THRESHOLD Subsurface
Inside Out Records
2004
www.thresh.net
www.insideoutmusic.com
1 - Mission Profile
2 - Ground Control
3 - Opium
4 - Stop Dead
5 - The Art of Reason
6 - Pressure
7 - Flags and Footprints
8 - Static
9 - The Destruction of Words
THRESHOLD is definitely one of the most under noticed bands in the modern progressive metal genre, and hopefully, with their new album just being released; that situation will change. Subsurface is an album that will definitely take these guys to the next level. Hailing from England, they have easily stepped up to answer the call to represent their country as the official prog metal band from their land. They are one of the most distinctive bands I have come across in a long time, and I quickly became a fanatic for the band. You could run the gamut with adjectives to describe their music; catchy, modern, haunting, lush, beautiful, etc,
Subsurface is a musically complex album. The arrangements are far more intricate this time around. The band really knows the power of a good song, and where to place all the requisite parts. They never have to try to show off their musicianship, as it flows so naturally from every member, that it never feels contrived or in your face, and is all for the good of the song. No show off performances from an individual member, just show off performances by the band as a whole. The guitar parts are utterly heavy and demanding, and flow nicely into some melodic passages, that transforms into some stunning keyboard work. THRESHOLD use some electronic aspects sparingly, and only to enhance the song, and not become the backbone. The vocalist is a guy who goes by the name of Mac, and he is the perfect front man for THRESHOLD, both past and present incarnations. He has basically become the essence of the band, and his vocals propel the bands music to new levels they were never able to reach before. The melodies he produces are both lush, and hauntingly beautiful at the same time. I will go out on a limb and say he is one of the best vocalists in this style of music in this day and age. Sure, his style takes a bit to get used to, but once you get past that first sense of his vocals being a little different; you can not imagine anything else being so perfectly blended to the music. From the heavy, and menacing opener in Mission Control, you know you are in for an enjoyable experience. One of my favorite tracks is Pressure, which is just catchy as all hell.
Overall, the album is not really a concept album, but one loosely based on the ideas of leaders of countries, and the people that follow them. Quite political in nature, but never preachy. This is definitely the one of the best progressive metal albums to be released this year, and screams to be paid attention to. This album is filled to the brim with pure energy, and overflows with emotion. Quite a rare feat for a band nowadays. THRESHOLD always release quality releases. The production is crystal clear, and the artwork and packaging are always a treat to themselves. I really cant recommend this band enough. If you are a fan of prog, metal, or anything that will fall anywhere near or around those categories, you will only be doing yourself a favor by picking up this album, and then discovering their past releases. This is easily one of the best releases in their career, standing side to side with their amazing Hypothetical album.
Rating: 9.5 /10
Evil C.
Inside Out Records
2004
www.thresh.net
www.insideoutmusic.com
1 - Mission Profile
2 - Ground Control
3 - Opium
4 - Stop Dead
5 - The Art of Reason
6 - Pressure
7 - Flags and Footprints
8 - Static
9 - The Destruction of Words
THRESHOLD is definitely one of the most under noticed bands in the modern progressive metal genre, and hopefully, with their new album just being released; that situation will change. Subsurface is an album that will definitely take these guys to the next level. Hailing from England, they have easily stepped up to answer the call to represent their country as the official prog metal band from their land. They are one of the most distinctive bands I have come across in a long time, and I quickly became a fanatic for the band. You could run the gamut with adjectives to describe their music; catchy, modern, haunting, lush, beautiful, etc,
Subsurface is a musically complex album. The arrangements are far more intricate this time around. The band really knows the power of a good song, and where to place all the requisite parts. They never have to try to show off their musicianship, as it flows so naturally from every member, that it never feels contrived or in your face, and is all for the good of the song. No show off performances from an individual member, just show off performances by the band as a whole. The guitar parts are utterly heavy and demanding, and flow nicely into some melodic passages, that transforms into some stunning keyboard work. THRESHOLD use some electronic aspects sparingly, and only to enhance the song, and not become the backbone. The vocalist is a guy who goes by the name of Mac, and he is the perfect front man for THRESHOLD, both past and present incarnations. He has basically become the essence of the band, and his vocals propel the bands music to new levels they were never able to reach before. The melodies he produces are both lush, and hauntingly beautiful at the same time. I will go out on a limb and say he is one of the best vocalists in this style of music in this day and age. Sure, his style takes a bit to get used to, but once you get past that first sense of his vocals being a little different; you can not imagine anything else being so perfectly blended to the music. From the heavy, and menacing opener in Mission Control, you know you are in for an enjoyable experience. One of my favorite tracks is Pressure, which is just catchy as all hell.
Overall, the album is not really a concept album, but one loosely based on the ideas of leaders of countries, and the people that follow them. Quite political in nature, but never preachy. This is definitely the one of the best progressive metal albums to be released this year, and screams to be paid attention to. This album is filled to the brim with pure energy, and overflows with emotion. Quite a rare feat for a band nowadays. THRESHOLD always release quality releases. The production is crystal clear, and the artwork and packaging are always a treat to themselves. I really cant recommend this band enough. If you are a fan of prog, metal, or anything that will fall anywhere near or around those categories, you will only be doing yourself a favor by picking up this album, and then discovering their past releases. This is easily one of the best releases in their career, standing side to side with their amazing Hypothetical album.
Rating: 9.5 /10
Evil C.
