HYPOTHETICAL

In 2001 Threshold released this their fifth full studio album, which has now been reissued by Nuclear Blast as a 'Definitive Edition' with three additional live songs (previously on the 'Concert In Paris' release). Yet again the band suffered with the revolving line-up issue with a seeming inability to record more than one album with the same guys, although this was the first time that they had recorded consecutive albums with the same singer. Drummer Mark Heaney was the casualty this time; he had been there for the previous two albums but was replaced by Johanne James who is still there some 12 years after this was released.

It had been three years since the 1998 release of their previous album, 'Clone', and that had gained a great deal of attention and had led to the band touring in Europe with the likes of Dream Theater so after such a gap they were going to be under a lot of scrutiny, but there was no need for anyone to worry. Songs such as "Turn On Tune In" show just why they are held in such high regard, with riffs, hooks and great vocals, while in "The Ravages Of Time" Johanne showed why he was the new incumbent driving the band along from the back. While they may have suffered with drummers and singers over the years, the other four guys (guitarists Karl Groom and Nick Midson, bassist Jon Jeary and keyboard player Richard West) had been playing together since in 1989 and the way that they lock in shows the experience of playing so much together.

In my original review (#62 of Feedback) I said "The last time I saw these guys I got serious neck ache ? if ever you thought that melodic rock couldn't stand up against 'normal' hard rock for power and passion then think again. Threshold are back in town." Playing this again is like revisiting an old friend, and with a couple of songs longer than ten minutes there is plenty of room for the band to spread their melodic rock. Yet again a masterpiece of the genre. www.thresh.net