March of Progress - latest news

[Defiance]

I'm pretty sure that doing it at Z7 or De Borderij would grant a respectable crowd

Yeah, even Tilburg 013.

If you are interested, here are the track timings from the new album:

1 Ashes 6.51
2 Return of the Thought Police 6.09
3 Staring at the Sun 4.26
4 Liberty Complacency Dependency 7.49
5 Colophon 6.01
6 The Hours 8.15
7 That's Why We Came 5.41
8 Don't Look Down 8.13
9 Coda 5.23
10 The Rubicon 10.22
-----
11 Divinity 6.28

I was pointing to the track lengths, but facebook isn't really my thing. I prefer the quiet backwaters of forums.

Look out for some clips in 3 weeks and the lead track at the beginning of August.

Brilliant, I can't wait!!! The cover looks great and interesting; I'm very intrigued about the title tracks, especially 'Thought Police'.

Yeah I hate FB too but I'm totally addicted to it and I agree, Twitter is much, MUCH less intrusive.

 

[karl groom]

I'm glad to see most people being positive about the cover. It steps outside what is normally expected from the band and it's good to make a change.

I have a twitter account for more than two years, but only used it to follow.

 

[Mystic Melissa]

I'm glad to see most people being positive about the cover. It steps outside what is normally expected from the band and it's good to make a change.

Was the artwork made by Blacklake Design? The Butterfly on this cover has similarity to the butterfly on a DWB shirt
Anyway, I like the artwork very much. The Hands symbolize captivity, the butterfly seems to be a symbol of freedom.

 

[karl groom]

I have to say that the artwork was all the idea of the artist. He also did the cover design for Dead Reckoning and brought a fresh approach to Threshold after many albums before. I think we almost had some kind of set idea how a cover should look, but it is good to look at things differently from time to time.

I know that Damian took the butterfly idea from Part of the Chaos lyrics (wings of a butterfly....) written by Jon, but this is not connected to March of Progress.

 

[ironhead]

I like the artwork. I'm really looking forward to this, it's been far too long since we've been blessed with new material from Threshold. Thanks for all of your hard work Karl!

 

[karl groom]

The single should now be released on 24th July and there will be an album trailer up next week.

 

[LavagesOfTime]

Liked the trailer, really. This band has a very unique and fantastic trademark!

Karl, can you list the writers for music and lyrics? I'm curious to see if the new album is somehow balanced like the previous ones. I think Pete spoilered something in the last interview he did, but it was just some bits.

 

[karl groom]

1 Ashes (Music: Groom Lyrics: West)
2 Return of the Thought Police (Music: Groom Lyrics: West)
3 Staring at the Sun (Music & Lyrics: West)
4 Liberty Complacency Dependency (Music: Groom Lyrics: West)
5 Colophon (Music & Lyrics: West)
6 The Hours (Music: West & Anderson Lyrics: West)
7 That's Why We Came (Music & Lyrics: Wilson)
8 Don't Look Down (Music: Groom Lyrics: West)
9 Coda (Music & Lyrics: Morten)
10 The Rubicon (Music: Groom Lyrics: West)
------
11 Divinity (Music & Lyrics: Morten)
*

 

[LavagesOfTime]

thanks a lot. I'm very curious to hear what Steve came out with - and I'm curious to see if I can recognize his input

 

[Defiance]

I have to say that the artwork was all the idea of the artist. He also did the cover design for Dead Reckoning and brought a fresh approach to Threshold after many albums before. I think we almost had some kind of set idea how a cover should look, but it is good to look at things differently from time to time.

I know that Damian took the butterfly idea from Part of the Chaos lyrics (wings of a butterfly....) written by Jon, but this is not connected to March of Progress.

The recent covers are excellent, they really reflects Threshold philosophy and style; the new one is brilliant, I love the colours.

The single should now be released on 24th July and there will be an album trailer up next week.

I want the single now! Any chance of a pre-listening party?

 

[forgottenglory]

I'm sure the three of us would be there, but whether we could get the rest of the band or a crowd is another thing.

I think you're underestimating Threshold's potential to draw a crowd! With appropriate publicity you should be able to pull that off. Obviously 'An Evening With Threshold' would mean playing Clone in its entirety and other classics after that. So you'll satisfy both hardcore Clone fans and entice enough fans to fill a decent sized venue.

 

[Purplefreak]

Any idea when we can hear this live Karl ?
Judging by the trailer - we are in for a treat when it gets played at a gig.
Please try and do more than one UK gig and at a venue where I can take the kids (13 & 15 yrs). They are big fans too.
Tony

 

[karl groom]

I want the single now! Any chance of a pre-listening party?

Do bands still have listening parties? Just remember 24. That is the date for a single this month and the album is out next month. I really hope the new record company system for reviewers means that it will not leak. There used to be a special atmosphere on a release day that rather got lost in recent years.

