THRESHOLD

Surprisingly, I found this album to be as good as the debut of the Threshold, released a year earlier. It is the least rated here on the site, but it is still too early to tell if it's deserved or not. Anyway I really enjoyed this album, and I think it deserves a little more recognition.

Here Damian Wilson is no longer the lead singer, but Glynn Hordan, which in my opinion is just as good. His voice is more aggressive, but it can impose a major presence. Also the battery Harradence Nick (replacing Tony Grinham) has a better sound and more refined than the band's debut. Psychedelicatessen is significantly heavier than Wounded Land, but that does not make it inferior.

My favorite songs here are the opening Sunseeker, The Tension of Souls, the epic Into Light and the closure Devoted. My rating is 4 stars.

What a great debut!

Well, I've already heard of Threshold here in PA for a while, but it was not until recently that I wanted to invest in listening to this band. Oh God, how could I remain oblivious to them all these years ... It was a mistake, but is being offset by listening to wonderful songs, the first of this powerful debut, Wounded Land.

By the looks of the band has dealt with changes in their line-up for all those years, and nothing is more evident than in the vocalist Damian Wilson, who sings here, the third album of the band "Extinct Instinct" and the recent "March of Progress. "He has a great voice! Really, I'm amazed by how melodious and powerful it is. Along with the guitars, is the highlight of this first album.

Some reviewers have commented that it sounds like a Marillion "heavier". Well, I know some of Marillion to agree with them, but neo-prog influences are visible here, as well as that sound "metal" of the late 80s (evident on drums and keyboards). There is a lot of sound "cheesy" here, but as I am not a hardcore fan of this Troubled me one bit. I think the most obvious parallel here is the debut of Dream Theater, When Dream and Day Unite.

The highlights are the longest tracks, Sanity's End, Surface to Air and Consume to Live, plus the beautiful and acoustic closure Keep it With Mine. My rating is 4 stars

Many groups would be knocked off their stride by such a blow, but Threshold instead seem to have risen to the challenge. It helped that they had acquired the aid of Damian Wilson, their original vocalist; this represents his third stint as frontman of the band (having stepped into the role briefly in 1997 between the departure of Glynn Morgan and the arrival of Andrew), and it's the strong performance from him this time around which really pushes the album over the bar. Between this and the first release from Headspace, 2012 was truly a golden year for Wilson, and any band which can count on his services is lucky to have him.

I think of all of their albums, this is the one that takes the longest to make an impact and I have never been able to work out why, possibly most of the stronger songs are to the end? No idea. All I know is that each time I play it I start off by thinking that it is a 3* album but by the end I am convinced that it is a solid 4*, and that happens every time, and I hate to think how many times over the years I have played this. Maybe that's the point. I first heard and reviewed this album when it came out some 15 years ago and I still play it. True, I have just been sent this to review by Nuclear Blast which is why I am playing it so much at the present, but Threshold have never gone out of favour with me from the time I first heard 'Wounded Land'. By the time that was released I knew Karl from Shadowland and Strangers On A Train and Damian from his solo work and Landmarq, yet Threshold blew me away, and still do. The understanding between keyboard player Richard West and his guitar-toting colleagues is second to none, and bassist/backing singer Jon Jeary was an awesome presence during his tenure. Mostly more metal than prog, this is an album of different shades and colours and they all come together in 'Forever' which is a ballad, a symphonic masterpiece, and a brooding metallic monster all in under five minutes.

By the time 'Clone' came out the following year Damian was gone, and this album gets somewhat overlooked by many, but if you want metallic prog with stunning vocals, great melodies and musicianship then this is worthy of discovery. www.nuclearblast.de

"Ashes" hits you right from the beginning with a solid track showing that Damien Wilson is ready to step into the spotlight once again. On the first bridge, we see the first instance of the signature Threshold harmonies which are scattered throughout the entire album. Keep an ear out for the solos at the end of the song, these guys know how to solo and understand the concept that it's not about how many notes you can play, but the notes that you choose to play.

"Staring at the Sun" features a majestic chorus, showing the atmosphere that Richard West can add. The high strings are near perfect here. Steve Anderson's bass also adds a wonderfully melodic element to the verses in this one.

