Artist: Threshold
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2002
Rating: 4.5/5
So let’s break this progressive treasure down too, in the spirit of the empiricism we follow and believe in without question. The guitars are razor-sharp again, the solos are sawed off with real feeling, the arpeggios are brilliantly clean again and alive as the devil himself. The keyboards act like a kind of bandage, perfectly holding together songs that are more complex in structure than on the predecessor but keep all of their compactness. The most progressive of the bunch is the broken-up “Echoes Of Life”. Every song once again has those big, distinctive Threshold choruses, backed by multicolored vocal lines. These take care of the harmony and keep the mood high the whole way through. The atmosphere peaks right in those epic choruses. The gurgling and creaking of effects (“Phenomenon”, “Falling Away”) is sampled in brilliantly too, along with a metronome that gives the rhythm section room to breathe and lifts the mood all over again. Mac sings fantastically, and in the calmer parts he reins his voice in. The music is already melancholic, and the color of his voice adds even more melancholy on top. It’s awful how it all gets under your skin. The drums run at every point like the most precise Swiss watch. Pedantic and full, together with a lively melodic bass line they form an excellent contrast. The guys have hit a peak in their production too. How clean everything is played, and how alive. You can hear every last detail.
The verses in the lyrics make you suspect that the guys may have been reading “The Celestine Prophecy” while the record was being written. Otherwise, the lyrics make good use of their “green language”, which has been their well-known trademark ever since the debut “Wounded Land” (1993).
Classic Threshold crossed with new, fresh and therefore authentic ideas. The magic between the band members is truly extraordinary, as if the guys had known each other for an eternity. As a whole, when it comes to the cohesion of poetry, compositions and production, “Critical Mass” is the cream of the crop in progressive metal for 2002.
Lineup
Andrew MacDermott – vocals
Karl Groom – guitar
Nick Midson – guitar
Jon Jeary – bass guitar
Richard West – keyboards
Johanne James – drums
Production
Karl Groom & Richard West
Track list
1. Phenomenon (5:30)
2. Choices (8:19)
3. Falling Away (6:52)
4. Fragmentation (6:34)
5. Echoes Of Life (8:55)
6. Round And Round (5:26)
7. Avalon (4:45)
8. Critical Mass (part 1-3) (13:35)
Album length: 59:56
