THRESHOLD

Stylistically, "Dead Reckoning" continues Threshold's tradition of progressive metal, but with a heavier, darker edge compared to their earlier works. The album incorporates more aggressive guitar riffs and utilizes some growling vocals on tracks like Slipstream (featuring Dan Swanö), which is a departure from the clean, melodic approach seen on albums like "Subsurface" (2004). Andrew "Mac" McDermott's vocals remain clear and powerful, but the overall tone of the album is more somber and intense.

In terms of quality, "Dead Reckoning" features high-level musicianship and production, typical of Threshold's meticulous standards. However, the album's heavier direction sometimes feels forced, particularly for a band known for balancing heaviness with melody and progressive structures. While the album showcases technical proficiency, some songs lack the memorable hooks or emotional depth present in earlier works.

The album's heavier approach is a notable change, but it doesn't always feel cohesive with the band's melodic core. Nevertheless, it earns a solid three stars for its high production values and moments of brilliance, but the shift toward a heavier, more aggressive sound weakens the overall cohesion of the album in my opinion in comparison to superior albums like "Clone", "Hypothethical" or "Critical Mass".

Best Tracks: This is Your Life (it offers a perfect blend of melody and complexity, with emotional lyrics and captivating instrumentation), Pilot in the Sky of Dreams (some kind of neo-progressive epic, filled with soaring melodies, intricate arrangements, and a dramatic arc that stands out on the album) and Fighting for Breath (which combines heavy riffs with melodic depth, showcasing Threshold's ability to weave technical skill with emotional intensity)

Stylistically, "Subsurface" follows the melodic progressive metal formula that Threshold had refined over previous albums. It maintains a balance between intricate musicianship and accessible songwriting. The production is polished, with a clear, modern sound that complements the atmospheric layers of keyboards and dynamic guitar work. Vocally, Andrew "Mac" McDermott delivers one of his most emotive performances, with lyrics that dive into societal and political themes, a hallmark of Threshold's introspective writing.

Compared to earlier albums like "Hypothetical" (2001) and "Critical Mass" (2002), "Subsurface" feels more restrained in terms of technical complexity but is more focused on melody and atmosphere. However, this approach sometimes limits the album's depth, especially in its latter half.

The first half of the album, featuring standout tracks like Mission Profile, Ground Control and The Art of Reason, is tight, engaging, and dynamic. These songs are full of energy, blending heavy riffs with memorable choruses. However, the second half of the album doesn't maintain the same momentum. Tracks like Flags and Footprints and Static feel more formulaic and lack the adventurous spirit of the earlier material, resulting in a drop in intensity and creativity.

So while "Subsurface" starts strong with excellent songwriting and production, its weaker second half prevents it from reaching the heights of its predecessors.

Best Tracks: Mission Profile (one of Threshold's finest opening tracks), Ground Control (another trademark song, with all the good elements of the band's music), The Art of Reason (the most epic song of the album, reminiscent of discs like "Clone" or "Hypothetical") and Pressure (good heavy-prog track)

"Critical Mass" represents Threshold at the height of their progressive metal prowess. The album is a perfect blend of heavy, intricate riffs and melodic accessibility, striking a balance between technical musicianship and emotional depth. Musically, it features complex time signatures and extended instrumental sections typical of the genre but is notable for its cohesion and fluidity between songs. Andrew "Mac" McDermott's vocals are a highlight, delivering both powerful and emotive performances throughout.

Compared to previous albums like "Extinct Instinct" (1997) and the successful "Hypothetical" (2001), "Critical Mass" feels more polished and refined. The band's songwriting had evolved by this point, showing a greater mastery in weaving progressive complexity with memorable hooks. Tracks like "Phenomenon" and "Fragmentation" are clear examples of this maturity, blending heaviness with intricate harmonies and thought-provoking lyrics.

With its tight production and brilliant balance of progressive elements, "Critical Mass" is one of Threshold's strongest releases which surprisingly managed to reach the quality of the also splendid "Hypothetical", so it solidified their position as a leading force in progressive metal.

Best Tracks: Phenomenon (strong melodic core), Falling Away (the best chorus of the album , maybe), Fragmentation (perfect mix of technicality and catchiness) and the 13-minute title track Critical Mass which is also a centerpiece, showcasing the band's compositional skills at their finest.

Musically, "Hypothetical" epitomizes progressive metal with a blend of intricate riffs, soaring melodies, and complex arrangements. The album stands out for its technical proficiency and polished production, featuring rich keyboard layers and dynamic guitar solos, accompanied by the unique voice of the very missed Andrew McDermott. While it maintains the band's signature style, it leans towards a more accessible sound compared to previous works, incorporating catchier hooks and more straightforward song structures. One area where the album falters slightly is in its lyrical content, which at times feels less inspired than the band's earlier albums.

Nevertheless, "Hypothetical" is a milestone in Threshold's discography, showcasing their evolution towards a more melodic and refined approach while retaining their progressive metal roots, and it deserves a solid four out of five stars for its strong musicianship, memorable tracks, and successful balance of complexity and accessibility.