Each song is fantastic in its own right, after seven or eight listens I don't think I've skipped any songs. The only problem with the release (and the only reason that it didn't get a full five stars) is that many of the songs run together. Each song is wonderful, but only two or three really stand out from the rest. I love the CD and except for the lack of variation.

With that being said, this easily merits a solid four star rating. If you like prog metal in the vein of Queensryche and the less intricate side of Dream Theater, I think you'll like this one.

First, allow me to comment briefly on the two latest releases. I first listened to samples of 'March of Progress' and was blown away by the guitar sound. If a progressive metal band sounded this awesome in the guitar department, they were good enough for me. Furthermore, I was not yet ready for the death growl vocals of many metal bands, so the clean vocals of Threshold appealed to me. But 'Dead Reckoning' was cheaper and after a quick listen I found the guitar sound was the same and bought that album instead. Now, 'MoP' ranks as the number 11 album of 2012 on the Prog Archives and other reviewers said 'DR' was not as good. So after a few listens to 'DR' and being only mildly impressed, I decided to go for 'MoP' which I personally found was quite similar.

So, how about this older album from 2001? The first thing I noticed was that there was a little more keyboard work featured here. The later albums seem to use keyboards mostly as a rhythm instrument and for some effects, and piano (or synth piano) for the mellower moments. 'Hypothetical' includes some synthesizer solos which, for me, makes them sound a little more progressive oriented than the later albums which sound more commercial. In the 80's, any metal band that added synthesizer was most likely trying to appeal to the mainstream market, and among my friends and I, the synthesizer was almost a dirty word. So if a band is going to have a keyboard player on board, he'd better have more to do that just play rhythm chords that soften the heavy impact of the guitars.

Second, I noticed that the guitar sound was a bit grittier with more crunch to it. As Threshold already had impressed me with their guitar sound, I welcomed this to my ears openly.

Still, though, when all was consumed and digested, I couldn't help but think that this older album was still very similar to the later albums, notwithstanding the change in vocals from 'DR' to 'MoP'. Threshold are similar to Fates Warning in that they are not as technically complex as Dream Theater and instead go progressive by creating longer compositions with tempo and mood changes and add in some odd drum beats (though I'd say Fates Warning do more with the odd drum beats from what I've heard). Also like Fates Warning, Threshold often stick to the soft verse/quiet chorus routine except they mix it up by doing a hard verse/melodic chorus pattern sometimes. Threshold adds a lot of melodic parts to their songs to contrast with the grittier heavy parts, but in the end the clean vocals and synthesizer prevent them from ever becoming really really heavy. I am sure most metal heads in the 80's would have peed themselves over that monster guitar sound, but by today's standards being that raunchy and heavy is pretty well, well standard. Generally speaking, while there are progressive moments, much of the music is still fairly ordinary heavy metal with clean vocals and melodic parts.

The three songs that stand out for me are 'Ravages of Time', 'Long Way Home', and 'Keep My Head', with nods to 'Turn On, Tune In' and 'Narcissus'. 'Ravages' has some of that gritty crunchy power chord guitar and sounds rather aggressive at first. The lyrics start of dealing with a theme that is of interest to me: how a single location changes over time as in a sea bed becomes a mountain range, a mountain range a plain, a plain a desert, and so on. The first half of the song keeps me listening but I find my attention wanders through the second half. 'Long Way Home' has some great heavy guitar and elements of progressive metal as I identify it. 'Keep My Head' is a metal band's take on what could be a late 70's or early 80's adult contemporary pop song. Maybe Glenn Hughes has something like this on one of his 90's albums. A nice change of pace though possibly out of place in the opinions of some. 'Narcissus' has a powerful anthemic riff at the beginning in later in the song. The middle section where the band does a bit of musical mood exploration adds interest to a long song.

It's a good enough album and perhaps just a bit more interesting than the two most recent efforts, for me anyway. But honestly there's not much to my ears that separates 'Hypothetical' from 2001 from 'Dead Reckoning' from 2007 or 'March of Progress' from 2012. Actually, I don't see any real progress. One Threshold album is as good as another would be my conclusion. But I am sure that more devoted listeners can separate the wheat from the chaff, as reading the reviews suggests. At least I can say I won't have to think about writing reviews for the other two as my thoughts will be similar to what I have written here. Good music and good band. Nice to add songs to a playlist and maybe on a mixed CD. But nothing I feel compelled to tell my friends about.

