50 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2017
48. Junius – Eternal Rituals For The Accretion Of Light
Even though it may have slipped down in my rankings slightly since I put it at the top spot on my “20 Best Metal Albums of Winter/Spring 2017” list back in April, Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light is still a masterclass in gloomy, alternative heaviness, more than deserving to be named one of the fifty greatest metal albums of the year.
The best way to describe this post-modern doom rock opus is to compare it to a well-paced psychological thriller film, with subtle details like low, droning vocals from frontman Joseph Martinez and distant choirs toying with the brain in sinister fashion. Bookenders “March of the Samsara” and “Black Sarcophagus” both build in ominous fashion to slow, guttural riffs that ring with an aura akin to Tool or Paradise Lost.
Meanwhile, single “Clean the Beast” hits the nail on the head much harder, eliminating pretense to craft a gothic rock bruiser with a more operatic yet still subdued tone.
Blend it all together with divine production, symphonic backing, hammering percussion from the one and only Dana Filloon and a perfect understanding of how to align with but also expand upon the archetypal heavy rock tone, and the end result is Junius’s greatest achievement to date. Not to mention a record that evokes emotions no other this year has been able to bring forth from me.