EXTINCT INSTINCT

I was very happy to finally get to know better the so-called high hopes of UK metal: Threshold. Their latest albums made a lot of ruckuss and some songs I heard made me hungry and excited...

Ho-Hum.

Threshold's roots are more similar to what they're doing now than I thought. Oh there's PLENTY of heavy riffs a la Mirrors (Dream Theater)...you know, da-da-dum da-da-dum.

But da-da-dum da-da-dum for 67 minutes makes you realized that's the same is ahead of this album. Threshold needed much more maturity, especially in the melody and keyboard departement. If they wanted to compete with Dream Theater that year they blew it. Even Images and Words eats this one up in a blink in terms of diversity. This is a very monochromic album....but!

Many songs are working for me. They are dynamic but lacks colors. This sounds like a butchered and rushed product. But the more you listen to it, the more that idea tends to disappear. I think being cold and squarish is definitely Threshold's calling card. Remains a high degree of originality in their minimizing approach. Threshold is a well oiled machine, the guitarists are provinding a 'motor feeling' way of playing. The sound is so tight and cold, it really feels like listening to a machine, in the same vein of Rammstein. I heard this is what they did best with Damian Wilson. Okay, nothing to be really excited about for me, but a real metal masher will enjoy the non-theatrical approach. No make-up, no explosions, no lonely barbarian warrior plot, no vocal pyrotecnics, no lush synthetisers, no mystical lyrics. Just a very sturdy black and white sound.

Still a very acceptable record though, far away from every clichés of metal progressive rock.

This record is a progressive metal album, where the main attraction is the razor rhythmic guitar, which has a very good metal sound! The 2 guitarists here definitely know how to sound like real metal, never being alternative! The guitars are very varied: they also consist in catchy & clean distortion-free notes, a bit like the Queensryche of the 80's. Even the solos are elaborated enough to sound like the ones in the 80's: it is good to learn that there are still guitarists who are able to fine-tune their sound; it is not surprising since one of the guitarists, Karl Groom, played for Shadowland. The highly pitched lead & backing vocals are like the good ones in the 80's, clearly reminding me Tony Martin (Black Sabbath). The modern keyboards have more an accompanying role, often being in the background. This album must be played loud, because it is more metal than progressive, and because the guitar riffs have a nice sound, never irritating! All the tracks are very good, and "Eat the unicorn" is particularly progressive, catchy and addictive. There are more mellow moments like "Forever", "Whispering", "Clear" and "Part of the chaos", which have a cute sentimental FM sound!

Maybe Extinct Instinct was the wrong Threshold album for me to start with, but I really thought this was a stinker. This band reminds me curiously of John Lawton-era Uriah Heep, certainly both in the lead and harmony vocal department ... also in the lack of much quality progressive material.

Songs like Exposed and Virtual Isolation are just basically one dimensional metal, with the usual multi-note a second riffing while others like Somatography and Part Of The Chaosis (probably the best song here) are quality metal tunes, but with precious little "prog" to speak of. Forever is a tedious piano ballad that suddenly becomes heavy. Clear is a passable guitar ballad, but I've heard hundreds of better ones. Eat The Unicorn has a few changes of tempo and riffage and the middle of Life Flow is relatively creative, but that's really too little too late.

Frankly this stuff is less progressive than most of the other metal bands in my collection (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Sepultura, Soulfly etc.) and I can only hope that Threshold have been more creative elsewhere. ... 13% on the MPV scale

This is THRESHOLD's third studio album and in my opinion the best out of the three. Damian Wilson is back and sounding better than i've ever heard him before.

"Exposed" opens with riffs, blistering guitar and synths galore before we even get to the vocals 2 minutes in. Actually there are also loops used by the band for the first time at the start of this tune. This is a great intro track. "Somatography" features samples in this slower paced intro as vocals then come in. There are outbursts of machine gun-like drumming and after 2 minutes we're really cooking with a great crunchy sound. They go back to the slow paced melody of the intro 4 minutes in as the guitar cries out in pain. They are kicking it again 5 minutes in. The band notes that Damian hit his highest ever note (a top F sharp) on the chorus of this song. "Eat The Unicorn" is my favourite song. A 10 minute masterpiece. I love the way the tempo increases and decreases.The guitar solos are mind bending and the vocals are amazing. There is a nice mellow passage 7 minutes in. "Forever" features piano and reserved vocals which spells ballad. There is some crunch 2 minutes in as well as some soaring guitar a minute later.

