I think I can hear what you mean. The songwriting on March of Progress does seem more adventurous by comparison, at least upon my first listen of For the Journey. But there's some really beautiful sections on the new album, and now that I'm listening a second time I'm sure I'm going to appreciate it more and more with each listen. I can't wait to get the physical package in front of me and dig into the lyrics while listening, which is an area I feel they consistently outshine most of their peers.Been a while since I listened to this, but I remember distinctly feeling that it was a very "safe" album - a victory lap after March Of Progress, if you will. Similar to Serenity's War Of Ages in that respect. However, just as I love everything that Serenity pushes out, so it is with Threshold. Everything feels slightly more subdued to me, but it's still a very good album.
That beard. When did Mandy Patinkin grow out his hair and join a prog metal band?