Search - Threshold :: Subsurface (Spec)

Has Its Moments...

Mike | Maryland | 03/25/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Threshold is a band from England that offers a unique take on the progressive metal genre. There is no power metal influence as there is on so many progressive metal albums these days. That means no lame fantasy lyrics either, which is awesome. The lyrics are mostly comments on society, which bring up good points about issues like political correctness. Not that this hasn't been done before, but it sounds so much better than, well, the "cheese" of some bands.

The album starts out with "Mission Profile." This is THE perfect progressive metal song and includes everything that a song from the genre should have. Beautiful, yet catchy vocals by singer Mac. Crunchy rhythm guitar with several good aggressive riffs. Keyboards that are tasteful and not overdone. The guitar solo could have been better, but this song is so good I don't care. Excellent drums and bass. Bands like Fates Warning should use this song for inspiration to get back on track to the greatness of their earlier days. Next comes "Ground Control," which has another powerful riff. The guitar solo here is much better as well. The chorus isn't as good here, but the rest of the song is amazing. "Pressure" has all of the good things mentioned for "Mission Profile," but to a smaller degree. This is also a worthwhile song. As for the rest of the album, there are a few by-the-numbers rockers, an 10 minute plus epic, and several songs that couldn't even be classified as progressive rock. It is better described as "art-rock" which is basically progressive-rock lite. This in and of itself is not a bad thing, but the vocals are overdone. The guitar is still there, but it doesn't have much of an impact. The epic is decent, but not good enough to keep my attention for the entire length of it. It's a shame that the rest of the tracks were so poor, because if the album had continued in the vein of the first three songs I mentioned, this could have been the greatest progessive-metal album of all time.

One thing that I won't complain about though is the produciton. Here, it is clear and perfect. All of the instruments sound great, as do Mac's vocals. Included on the special edition is a screensaver as well as a music video for "Pressure." The video isn't that good though, because while it is cool to see the band in action, the video is actually the radio edit, so the guitar solo is mostly gone. Still, fans of true progressive metal should pick this up, as opposed to prog-metal that is guitar and keyboard geniuses displaying endless solos. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that stuff somewhat too, but threshold provides a refreshing take on the genre that should be enjoyable even to heavy metal and progressive rock fans as well."

A mature performance of emotion..5 stars and then some..

S. Peters | Tyndall, South Dakota | 12/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few years ago when I first started to get into the genre of music called progressive metal, I did most of my searching on Amazon looking for anything new I could sink my ears into. Today I consider myself most fortunate for the discovery of several European bands in this realm, mainly Arena, Royal Hunt, and Threshold. The talent, composition, and emotional tones that these bands have created throughout the years have made me wonder why anyone even listens to American radio anymore, where talent and a musical journey is second to image, money, and performers who choose to 'mystify' us with horrible voices and rhythms.

Threshold caught my attention immediately with their 'Hypothetical' album, full of unique lyrics and haunting melodies..And those vocals..

The experience of listening to this was like a wonderful discovery from where I did not want to return. It then took me a few years to pick up 'Subsurface' as some of the reviews did not overly excite me, but when I downloaded "Mission Profile" off of their website, I found it difficult picking my jaw up from the floor. You can sense the maturity Threshold has reached with this release, and I believe it will be very difficult for them to make a better sounding record past this one.

Nowhere have I heard more intelligent lyrics, heartfelt singing, and immense and full instrumentation and compositions. Richard West's keyboards are more prominent and diversified than on previous releases and this is a wonderful compliment as the listener is transported through each track, never wanting to look back after the completion of each song. Karl Groom's guitars soar (yes, each note means something in these songs, is never out of place, and belongs there to be there..not to impress with a million notes in less than 10 seconds.. hmm, Dream Theater?) Another thing that continues to impress me about this band is that they are not overly preachy as many bands in this genre are, and you find yourself analyzing the lyrics and being pleased with their complexity. There is no 'filler' on this remarkable album and favorites, well, I would have to say the grandiose, epic "Mission Profile" (which has an amazing chorus), "Opium" (a very interesting song with strong melodic structure), "Pressure" and "The Destruction of Words" (both very powerful and self-explanatory pieces of music). Again the lyrics to all of these songs are very mysterious but definite, taking a position on many issues occurring in our world today, the declining relationships of the United States with other countries, the lack of communication amongst each other as humans, and the future of our world in general.

Thank you Threshold for letting us know that there is still someone out there that cares about letting others know what meaningful and emotional music actually is.. the songs that play in your head throughout your day, transport you to journeys that you sometimes cannot take physically, and words that convey reality, perserverance, hope and the common bond we all share.."

A wonderful record.... These guys smoke

D. Crain | NJ United States | 08/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great collection as a follow up to Critical Mass. Wonderful melodies, driving passages, amazing vocals by Mac, and just a super album.



To my ears, a great balance of metal, rock, progressive and orchestral influences, perfect keyboards, tasteful guitars from 2 great players, and super writing. Threshold is better than ever.



Each song is a festival, multi layered, and each listen reveals something new."