No, I could not cotton up to Reports From The Threshold Of Death at first. The sophomore of Boston-based act JUNIUS was too… serene, too sublime, too sweet and dream-like.
Just because of its conceptual approach again (near-death experiences and the afterlife) I even expected something darker and heavier as we got on the debut The Martyrdom Of A Catastrophist.
A few attempts and runs later Reports From The Threshold Of Death finally managed to get me under its spell. Reluctant at first, and not that all-embracing and intensive as the debut did, but growing with every new listen. It’s the brutal production, the strong bass lines that outweigh the sweetness.
JUNIUS still follow their stylistic path; just move away a little bit from the Post Rock sound in favor of more Shoegaze-influenced Art/Indie Rock. The new opus got a more of melody, dream-like sounds and atmosphere and once again offering catchy hooks, riffs and refrains that charmingly get stuck in your ears and let you hum to yourself afterwards.
The opening Betray The Grave is such song and seamlessly picks up the thread where the debut was left off. Or Dance On Blood, the ethereal Haunts For Love, the mighty A Reflection On Fire, which for a short moment let me think of newer Anathema and the epic Eidolon & Perispirit that soars up at the end to an oceanic, riff-dominated grand final.
The other side is a song like The Meeting Of Pasts, and some other song parts, which are too much to me, too Pop-like and keyboard-dominated. I also don’t like recurring abrupt song endings.
Reports From The Threshold Of Death is for sure a great follower but cannot match the debut nor set own accents, since it is too close to its predecessor stylistically.