Here is the perfect mix of guitars, keyboards and drums in a melodic metallic progtastic environment with a singer who knows exactly what he is about and then the whole package is wrapped up by the engineering and production skills of Karl Groom. Who on earth could wish for any more? This is not going to be suited to everyone's taste, as metalheads may argue that there is too much prog going on while the progheads will state that it is too metallic and there isn't enough noodling and self contemplation to make it worthwhile.

Me? I love it, from "Freaks" through to "Sunrise On Mars" I love it. Listen to "Change" to see what I mean. Here is a song that is controlled and slow in pace, yet there is passion in abundance and the guitar break is stunning but what makes it such an epic is the way that everyone plays their part and it all fits together so very well indeed. No-one could imagine that this is Mac's first album with the rest of the guys as he seems very much at home indeed. Yet again this is an essential release from the guys, now available again as a 'definitive edition' from Nuclear Blast with bonus songs. www.thresh.net

"Mission Profile" opens proceedings ? one of the more up tempo numbers on the album, and one thing that really kicks home from the opening note is the quality of the production: this is an album that can be played extremely loudly, that sounds polished but not sanitised. For me the second song, "Ground Control", has to be one of the best for defining Threshold. It is riff-laden, yet also contains some strong keyboards, loads of harmony vocals, gentle and quiet sections that are then offset with passion and Mac shouting, "How can you face the future?" At times there is almost a syncopated rhythm and always there is a definite feel that this is like nothing else around yet is also wonderfully powerful and melodic.

This is music that may not be fashionable but sure as hell is strong stuff. Yes they can bring in acoustic guitars when they want to, yes they can bring in loads of influences but these guys really don't sound like anyone else. Simple ideas are used as well as the complex. At the end of "Stop Dead" Mac again sings the line "Well if you stop, dead" and the song does, totally. The first time it happened I actually stared at the player because it was so dramatic, not a good idea when you are bombing around the M25?.I ought to also mention the cover. The word on the TV says 'REFLECT', but look at the reflection and that states 'CONCEAL'. Again, this is a simple idea, but is extremely effective. This is an indispensable album. www.thresh.net

It had been three years since the 1998 release of their previous album, 'Clone', and that had gained a great deal of attention and had led to the band touring in Europe with the likes of Dream Theater so after such a gap they were going to be under a lot of scrutiny, but there was no need for anyone to worry. Songs such as "Turn On Tune In" show just why they are held in such high regard, with riffs, hooks and great vocals, while in "The Ravages Of Time" Johanne showed why he was the new incumbent driving the band along from the back. While they may have suffered with drummers and singers over the years, the other four guys (guitarists Karl Groom and Nick Midson, bassist Jon Jeary and keyboard player Richard West) had been playing together since in 1989 and the way that they lock in shows the experience of playing so much together.

In my original review (#62 of Feedback) I said "The last time I saw these guys I got serious neck ache ? if ever you thought that melodic rock couldn't stand up against 'normal' hard rock for power and passion then think again. Threshold are back in town." Playing this again is like revisiting an old friend, and with a couple of songs longer than ten minutes there is plenty of room for the band to spread their melodic rock. Yet again a masterpiece of the genre. www.thresh.net

By the time this was released Threshold had built a reputation as the UK's, and possibly Europe's, finest exponents of this intricate style of hard rock. This is a band that is driven from the back, with Johanne hitting the drums very hard indeed, then add in the crunching riffs and bass lines that only come from playing together for so long, and the rock keyboards of Richard who is willing to provide walls of sound or lead roles as the song demands. With this album Mac firmly came out of the shadow of Damian Wilson to stand firmly in the spotlight of his own making, while the band had moved on musically to produce by far their finest work he was more than ready to meet the task at hand.

It is melodic, it is gentle, it is heavy, it is hard, this is an album for all those who want music to be contemplative and thoughtful, intricate and clever, yet also with plenty of balls and aggression to match. Songs such as opener 'Phenomenon' are now viewed as classics, and ten years on from its' original release it still puts many other bands to shame. As relevant and hard hitting as it ever was, this is an essential addition to everybody's collection. www.thresh.net