Warthur Hypothetical by Threshold is a landmark album for the band for several reasons. One is that it's the first time they ever had the same vocalist stick around for two consecutive studio albums, Andrew "Mac" McDermott having joined for Clone, and whilst I thought Mac hadn't yet eased into his role on that album I think he really stepped up his game here, dialling up the emotion considerably.

The other watershed moment is that this is the first studio album to feature Johanne James. Whilst prior to this Threshold had enjoyed a revolving cast of drummers to a similar degree as their vocalists, Johanne has stuck with the band to the present, and it's clear from here that he clicked with them right from the get-go. James had in fact filled in the drum stool position on the Extinct Instinct tour, sitting out the Clone sessions but becoming the band's official full-time drummer soon after that release, with the result that he'd had some years by this point to cement his position and really gel with the rest of the group, and on this album in general - and opening track Light And Space in particular - the material really showcases his abilities.

It's the combination of a vocalist and drummer being able to actually settle into the role long-term whilst the rest of the group continued to hone their own craft which helps push the band's sound to the next level on Hypothetical - and it's certainly timely, given the broader distribution and higher profile they received once graduating from Giant Eletric Pea (on which they'd released their previous albums) to InsideOut.

voila_la_scorie This is my third Threshold album and the first that I will review. I started out with 'Dead Reckoning' and later bought 2012's 'March of Progress'. Interested in hearing their older material and reading that 'Hypothetical' came highly recommended, I ordered this album next.

First, allow me to comment briefly on the two latest releases. I first listened to samples of 'March of Progress' and was blown away by the guitar sound. If a progressive metal band sounded this awesome in the guitar department, they were good enough for me. Furthermore, I was not yet ready for the death growl vocals of many metal bands, so the clean vocals of Threshold appealed to me. But 'Dead Reckoning' was cheaper and after a quick listen I found the guitar sound was the same and bought that album instead. Now, 'MoP' ranks as the number 11 album of 2012 on the Prog Archives and other reviewers said 'DR' was not as good. So after a few listens to 'DR' and being only mildly impressed, I decided to go for 'MoP' which I personally found was quite similar.

So, how about this older album from 2001? The first thing I noticed was that there was a little more keyboard work featured here. The later albums seem to use keyboards mostly as a rhythm instrument and for some effects, and piano (or synth piano) for the mellower moments. 'Hypothetical' includes some synthesizer solos which, for me, makes them sound a little more progressive oriented than the later albums which sound more commercial. In the 80's, any metal band that added synthesizer was most likely trying to appeal to the mainstream market, and among my friends and I, the synthesizer was almost a dirty word. So if a band is going to have a keyboard player on board, he'd better have more to do that just play rhythm chords that soften the heavy impact of the guitars.

Second, I noticed that the guitar sound was a bit grittier with more crunch to it. As Threshold already had impressed me with their guitar sound, I welcomed this to my ears openly.

Still, though, when all was consumed and digested, I couldn't help but think that this older album was still very similar to the later albums, notwithstanding the change in vocals from 'DR' to 'MoP'. Threshold are similar to Fates Warning in that they are not as technically complex as Dream Theater and instead go progressive by creating longer compositions with tempo and mood changes and add in some odd drum beats (though I'd say Fates Warning do more with the odd drum beats from what I've heard). Also like Fates Warning, Threshold often stick to the soft verse/loud chorus routine except they mix it up by doing a hard verse/melodic chorus pattern sometimes. Threshold adds a lot of melodic parts to their songs to contrast with the grittier heavy parts, but in the end the clean vocals and synthesizer prevent them from ever becoming really really heavy. I am sure most metal heads in the 80's would have peed themselves over that monster guitar sound, but by today's standards being that raunchy and heavy is pretty well, well standard. Generally speaking, while there are progressive moments, much of the music is still fairly ordinary heavy metal with clean vocals and melodic parts.

