Bandcamp: https://deathinjune.bandcamp.com/album/essence.