I think you're underestimating Threshold's potential to draw a crowd! With appropriate publicity you should be able to pull that off. Obviously 'An Evening With Threshold' would mean playing Clone in its entirety and other classics after that. So you'll satisfy both hardcore Clone fans and entice enough fans to fill a decent sized venue.

You know very well that Threshold are still a band that moves on to create something new. We play older songs in a live set, but I can leave going over old albums in their entirety to a retirement plan. I always see bands that have seen their best days making these kind of tours when the game is up.

Any idea when we can hear this live Karl ?
Judging by the trailer - we are in for a treat when it gets played at a gig.
Please try and do more than one UK gig and at a venue where I can take the kids (13 & 15 yrs). They are big fans too.
Tony

Due to schedules outside my control it will not be possible this year. We will try and get band members available for a tour early next year though. Venues in the UK are quite useless and bound by alcohol laws I guess. Even when I was on a guest list I have been refused entry to some shows with an under 16. If you live in Holland or Germany they can't do enough to help you and feel very welcome.

 

[Purplefreak]

-------Venues in the UK are quite useless and bound by alcohol laws I guess.

I don't think it is alcohol laws that count - both boys attended the Fused and Derby gigs last year - so long as they are with a responsible adult (questionable in my case)
they can get in.
The problem is the Peel which is a Strip Club too which is strictly over 18's

 

[batmura]

Hey Karl,

Long-time fan here. I was curious if you'd care to compare the new album to any of your earlier work? I know it's always fashionable to say the new disc is the best, but based on the trailer I've heard, I'm inclined to classify the new disc pretty much similar to Dead Reckoning with just Damian singing. It's got some of the Subsurface vibe, too. In short, rather than breaking new ground, it seems you and West are comfortable writing songs specifically in this vein.

Any comments on this?

 

[karl groom]

We specifically try not to cover previous ground when writing a new album. When I set out to compose new material there are never any preconceived ideas or aims. This time there was long pause from the last album, so hopefully we have some new ideas. I think what people hear is an identity in the band's sound and production that is gradually evolving. In any case, I wouldn't try to judge a whole 75 minute album on a few minutes of the opening track with talking over the top.

I thought that this would end up sounding like a mixture of Dead Reckoning and Extinct Instinct, but it ended up as neither. See what you think when it comes out.

 

[LavagesOfTime]

When a band has a strong trademark, and I like this trademark, well I usually DON'T need them to go particularly further from what they previously did. I "just" want them to write good songs, and to keep that trademark.

This is what happens with Threshold, so no matter what albums recalls the sound snippet, I'm just happy because it sounds great.

 

[batmura]

When a band has a strong trademark, and I like this trademark, well I usually DON'T need them to go particularly further from what they previously did. I "just" want them to write good songs, and to keep that trademark.

This is what happens with Threshold, so no matter what albums recalls the sound snippet, I'm just happy because it sounds great.

Well, I hear what you're saying and I agree to a certain extent. I actually think that Dead Reckoning is possibly my favourite Mac-era album along with Hypothetical. Whereas their first three albums were drastically different from each other, it seems with their recent albums the "Threshold sound" has been fully established. Nothing wrong with that, but I do look for some innovation and I hope we'll get it on the new disc, given the five year break, you know.

 

[LavagesOfTime]

Whereas their first three albums were drastically different from each other, it seems with their recent albums the "Threshold sound" has been fully established.

I'm not so sure about it. Clone is completely different from Extinct Instinct. Hypothetical is different from Clone, Critical Mass is different from Hypothetical and so up to Dead Reckoning.

The first three albums sound much more different from each other simply because the band was, to my ears, still searching for that trademark. Songs like Devoted or A Tension Of Souls show that trademark much more than, say, Mother Earth, Siege Of Baghdad or Days Of Dearth.
With Extinct Instinct, partially, and Clone, in full, they managed to find their "voice". And one thing I liked a lot is that they made it to combine it with different styles of songs: the Pink Floyd-ish Sunrise On Mars, as much as the in-your-face Slipstream or the multi-styled Ground Control. Perhaps only Keep My Head and Do Unto Them don't have their trademark so strong, but of course they were not written with the Threshold sound in mind.

I'm pretty sure there will be some different elements on the new albums, most likely nothing "radical", just some elements here and there - as they did with the growl or, less recently, with the electronic loops.

 

[brlawyer]

I'm glad to see most people being positive about the cover. It steps outside what is normally expected from the band and it's good to make a change.

I have a twitter account for more than two years, but only used it to follow.

Hi Karl,

having just returned from some holidays in the US (I am Brazilian but my wife is from there, although we both work in Switzerland), I had the chance to watch the trailer and finally check out the new album cover.

Nice work, and I definitely look forward to buying the new digipak album when it is released! Just let us know if/when you guys plan to come down to Z7 or anywhere nearby!