DIVIDING LINES

THRESHOLD releases this lively and progressive 12th opus. An album addressing the acceptance of the other in our fractured world, here we go.

"Haunted" opens swirling, melodic and rhythmic by a metallic riff; acoustic break echoing the touching spleen and a sensitive first solo by Karl backed up by Johanne's pads. "Hall of Echoes" follows on a futuristic mid-tempo, AOR-proven metal-synthetic track; exchange of calm and shimmering parts before a duel between Karl and Richard; text on the antechamber of death and title where the synth smells good of the 80s. "Let It Burn" continues with a Glynn by the way, texts on climatic disorder; breaks in rhythm, punchy and controlled prog metal, calibrated with a fat sound; finale with solo and ethereal religious atmosphere. "Silenced" drives the point home with a vocoder that played well in the 90s; a synthetic neo-prog single, melodic with a precise chorus, also agreed which gets away with a melting solo and a finale with orchestral samples. "The Domino Effect" for one of two epic moments, over 10 minutes on the clock; atmosphere à la Symphony X more melodic metal than progressive, three moments including a neo-atmospheric break where the keyboards bring back a time to KANSAS with cottony vocals, a stratospheric Petrucci-like solo and a Wallien finale where Richard shows his aura like a certain Ruddess ; large piece smoothly conducted between technicality and emotion.

"Complex" returns to the synth-metal sound eyeing a beat on LINKIN PARK; air worthy of the consensus 80s; the jerky riff is also reminiscent of the works of STAR ONE; hard and synth break for a knife jam and deluge of symphonic technical notes to avoid landing. "King of Nothing" appears for the heaviest, supercharged, trending 90s track this time around; A masculine EVANESCENCE, a nasty riff and Glynn onward; a single from yesteryear in prog nu-metal where the break and the solo allow you to hang on. "Lost Along the Way" hard-FM intro and EUROPE-style tune, for stadiums at last when that was the time. A little FOREIGNER too, ASIA for the voice in the fiery chorus, in short all the big names; soulless title in fact saved by a synth solo bringing me back to BANKS and the 3rd version of GENESIS. "Run" falls back into that 80s-90s soundtrack, that's nice but it's still 2022; the found air is energetic and conventional and Glynn overplays; once again it is the solo that takes the title out of torpor. Finally "Defence Condition" intro prog, ie effects, backing vocals, cinematic synths; fat riff, Glynn surfing on metronomic drums; symphonic and pompous break and it starts again on the jerky rhythm; spleen guitar break and we return to it on the same side on a perceptible finale; the last two minutes ambient, spatial and sympho then strongly metallic show the imprint of the group.

THESHOLD therefore releases a well-calibrated album, which sounds like deja-vu; yes, I expected more from this group, too far back on the metallo-progressive scene, delivering good music without pouring into that little extra that would make it an excellent album. Glynn brings the most to give the pep to each title, Karl and Richard set the fire well with their various solos, the bass is very well set with Steve and Johanne, but there is this but; the spark that makes you vibrate and leave you speechless at the end of the album, in short I continue to hope for a little more.