Warthur Clone is a significant landmark in the Threshold discography for two reasons: it's the last studio album they put out on Giant Electric Pea, the small neoprog-focused label they started out on, and it's the first one to feature the vocals of Andrew "Mac" McDermott, who counting this one would fill the role for five studio albums - more than any other lead vocalist they've had, at least the time I'm writing this.

So, how is he? Well, here he feels a touch more generic than Damian Wilson, but then again I thought the same of Glynn Morgan on Psychedelicatessen and then discovered he was able to get more into the swing of things on the live release Livedelica, so perhaps after this Mac would spread his wings a bit more. He's certainly competent at his craft, but as with Psychedelicatessen this is a case where you have a vocalist who is acceptable but not exceptional performing over a musical backing which, by and large, is more interesting.

Then again, like I said when I reviewed Psychedelicatessen, this is prog metal - a field which can sustain that sort of approach if the material's good enough. By and large it is, with a futuristic theme based around concerns about genetic engineering (and, perhaps more on point, concerns about whether such technology would be responsibly be used in the lassaiz-faire corporate environment of modern capitalism), supported by a darkly compelling musical backing. I found myself warming to Mac's voice by the end of Clone more than I'd warmed to Morgan's vocals on Psychedelicatessen - like I said, it took Livedelica to sell me on him - and he has some of his finest moments towards the end on tracks like Voyager II.

As with all Threshold's early albums, it takes me a while to ease into this one; I also think Change is a fairly weak song which the album would be significantly tighter without. That's a shame, because I think that other than that the album finds them continuing to refine their approach. After this, they'd shift from Giant Electric Pea to InsideOut, following in the footsteps of other acts who got sufficient traction on GEP to move over to InsideOut in order to benefit from the larger label's broader distribution network and more active marketing. Threshold were here on the threshold of the big time - which means it's good that they took this moment to take stock and give their sound a last tune-up to make it ready for prime time.

SouthSideoftheSky “Yes, we can make a few tweaks – yes, we will create some freaks”

Threshold once again lost Damian Wilson who left the band for the second time after their last album Extinct Instinct. In my view, the two albums Wilson sings on, Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct, are Threshold's best with the latter being my #1 favourite. But Clone is another strong album that introduced new singer Andrew McDermott (or Mac as he is often called?) which was the band's third singer in four albums. Like Glynn Morgan who sang on Psychedelicatessen, McDermott has a strong voice but hardly as distinctive as that of Damian Wilson. Overall, the musical direction of Clone is perhaps closer to that of Psychedelicatessen than to the other two I have mentioned. I find this one a bit less progressive and also slightly less diverse compared to the three previous albums. The sound is also less dynamic with keyboards playing a somewhat lesser role here. But, on the other hand, it is filled with strong riffs and melodies flawlessly performed and recorded.

Like the debut, Wounded Land, Clone too is a concept album. This time they want to tell us about the supposed dangers of genetic engineering. While the lyrics are certainly less naïve and “preachy” here compared to the debut, the ideological view presented is, again, a bit questionable in my view. Personally, I think that those who are overly sceptical of the abilities of genetic engineering are often not very well educated about the science and tend to greatly exaggerate the risks involved. But the lyrics do not distract me here in the way they did on Wounded Land. Anyway, this is an enjoyable set of moderately progressive Heavy Metal songs revolving around this theme. Black Sabbath-like guitar riffs and highly melodic verses and choruses are still the backbone of Threshold's sound. And it works well!

Clone is one of Threshold’s better albums, but not up to the standard set by the previous Extinct Instinct which constituted the band's peak in my opinion