Reports from the Threshold of Death
Encyclopedia
Reports from the Threshold of Death is the second full length studio album from American art rock
band Junius
. The record was released in CD (digipak
), limited edition Vinyl, and digital download
format through Prosthetic Records
on October 25, 2011.
On September 13, 2011, the track listing, album cover, release date, and a full stream of the song "All Shall Float" debuted on the independent music news website Brooklyn Vegan. Also, a promotional video directed by Matthew Schwab appeared on the homepage of the bands official website, which featured a snippet of the track "Betray the Grave" with background footage of the band rehearsing at Radar Studios. A full stream of the song "A Universe Without Stars" debuted on Guitar World
on October 11, 2011. Eventually, the entire album was made available for streaming exclusively on the band's profile page at AbsolutePunk on October 20, 2011.
On October 25, 2011, Reports from the Threshold of Death was released worldwide.
on The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist
, Reports from the Threshold of Death continues the examination of the human spirit by following it's journey after death. Joseph Martinez has stated that this album is very personal to the band, as members have lost close friends and family in the recent years leading up to the albums writing and recording.
The album's title is a reference to near death experiences, while the album itself is based on the experiences of those who have died and come back.
Exploding In Sound named the album "album of the week" for the week of November 1, 2011, stating "If you are a fan of nu-wave, post-rock, post-metal, or pretty much post-anything, there's little chance you won't fall all over yourself loving this beast of an album".
The metal album review site Sorrow Eternal rated the album 9/10 and awarded Junius "Band Of The Month for November" for their work on the album and their live performance.
On November 2, 2011, the album was featured on the A.V. Club monthly LOUD list. Describing the album, list author Jason Heller expressed "The ethereality oozes like congealed plasma out of this one; there’s an almost cathedral-like shiver to the disc’s jet-black majesty."
Decibel Magazine ranked Reports from the Threshold of Death #10 in their "Top 40 Extreme Albums of 2011" list.
Junius
Production
Art
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band Junius
Junius (band)
Junius is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The bands name is taken after Junius, the pseudonym of a political writer who lived during the late 1700's.-History:...
. The record was released in CD (digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
), limited edition Vinyl, and digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
format through Prosthetic Records
Prosthetic Records
Prosthetic Records is a record label specializing in heavy metal recordings. Founded by E.J. Johantgen and Dan Fitzgerald both former employees of Columbia Records, in Los Angeles, California in 1998...
on October 25, 2011.
Background
On March 8, 2011, it was announced that Junius had signed to metal label Prosthetic Records and would be recording a new-full length album during the Spring of 2011. During this time, the album was recorded by the band at Will Benoit's Radar Studios, a recording studio that relies entirely on solar energy and other sustainable practices. Producer and close friend of the band, James Dunham, described the two months spent working on the album with the band as his favorite experience as a hired producer, describing it as "truly rewarding".On September 13, 2011, the track listing, album cover, release date, and a full stream of the song "All Shall Float" debuted on the independent music news website Brooklyn Vegan. Also, a promotional video directed by Matthew Schwab appeared on the homepage of the bands official website, which featured a snippet of the track "Betray the Grave" with background footage of the band rehearsing at Radar Studios. A full stream of the song "A Universe Without Stars" debuted on Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
on October 11, 2011. Eventually, the entire album was made available for streaming exclusively on the band's profile page at AbsolutePunk on October 20, 2011.
On October 25, 2011, Reports from the Threshold of Death was released worldwide.
Theme
Following the death of Immanuel VelikovskyImmanuel Velikovsky
Immanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-born American independent scholar of Jewish origins, best known as the author of a number of controversial books reinterpreting the events of ancient history, in particular the US bestseller Worlds in Collision, published in 1950...
on The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist
The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist
-Reception:The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist is widely considered to be the bands most seminal work. It is their first album to garner widespread critical attention, including that of mainstream media outlets such as Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. Thus far, the album has been met with near universal...
, Reports from the Threshold of Death continues the examination of the human spirit by following it's journey after death. Joseph Martinez has stated that this album is very personal to the band, as members have lost close friends and family in the recent years leading up to the albums writing and recording.
The album's title is a reference to near death experiences, while the album itself is based on the experiences of those who have died and come back.
Reception
Reports from the Threshold of Death has been generally well received by critics and fans alike.Exploding In Sound named the album "album of the week" for the week of November 1, 2011, stating "If you are a fan of nu-wave, post-rock, post-metal, or pretty much post-anything, there's little chance you won't fall all over yourself loving this beast of an album".
The metal album review site Sorrow Eternal rated the album 9/10 and awarded Junius "Band Of The Month for November" for their work on the album and their live performance.
On November 2, 2011, the album was featured on the A.V. Club monthly LOUD list. Describing the album, list author Jason Heller expressed "The ethereality oozes like congealed plasma out of this one; there’s an almost cathedral-like shiver to the disc’s jet-black majesty."
Decibel Magazine ranked Reports from the Threshold of Death #10 in their "Top 40 Extreme Albums of 2011" list.
Track listing
Personnel
Reports from the Threshold of Death album personnel adapted from the CD linear notesJunius
- Joseph E. Martinez - vocals, lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, synthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Michael Repasch-Nieves - guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Joel Munguia - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Dana Filloon - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- James Dunham (of InAeona) & Junius - productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Will BenoitWill BenoitWill Benoit is the guitarist / vocalist of Boston, MA based band Constants. Benoit co-founded Boston's "Independent recording collective" Radar Recordings in 2001 with Michael Repasch-Nieves...
(of ConstantsConstants (band)Constants is a post-rock / shoegaze band from Boston, Massachusetts.- Nostalgia For The Future:Constants was originally formed as a three piece in 2003, consisting of Will Benoit, Ben Fowlie, and Duncan Rich. Their first album "Nostalgia for the Future" was produced by Daryl Rabidoux with...
) & Daryl Rabidoux - engineering assistants - Nick Zampiello & Rob Gonnella - masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
at New Alliance East in Cambridge, MA
Art
- Ira Bronson (of Black Day Creative) - Album artwork, design, and layout