One of metal’s most universal and recognizable traits is loudness. But, as obvious as this statement is, it’s the way that this loudness is utilized that differentiates individual artists from one another. In the promo sheet for Sotera, Joseph E. Martinez describes Junius as “heavy music that prioritizes movement and melody over aggression for its own sake,” a mission statement that aligns perfectly with what I prize in any metal subgenre that I listen to. It’s been nine years since 2017’s Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light, the final installment in a previous trilogy of albums. On Sotera, these Bostonians have settled on a looser concept revolving around an assortment of feminine divine figures. All that remains to be seen is how strong a celestial connection Junius will forge with longtime and prospective fans.
The passage of time has wrought a few changes to Junius’s sound. Their post-metal core is still largely intact, but it is now laced with considerable shoegaze influence. The resulting effect is an augmentation of the wall-of-sound techniques upon which both genres rely. This hazy combination frequently reminds me of Holy Fawn’s ebb and flow between ethereal and enraged. Sotera is slightly punchier than its predecessors as well. This is not exactly in a poppy way, although Martinez’s singing often adopts a dark, brooding tone like that of Depeche Mode. Also, at times, the guitar riffs are meaner, and the growls are fiercer. The culmination of these alterations causes Sotera to exude a larger-than-life sensation, which I imagine is even better experienced via concert speakers than in a recorded setting.
Sotera unfolds like a ritualistic energy transfer. The opening songs (“Disciple” and “The Oracle”) are characterized by radiant singing atop a swirling undercurrent of guitars, which periodically take on a harsher edge. But, as the album advances, most of this melodic power transitions from the vocals to the guitars. The leads that open “Serpent” uncoil and slither to expose subtle intricacies as the vocals become a low, gravelly incantation. Ultimately, “Scythian” arrives like a resplendent rebirth with catchy guitar riffs and the drumming briefly dipping into blast beats for the first and only time. “Initiatrix,” placed squarely in the middle of Sotera, is the intersection of these melodic entities as they produce the highlight of the record.
In other ways, Sotera’s sense of progression is less than cohesive. The most conspicuous example is “Lucifera,” a wistful dream pop-tinged number which doesn’t fit in as well stylistically, but probably would have worked better if it were only 3 minutes long instead of nearly 6. Overall, though, Junius remains very good at self-editing—no track on Sotera exceeds 7 minutes, and the entire runtime is a modest 40. Additionally, a few of the transitions (“Scythian,” “Darkwater”) and conclusions (“Initiatrix,” “Serpent”) within certain songs are abrupt, creating a momentarily jerky flow. That said, when I mentally lean back and let the mood envelope me, I don’t notice it much. I would believe it if someone told me that these are minor scars from many revisions over a long writing period.
Like an onion, Sotera may not appear auspicious on the surface, but repeated dissection uncovers many layers. Depending on your emotional frame of mind, it might even cause you to tear up a bit at times. Junius has crafted some of their most engaging soundscapes to date, possibly as a result of focusing more on individual songs. Although a few of these end before (“Initiatrix”) and after (“Lucifera”), I would like all of Sotera’s melodic elements to join together in fascinating ways. Whatever one’s preferred form of spirituality may be, Junius offers food for thought as well as the soul.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: junius.bandcamp.com | juniusmusic.com | facebook.com/juniusmusic
Releases Worldwide: June 26th, 2026
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