"Vital Isolation" has these heavy riffs that come and go but they're mostly coming. I like the way the keys and guitars trade solos. The choir that sings the word "virtuality" is made up of 80 voices tracked up together, including 64 Damians ! "The Whispering" has an even heavier soundscape as keys come in. The song lightens and this contrast continues. "Lake Of Despond" is my second favourite song on the album. It's essentually part two of the song "Days Of Dearth" from "Wounded Land". It opens with the wind blowing. This song is like riding a slow, heavy, thunderous wave of sound. They tuned down their guitars for a darker sound on this one. This is also one of the few THRESHOLD songs that fades out to end it. "Clear" is piano, acoustic guitar and vocals. "Life Flow" is as catchy and as heavy as hell ! Crunchy guitars and again a darker sound with some great keyboard work. "Part Of The Chaos" is my number three favourite tune. It starts quietly but that doesn't last long. There is some amazing guitar from Karl Groom on this the longest track on the album.

This is a solid 4 star album where the previous album "Psychedelicatessin" was just barely a 4 star album.

Extinct Instinct, Threshold's third album saw the return of Vocalist Damian Wilson who had previously sang on their debut album, Wounded Land. It also has a change of Drummer, Mark Heaney who was later to join Stone Roses offshoot band The Seahorses.

Threshold are a Progressive Metal band for sure but their previous effort, Psychedelicatessen was more of a straight Metal album than Wounded Land. Extinct Instinct sees a return to a more Progressive style. Having said that the Guitar riffs are often more metallic than ever, unfortunately sometimes at the expense of melody. It's a good solid album though if not up there with the bands best efforts. Wilson sings well, indeed the whole band are extremely competent players as any fan of Threshold will know and play well throughout. The Dual Guitars of Karl Groom and Nick Midson are well to the fore as is to be expected with Prog Metal but Keyboard player Richard West is further back in the mix than on many other Threshold albums which is a shame as he adds a lot of colour to the bands sound.

Most of the tracks are around the six minute mark giving the band plenty of opportunity to stretch out a bit, highlights being Exposed, Somatography and Life Flow; Somatography perhaps being my favourite of the three in part down to the haunting Guitar arpeggios used. There are two short tracks, Forever and Clear which are best described as ballads, the later having a particularly strong melody. Of greatest interest though are the two epic tracks, Eat the Unicorn and Part of the Chaos, both clocking in at over ten minutes featuring all the Threshold trademarks of time/tempo changes, Metallic riffs colliding with melodic Guitar arpeggios and sweeping Keyboards.

To conclude, Extinct Instinct has never been one of my favourite Threshold album but for whatever reason I find it a more enjoyable listening experience now than when I first bought it around ten years ago. Perhaps it will now come off the shelf for a play a bit more often than in the past. 3 ½ stars.

The return of the Unicorn (Damian Wilson)

