Threshold
Critical Mass

THE REVIEW

The English band in 2002 released another chapter of their long but silent career.

It's undeniable that the prog-metal scene is completely overshadowed by bigger names. However, I also find it undeniable that among these renowned groups there should be (I add deservedly) the 6 Englishmen who for 14 years have been producing works worthy of attention not only within the narrow musical genre they operate in, but also in today's broader musical landscape, not limited to the usual prog clichés. In fact, Threshold, with this good album, prove to be certainly influenced by the big names of prog-rock (Pink Floyd, Genesis) and prog-metal (Dream Theater above all, given the strong metal component of the tracks, but also by bands that have nonetheless made the history of "hard" music (Metallica especially).

In this "Critical Mass" you'll find prog, but in a part that surely coexists with the heavy and aggressive soul of the Englishmen, in a result that will surely reach perfection in the following "SubSurface." The band's performance is certainly excellent: Mac, the vocalist, proves to have a warm and definitely good voice, fortunately without resorting to extreme vocalizations. The performance on the instruments, on the other hand, is never intrusive: intelligent solos, tight rhythms in perfect thrash-heavy style, a keyboard that is limited to creating atmospheres and rarely launches into synth solos. The album opens with "Phenomenon": an excellent opening track, energetic enough and equipped with a fairly standard song structure: verse, chorus, and possible instrumental sections or variations. And the formula works perfectly, thanks to choruses that often turn out to be very airy, full of pathos and at times characterized by epic melodies.

The height of this recipe is reached with the following "Choices" which features an instrumental section to be taken as an example: the instruments in this track chase each other, compete, and the more progressive element of the group here takes over. "Falling Away" is instead a classic of the band, where the melodic, epic vein and the prog section come together in a truly majestic track. It is followed by the very hard "Fragmentation" where the thrash aspect of the group comes to life. This is the prelude to another excellent track: "Echoes of Life". Almost 9 minutes of beauty: there are great alternations of moments of calm and sonic explosion, the former characterized by the sweet sound of a piano and the latter by instrumental sections rich in incredible riffs. Truly admirable is the guitar solo (also quite long) on a sweet pianistic base initially, then continuing in its final explosion, returning to the main theme of the song.

"Round Round" reintroduces intense metal outbursts in a very dark atmosphere, like the following "Avalon" which I consider the weak point of an otherwise perfect album: predictable rhythms, as well as all the melodies in a whirl of monotony. All this to lead to the title track, also the last track of the album. "Critical Mass" is a suite divided into three parts, a 13-minute summary of all that Threshold are: the metal, the melody, the sweet and acoustic side in a stunning finale. The grand melodic soul of this group comes to life in wonderful solos. To prog fans and the like: this album will not fail to engage and excite you. Without making unnecessary comparisons with more illustrious colleagues, Threshold live by their own light offering, in a genre that is frankly stale, a personal interpretation of what prog-metal should be, respecting all the ingredients of the recipe and adding a pinch of their own ideas and undeniable originality.

Recommended also to those who believe that prog-metal is only Dream Theater and SymphonyX. Here, we are on the same qualitative level.