Best Tracks: Light and Space (great keyaborad melody, energetic riff and powerful vocals, setting the tone for the rest of the album), Turn On Tune In (memorable and distinctive melodies and thought-provoking lyrics), The Ravages of Time (the most epic structure and intrincate instrumentation of the album) and Narcissus (another epic, generous song)

This means that in principle Threshold has a somewhat slimmed-down lineup on this one, making do with five members where usually they have six. The main past precedent is Dead Reckoning, where Karl Groom took on rhythm guitar along with all of his other duties, but this arrangement seems to work better. In terms of vocals, Morgan seems to be a bit less generic than he was on Psychedelicatessen - he'd already improved somewhat on Livedelica, and it seems like he hasn't been a slouch since.

On a musical level, the album finds Threshold updating their sound via mild borrowings from Muse and the world of power metal; they're still staying squarely in the particular melodic prog metal territory they've staked out for themselves, but they've enriched its sound nicely, with some of the nicest production work I've ever heard on a Threshold release. (And that's saying something given that Karl Groom is no slouch as a producer, being the head honcho at Thin Ice Studios in his side gig.)

Threshold tend to evolve their sound rather than revolutionising it, but this is one of the bigger evolutionary steps - as significant of one as, say, Hypothetical. And whilst this is the band's first double studio albums, this is no dive into quantity over quality - it's this long because they had enough album-worthy material to deploy. It's a true gem of their discography, and when bands are turning out some of their best work this deep into their career, that's a sign of true tenacity.

At the same time, after two more studio albums he parted ways with them again - but at least on this go around he was able to record a really top flight live album with them. Unless there's tapes from old gigs from the Wounded Land or Extinct Instinct days sat in the Threshold archives somewhere, this is essentially the only way we're going to hear a live setlist from the band with Wilson fronting, and it's a damn good thing we did.

With For the Journey being a bit of a lukewarm release by Threshold's often high standards, it's good to hear material from it given more life here, and the band also give a good airing to material from March of Progress and a cross section of the Mac-era albums, giving Wilson a chance to demonstrate his emotive, borderline theatrical style of vocals.

If there's one thing which is a bit of a shame about this release, it's that there's only one song here from Extinct Instinct (Part of the Chaos), and absolutely nothing from Wounded Land - so I think it would still be worth Threshold's while poking about their old tapes to see if there's any live material from the early days they can release, because not having any live cuts with Wilson on vocals from their debut feels like a bit of a gap.

Still, given the high standards the band have maintained over the years, it's understandable why early albums would get crowded out of the setlist, and that old material did at least appear on other live albums fronted by other vocalists. By comparison, much of the material here wasn't on prior live albums (the band having not put out a major live release since Surface To Stage). If this must be the end of Damian Wilson's story with Threshold, then it certainly leaves him with a track record of the group he can be enduringly proud of.

Mac made no secret about his reasons for leaving: the statement he released at the time stated plainly that his work with Threshold just wasn't paying the bills, to the point where his girlfriend was having to work overtime so that he could afford to go on tour with them, and he was fed up of having no money and passing up better-paying opportunities due to the demands of being the Threshold frontman. This may seem shocking to some, but we should all remember that not all the musical acts out there earn masses of money - especially in niche genres like progressive metal. Sure, the other members seem able to make ends meet, but how many of them have been able to supplement that with side hustles, like Karl Groom's work as a producer at his Thin Ice Studios facility?

One has to wonder whether Dead Reckoning might itself be the product of Mac (and maybe other members of the band) feeling something of a pinch, because it feels like an attempt to steer the band's sound a bit away from the "prog" side of their sound and a bit more towards a more conventional "metal" approach. It's not a complete reconfiguration, mind - Pilot In the Sky of Dreams, in particular, is as prog metal a workout as they've ever done, and the guitar solo at the close of One Degree Down sounds an awful lot like a tribute to The Black Knight by Groom's pals in Pendragon.

Still, there's heavier riffs and a few harsh vocals this time around, when previously they'd consistently been a clean vocals band, and in general an air of a band in transition, perhaps not altogether sure of where they are going. Dead Reckoning is, after all, a term from navigation - perhaps the band not too subtly signalling that Threshold were dabbling with changes of direction here.

It's frequently been the case that I've tried out a Threshold album I've not heard before, not been too sure about it early on, but found that it's won me over the span of it - aside from Hypothetical and Subsurface, their album openers generally don't grab me. The effect is stronger than ever here, with opening numbers Slipstream and This Is Your Life doing little for me and the album only really beginning to click for me from Elusive onwards. The back part of the album makes up for the shaky start, however, though equally I find that Mac's vocals here are comparatively unmemorable set next to his excellent work on the run from Hypothetical to Subsurface, lacking the passion he'd proved himself capable of previously.

Mac would leave Threshold shortly after the release of their next album, Dead Reckoning, and would die in 2011 at a shockingly young age, making this to date the last live release from Threshold to feature him (and unless something gets dredged up from the archives unexpectedly, that seems unlikely to change). Here, his deft command of the live context and rapport with the audience is fully on display.