Third studio album of this famous british progressive metal band named Extinct instinct from 1997. First: I'm very glad that Damian Wilson was back , returning from band Landmarq where he sung on three very well recived albums, and second this is their best album from first period, before Mac Dermott joyning Threhold. Much better then predecesor, very much a progressive metal this time, not only metal riffs are here, but the melody is very well melted with rougher moments, is was not the case on Psychedelicatessen. Wilson voice is perfect for this kind of music, his high range gives plenty of memorable moments on this labum, not to forget that the sound of guitar of Karl Groom is again stunning. Another change in Threshold line up , behind Wilson was the drumer stool ocupied now by Mark Heaney. So, the music is way better then on first albums and very easy can go shoulder to shoulder with thier best Hypothetical or Critical mass for ex. Every musician shines here, a lot of instrumental passages that gives a proper view over their progressive metal abilities, very skilled musicians who know how to grab the listner. All the pieces are super, Wilson voice realy is stunning from the first track Exposed to the last one Part Of The Chaos, great voice. The album has a little more then an hour, enough to become with something solid and very catchy. Groom's guitar is again top notch , on some pieces is realy awesome like on Somatography or Eat the unicor, one of their best pieces from entire career. Not to forget the second guitar, of Nick Midson, who contributed mainly as background, to keep the rythm, but very strong and tight communications with the rest of the musicians. Well in the end a great album for pregressive metal, one of the better ones from late'90' s for sure, and equal in greatness with their best two albums from early this decade Hyphotetical and Critical mass. Recommended, some pieces are truly amazing, even for Threshold repertoir. 4 stars easy, an album who stood the test of time very well after 12 years of the first issue.

After my initial disappointment with Psychedelicatessen I stopped following Threshold and completely overlooked this fine album. I didn't even know they had the Damien Wilson featuring on any album other then the debut. Here he shines again, full of melody, surprises and emotion.

This is a beautiful melodic rock album with some soft metal and slight neo-progressive influences. When I first heard them they reminded me a bit of Fugazi-era Marillion: similarly constructed epic songs, fluid guitar solos and layers of keyboards. The main elements that they add are the crunchy rhythm guitars and a singer that could stand in for Robert Plant if Jimmy Page would want to go ahead with that Zep-reunion tour after all.

Almost every track is entirely convincing here: Exposed, Somatography and Eat The Unicorn are an excellent trio of songs to kick things off. Forever and Virtual Isolation are less though and hint at things to come. But The Whispering and especially Lake of Despond are poignant compositions, also Life Flow and Part of the Chaos are ok but stand in the shadows of the preceding highlights.

In my perception, Damien Wilson is the main factor that was responsible for lifting Threshold above the many similar bands that populate this melodic-metal-with-long-songs style. He managed to put some real emotion in this often too sterile and too smooth type of metal.

Heavy, but well Groomed

There are in prog a number of prolific musicians who seem to pop up in various bands and projects yet manage to keep a firm handle on the quality control. Steve Wilson and Clive Nolan are a couple of names which spring to mind, but the name of Karl Groom may not be quite so obvious. Groom is though one of that small select breed who can turn his hand to various types of prog, making a positive contribution to any project he becomes involved with.

In 1988, Groom was a founding member of Threshold, and has gone on to become the fulcrum of its existence. The band's début album appeared in 1993, with this their third being released some four years later. The line up remained relatively stable over that time, although Damian Wilson, who sang on the first album, subsequently left the band and did not sing on their second. In an unusual move, he returned to the band for the recording of "Extinct instinct", leaving again before work on the following "Clone" started.

The themes of the songs on this album might readily be described as serious but as with many albums from the prog metal sub-genre, the lyrics are of marginal utility. Damian Wilson's vocals are however present a lot throughout the album. He has one of those voices you'll either love or loathe, thus the impression the album makes may well depend which side of that fence you fall on. For me Wilson has a fine voice, although here I would have liked to hear him a little less with the instrumental passages being developed a bit more.

The sound is heavy, with constant strong guitar riffs supported by massed banks of keyboards. Karl Groom's lead guitar work is, as would be expected, exemplary if a little thin on the ground in terms of soloing. The inevitable clichés of prog metal (as exploited by Dream Theater etc.) are liberally spread throughout, the songs often being little more than extended straight metal in structure. Ironically though, what tends to be lacking is strong hooks for the listener to latch on to, something which it seems to me is a pre-requisite of truly satisfactory prog metal. Hints of such hooks can be found on "Eat the unicorn" for example, but they are not always exploited.

Overall though, this is an enjoyable hour and a bit, which should appeal to those who prefer the heavier end of our genre.