The three songs that stand out for me are 'Ravages of Time', 'Long Way Home', and 'Keep My Head', with nods to 'Turn On, Tune In' and 'Narcissus'. 'Ravages' has some of that gritty crunchy power chord guitar and sounds rather aggressive at first. The lyrics start of dealing with a theme that is of interest to me: how a single location changes over time as in a sea bed becomes a mountain range, a mountain range a plain, a plain a desert, and so on. The first half of the song keeps me listening but I find my attention wanders through the second half. 'Long Way Home' has some great heavy guitar and elements of progressive metal as I identify it. 'Keep My Head' is a metal band's take on what could be a late 70's or early 80's adult contemporary pop song. Maybe Glenn Hughes has something like this on one of his 90's albums. A nice change of pace though possibly out of place in the opinions of some. 'Narcissus' has a powerful anthemic riff at the beginning in later in the song. The middle section where the band does a bit of musical mood exploration adds interest to a long song.

It's a good enough album and perhaps just a bit more interesting than the two most recent efforts, for me anyway. But honestly there's not much to my ears that separates 'Hypothetical' from 2001 from 'Dead Reckoning' from 2007 or 'March of Progress' from 2012. Actually, I don't see any real progress. One Threshold album is as good as another would be my conclusion. But I am sure that more devoted listeners can separate the wheat from the chaff, as reading the reviews suggests. At least I can say I won't have to think about writing reviews for the other two as my thoughts will be similar to what I have written here. Good music and good band. Nice to add songs to a playlist and maybe on a mixed CD. But nothing I feel compelled to tell my friends about.

Pelata Kudos to Inside Out for snatching these guys up because they are very good! I say this without the benefit of hearing the band’s past albums (obviously), but this CD definitely makes me want to hear the others.

I truly enjoy this disc. It’s chock full of heavy guitars, textured keyboards, intricate changes, and memorable melodies. Guitarists Karl Groom and Nick Midson have thick, heavy rhythm tones. The leads are not credited, but they are top-notch with melodic bends, competent shredding, and smooth tones. Keymeister Richard West pulls a few hat tricks of his own in the lead department, while also adding a full, omnipresent feel to the songs. The rhythm section, comprised of Jon Jeary (bass) and Johanne James (drums) are on top of their game as well and it shows in the deep grooves and airtight changes. Vocalist Mac has a high register tone, but resists overloading the ears with pointless wails. He sounds as if he could sing for a progressive rock band as well and a progressive metal band. His tone is hard to pinpoint in terms of comparisons, so suffice it to say he does his job well with strong presence and good melody lines.

The melodic approach of the songs on Hypothetical is more in the modernized vein, as opposed to having any power metal influences, which will no doubt bring instant comparisons to Dream Theater. While this is not entirely untrue, quick assumptions like that could sell this band short. Threshold draws from prog influences old and new here. “Turn On Tune In” has a great chorus, almost reminiscent of a heavier Yes, or Spock’s Beard. This song also sports a killer, syncopated groove with nice keyboard swells on the intro. “Sheltering Sky” has a haunting clean guitar and ambient vocal melody on the verse. It’s broken up with a nice piano/acoustic guitar lick. The dramatic chorus here is a grabber as well spiced up by emotional guitar lead work. “Narcissus”, at just over 11 minutes, is the longest tune on the disc and it’s a killer! It’s full of great melody, impressive lead work, and excellent mood shifts going from heavy crunch to moody clean tones effortlessly. It’s also home to another epic, dramatic chorus with cool harmonies and a killer Yes meets Queen feel on the bridge.

“Keep My Head” is a bit of a puzzler, as it has this 70s ballad feel to it. Very different from the rest of the album, but still quite good. Also of quick note is the instrumental break in “Light and Space”, which is outstanding! Oh, and I can’t forget yet another great chorus, this time layered with acoustic guitar strumming and superb vocal harmonies! The lyrics here are well written and clever, like in “Turn On Tune In”, which speaks of being brainwashed by the television media, “…buy into the merchandise and then it becomes real, palpable and plastic packaged neatly on the reel…” While not exactly innovative or breathtakingly original, there is a lot to like about this record. Prog metal fans everywhere should find this to be a worthy purchase.