Death in June
The Corn Years Plus

THE REVIEW

On the occasion of the approaching 40th anniversary of the group, the French label Steelwork Maschine released in 2020 two reissues of two important and symbolic Death in June albums, The Wall Of Sacrifice and The Corn Years, in CD format with an attached 7' (in black and colored vinyl). At the time, this anthology served as a kind of "best of" for many and also represented the best introduction to their art. In a discography far too fragmented into different editions, The Corn Years was for a long time their most accessible product (but, in hindsight, considering the subsequent plethora of absurd reissues in marble and other formats, it still is today) and was chosen by Douglas P. himself as the first official CD release of Death In June (back then, this format was emerging, while today, ironically, it is dying). The CD sold very well, and the reason was that it contained the best of two of the most representative works of their career, namely Brown Book and The World That Summer.

In The Corn Years Plus, we can listen again to immortal tracks like the macabre nursery rhyme "Helige Tod" (Holy Death) or a true classic like "Runes and Men", one of the most impactful moments of their production where the lyrics remind us of dark forgotten times when runes guided our spirit: everything takes on a different flavor while drinking, as suggested by Douglas P., a German wine. In "To Drown A Rose," the voice of Rose McDowell stands out as the symbol of the rose is evoked. "Come Before Christ and Murder Love" remains perhaps one of the best songs ever composed by Douglas P.: the track features an irresistible melody and is supported by acoustic guitar and trumpet. In this collection, there are other classic ballads like the splendid "Break The Black Ice" and "Rocking Horse Night". The vinyl single also includes a new mix of "Break The Black Ice". Admittedly, Douglas P. didn't invent anything and drew heavily from folk and artists like Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, and Syd Barrett. Nonetheless, one cannot deny his ability to have written great songs that have stayed in our imagination.

Available on the Steelwork Maschine website at the following link: https://www.steelwork.fr/en/175-death-in-june.