"Extinct Instinct" is Threshold's 3rd studio release and came out on 1997, not a good year for prog. Thankfully this album is a shining light and features some astonishing musicianship from Karl Groom on guitars, Richard West on keyboards, Jon Jeary on bass, acoustic guitar, Nick Midson on guitars and Mark Heaney on drums. On this album taking the helm on vocals is the incomparable Damian Wilson. He returns on the masterpiece 2012 album "March of Progress" as the replacement vocalist, and it is nice to hear him hear powering out each song in this earlier incarnation of the band.

It begins with heavy riffing on 'Exposed', and after some ripping vocals and melodies, it breaks into a new time sig and some glorious spacey keyboard flourishes. I love the traditional metal chugs that are broken by innovative keys. The soloing of Midson and Groom is incredible, and this is certainly the way to open an album.

'Somatography' follows with intriguing dialogue samples, and the melody is broken suddenly with power riffing. The band are passionate in the way they execute the intricate riffs and the structures are inspirational. Wilson's voice is astonishing, his vocal range is utilised to its fullest on this song. There is a great deal of creativity flowing on this track, with twin lead guitars answering, spacey keys and very heavy rhythms. This is one of the Threshold treasures; simply stunning musicianship and vocals.

'Eat The Unicorn' is a 10 minute mini epic, with some unbelievable lightspeed keyboard runs. The main melody is akin to a chant "give me a place to stand". The way it breaks though into lengthy solos is wonderful. The wah-wah solo is fabulous, and then it sweeps into a cinematic ambient soundscape. A soaring lead break is followed by a switch in the time sig. Wilson is in fine form here powering out high register vox, "I am falling down, closer to the ground, tell me where you're found, I will follow now." The riff gets faster and a frenetic rhythmic drum pounds out. Eventually we get to the lead solo I adore at about 6 minutes in and then a crunchy little riff leads to a keyboard showpiece. Again the riff changes, as more keyboard runs drift out of this metal machine. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest most progressive Threshold songs.

'Forever' is next, and feels like a Whitesnake power ballad, though it has an agreeable melody and an infectious hook. 'Virtual Isolation' woke me up with a really cool fractured riff, and melodic lines. The interchanging keys and guitars of Groom and West are great but don't last long enough.

'The Whispering' follows, and thankfully inject some prog metal riffs into the album, after too many mellow moments. It does slow into the verses but I love the odd percussion beats of Heaney. It builds into strong chorus anthem and some more creative textures. Wilson's vocals are fantastic, sounding like Queensryche in places. It motorvates along until we get to the 4 minute mark and a really gorgeous lead guitar howls over a soundscape of melancholia. The song really gets dreamy until finally going back to a heavier feel. I am not a fan of the "go go" chant in the song, Devo did it better, but it is unique to the sound.

'Lake Of Despond' opens with wind howls, glistening keys and a scream of guitar. The vocals follow a very strong melody. The song builds nicely with power chords into majestic cinematic keyboards. This has a more infectious hook and feels like old school Uriah Heep. 'Clear' is a very mellow song with clean guitar and wonderful soulful vocals, "nothing is clear, you promised me." It is akin to the type of ballad one might hear from a 90s metal band, reminding me of Scorpions' 'Holiday', or 'Still Loving You', so that an audience might have a chance to put their lighters in the air and sway. More metal riffs greet us on 'Life Flow', with gleaming keyboard phrases and dramatic rhythms. A fabulous lead guitar break is welcome along with West's swirling spacey keys. 'Part Of The Chaos' ends the album with a 10 and a half minute track. It plods along on a simple riff for too long, though Wilson is dynamic on vocals. At 3 and a half minutes the song finally pulls out of it standard metal sound and there is a faster rhythm to propel it into some incredible passages of metal. The chorus harmonies sound dated and too anthemic for their own good. I was waiting for some instrumental sections, and it took too long to get there. The keyboard solo are more speed runs and are answered by Midson and Groom's lead guitar attack. The Slayer riff toward the end is a solid background to more keyboards, then it moves back to the main melody, bookending a pretty good song, just not a masterpiece.

