Threshold - Legends of The Shires (2017)

Every time a progressive metal band decides to tackle a massive concept album, I try to go in a little cautious so that the hype surrounding the impending release does not get under my skin. It is very easy for an album like this to get unrealistic expectations that will never be met, just because it is supposed to be so grand and epic. Even if Threshold are seasoned prog veterans, it still can happen to the best, and the fact that the band had to change vocalists after the album was fully written and recorded probably did not help either. So let us dive into this monster, by first, once again saying goodbye to Damian Wilson, and welcoming back Glynn Morgan (who was with the band in 1994 to 1996, appearing in the sophomore effort "Psychedelicatessen").

The story itself is not the most obvious one, and it is quite hard to understand without knowing the lyrics, but from what I can tell, we get to follow a man's journey from a young and hopeful guy who is generally happy with life, but as the album goes along, we get to follow his adventures and various ups and downs. The different acts of the story arc are shown really well with the three parts of "The Shire", especially the first two parts which are basically the same song, but with completely different tones. Maybe it does have something to do with Bilbo Baggins and the rest of J. R. Tolkien's epic tales, but I seriously doubt it (although, the title and album cover does suggest it).

Anyway, while this is a concept album, I feel like the concept is not the main focus, the songs are, and good lord what songs we have here. Most of it can be best described as Threshold putting their own original touch to 80's rock, which certainly suits new vocalist Glynn Morgan well, but we do get a lot of more metal moments in here, so this is basically Threshold in XL version. The sound is no surprise, but the variety of different songs we get here is simply astounding. This whole album is filled to the brim with songs that varies in styles, tones, and lengths, but they all fit together seamlessly, so the transitions are as fluid as they should be in this big of a record.

With over one hour and twenty minutes of music, it is easy to cut corners, not keeping focus all the way through. Somehow though, Threshold has put out 14 songs that all have a purpose, that all feels well thought of. No part of "Legends of The Shires" feels unnecessary, and it certainly does not feel like a double album when you are just casually listening to it. Sure, it takes its time to develop, but it does not overstay its welcome, entertain you throughout its runtime in a very effective manor that is incredibly hard to pull off.

And unlike most other magnum opuses, "Legends of The Shires" has a magnificent roster of songs that not only work well together, but are strong enough to stand on their own. Just the fact that the first song Threshold released was the 10 minute giant "Lost In Translation" is a strong testament on how good the quality of the songs are. An epic monster that is pure progressive candy. And while some of the 80's rock influences can take over a little too much sometimes (looking at you "Stars And Satellites"), the band still hold the tone just right, which ultimately keeps the magic alive and well.

Man, this is an incredibly strong album by Threshold, an achievement that surely will stand the test of time. Close to everything with this double disc is brilliant, from the great variety of awesome songs, to the multi layered performances that makes you wanna listen to this record again and again, this is definitely Threshold's strongest effort in some time, and that says a lot. It is progressive metal at its finest, and it is just another amazing piece to add among other fantastic releases from other bands within the genre. Damn, I am gonna go listen to it again, I just can't get enough.

Songs worthy of recognition: Lost In Translation, Small Dark Lines, The Man Who Saw Through Time, Trust The Process, Snowblind

Rating: 9,5/10 Superior Machines

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For The Journey

Threshold - For The Journey (2014)

Threshold has always been that progressive metal band that has produced solid works during their entire career, but nothing too ground breaking nor overly magnificent. You know that their next album will be good, but it will not reach the same heights as some of their bigger equivalents. However, their latest effort, "March of Progress", did quite a big splash in 2012 and almost single handedly helped the band to gain a greater number of fans.

That is why it comes as no surprise that "For The Journey" sounds like a logic follow up to "March of Progress". Just like its predecessor, "For The Journey" impresses with its great guitar and keyboard combination and melodic songs. The only real difference is that this album has a slightly darker mood that gives the album its own identity, but there is no denying that most of the songs here could have easily been fitted in "March of Progress". However, the quality on "March of Progress" was so strong, so I doubt that any of the songs here could really switch place with any song from "March of Progress" without weakening the album.

Fortunately, that does not mean that "For The Journey" contains only weak tracks. The opener "Watchtower On The Moon" is just like most of the songs in "March of Progress". Melodic, groovy and epic. The following track "Unforgiven" is darker and more gloomy, but still contains a good deal of epicness to raise your neck hair, while "Turned To Dust" is incredibly catchy and simple. "The Mystery Show" is also a noticeable track with its powerful chorus and epic ending.

Threshold is not known for their mastodon pieces, but they could have done their best 10+ minute song in this album. "The Box" is a epic 12 minute track that tells an intricate story, and does it with great technicality and musicality. The song shifts tempo here and there so you do not lose interest, and it does it in a very smooth fashion. It is an impressive piece that gives the album an extra edge.

A peculiar thing I noticed with "For The Journey" is that it is a rather short Threshold album. Actually, the first album that is below the 1 hour mark. Excluding the bonus song "I Wish I Could" and the acoustic version of "Lost In Your Memory", "For The Journey" is only around 50 minutes long, which is not impressive since it has a couple of songs that does not completely cut it. It is especially the second half of the album that feels lack luster with a boring riff based song ("Autumn Red") and a song that tries to be more epic than what it can handle ("Siren Sky"). I get the feeling that the band almost rushed this album in hoping to keep the momentum that was started by "March of Progress", which here proved to not be a fully bad decision, but it would have been better for the band to take an extra year with this album to really work it through.

"For The Journey" does not quite reach the same height that "March of Progress" reached, but there is no doubt that this album is still a good outing for the band. The band has kept on building and developing the sound that made the predecessor so successful and made a album that is great, but still miss some stronger song writing. No matter what, Threshold is still riding along on the high road after realising another high quality album. Their musical journey does not have a end in sight just yet, so I will keep on enjoying it with pleasure.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Box, Watchtower On The Moon, Turned To Dust

Rating: 7,5/10 Mystery shows

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More reviews of Threshold
Legends of The Shires