Neofolk music groups (Music Guide)

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 33. Chapters: Amber Asylum, A Challenge of Honour, Belborn, Blood Axis, Changes (band), Current 93, Darkwood (band), Death in June, Der Blutharsch, Empyrium, Fire + Ice, Forseti (band), H.E.R.R., Harvest Rain, Murzik, Naevus (band), Narsilion (band), Nature and Organisation, Nest (band), Neun Welten, Of the Wand & the Moon, Omnia (band), Ordo Equitum Solis, Orplid, Rome (band), Sol Invictus (band), Sonne Hagal, Spiritual Front, Sturmpercht, Tenhi, The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud, Von Thronstahl, Werkraum. Excerpt: Death in June are a neofolk group led by English folk musician 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. They are sometimes considered controversial (largely due to usage of themes and imagery relating to Nazi Germany). Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in sparking neofolk, of which his music has subsequently become a part. Pearce formed Death in June in 1981 in England, 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. Death in June soon left the reticent punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with electronics and martial style drumming, 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. The band played their first show on November 20, 1981 in London, at the City of London Polytechnic now London Guildhall University, 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