"Extinct Instinct" like all Threshold albums has some incredible musicianship and outstanding songs. This one began so brilliantly but then soon ran out of power towards the end. The tracks that must be heard are 'Exposed', 'Somatography' and 'Eat The Unicorn' that are all at the tip of the iceberg on the album. The closer has moments too but overall the album feels a bit too mellow and not as innovative as other albums such as "Clone" or "Moment of Progress". Threshold are best when they are progressive, creative and exploring more than a simple metal riff. When they move beyond the normal metal riff and present inventive structures and complex rhythms Threshold are indispensable.

When their third album was released in 1997, some three years after 'Psychedelicatessen', not only did the band have a new drummer but also a 'new' singer. Glynn Morgan had replaced Damian Wilson after the debut, only for him to in turn be replaced by Damian Wilson. Damian would only hang around long enough for this album before being replaced by Mac, before coming back yet again after the release of 'Dead Reckoning' in 2007. But, at the time of this recording the future was yet to unfold and although Glynn had done a good job, many fans (me included) were pleased to have Damian back as the frontman.

I think of all of their albums, this is the one that takes the longest to make an impact and I have never been able to work out why, possibly most of the stronger songs are to the end? No idea. All I know is that each time I play it I start off by thinking that it is a 3* album but by the end I am convinced that it is a solid 4*, and that happens every time, and I hate to think how many times over the years I have played this. Maybe that's the point. I first heard and reviewed this album when it came out some 15 years ago and I still play it. True, I have just been sent this to review by Nuclear Blast which is why I am playing it so much at the present, but Threshold have never gone out of favour with me from the time I first heard 'Wounded Land'. By the time that was released I knew Karl from Shadowland and Strangers On A Train and Damian from his solo work and Landmarq, yet Threshold blew me away, and still do. The understanding between keyboard player Richard West and his guitar-toting colleagues is second to none, and bassist/backing singer Jon Jeary was an awesome presence during his tenure. Mostly more metal than prog, this is an album of different shades and colours and they all come together in 'Forever' which is a ballad, a symphonic masterpiece, and a brooding metallic monster all in under five minutes.

By the time 'Clone' came out the following year Damian was gone, and this album gets somewhat overlooked by many, but if you want metallic prog with stunning vocals, great melodies and musicianship then this is worthy of discovery. www.nuclearblast.de

After trying their luck with singer Glynn Morgan on the good but not excellent "Psychedelicatessen," Threshold returned with their original singer Damian Wilson!

The album was produced by Karl Groom and Richard West. It was recorded at Thin Ice Studios in England, and the original artwork for the album was created by Mark Wilkinson. It was originally released in the year 1997 through the label Giant Electric Pea.

The style of the album follows the band's first two albums but perhaps leans more towards Karl Groom's guitar riffs. As a result, it's a collection of heavier, more guitar-driven songs, and perhaps less ambient and progressive. In essence, it's good progressive metal, heavy and technical, but it doesn't particularly stand out in any aspect beyond Wilson's excellent vocal performance and some musically brilliant moments. I don't believe it will leave an indelible mark on any listener who approaches this work.

Undoubtedly, with the next album "Clone" and the addition of Andrew "Mac" McDermott, Threshold's brightest era began, leaving "Extinct Instinct" as a transitional album.

Best Tracks: Somatography (I like the chorus, very epic), Eat The Unicorn (notably the more melodic instrumental parts, with excellent keyboard and guitar work, and again, the superb chorus), Virtual Isolation (a very typical Threshold start, with great bass work by Jon Jeary), and Clear (another vocal lesson by Mr. Wilson)

My Rating: ***

The third Threshold studio album sees Damian Wilson return briefly on vocals, where he shows no sign of rust (having kept busy with Landmarq in the meantime) and lends his emotive style which was such an asset on the band's debut album, Wounded Land. Musically speaking this is of a piece with the band's other first two albums, the band further honing their craft in their chosen brand of prog metal with neo-prog influences rather than significantly evolving their sound at this stage, and whilst theirs might not be the most technically flashy brand of neo-prog out there, it manages to convey such a compelling, emotionally turbulent atmosphere that it grips you to the end. If you like any of their other early works, you'll find much to enjoy here.