Location: Ljubljana / Orto Bar / Slovenia
Date: 11.03.2013
British progressive metallers Threshold, one of the finest bands on the planet in the genre, dropped a great new studio album, “March Of Progress”, at the end of last August. Probably the most sophisticated release in their rich discography of nine albums in total, it actually brought the band all the way to Ljubljana, believe it or not. Threshold are revered progressive metal heroes with a die-hard fan base mostly in the Benelux countries and northern Europe, so it was a real miracle that the new tour swung them this far south.
Threshold’s arrival in Slovenia brought the whole Alpe-Adria region together. Fans who had traveled from Hungary, Italy, Austria and Croatia crammed into Orto Bar that night, and with their presence, and even more with their enthusiasm, they basically saved the show. Otherwise there would have been ten Slovenes in the venue, and all of them on the guest list. So much for Slovenes’ ear for progressive rock and progressive metal. We just don’t have much of one.
The quirks of a club venue like Orto Bar meant the support acts Enochyan Theory and Cryptex didn’t play as planned. Threshold, as a sextet, squeezed Richard West and his keyboards into the far right corner, while singer Damian Wilson spent a good chunk of the night out in the crowd doing his vocal duties, so the front line of two guitars and bass could actually stretch out on stage and show off their arsenal of outstanding playing.
In the mix, the keyboards predictably got the short end at the start of the show, and only in the second third of the gig did they reach the right balance in volume, and with it, their exposure. Without Richard West’s keyboards you simply can’t recreate the bombast and hypnotic atmosphere of a Threshold show.
The band didn’t hide their surprise at the “clubby” reality of Orto Bar. Singer Damian Wilson in particular cracked some juicy jokes at its expense, and the occasional grin from the other guys on stage as they caught each other’s eyes backed that up. Wilson actually used the situation and turned it to the band’s advantage, and his own. He built a real, personal connection with the crowd, repeatedly inviting people, half-jokingly, to take over his mic, shaking hands with fans, thanking them and so on. Wilson was especially grateful to those who had racked up a couple hundred kilometers each way just to meet the band on stage. Still, you could feel the singer’s discomfort, along with the rest of the band’s. Threshold are perfectionists, and they know that in situations like this, with the small stage at Orto Bar, they can’t cash in their perfectionism for the full payout.
As expected, the band tailored the setlist so that the vast majority came from the current album “March Of Progress”, backed up by three songs from its predecessor, the very dark and especially metal-edged “The Dead Reckoning” (2007). There’s not a bad moment in Threshold’s discography and if you’re a fan, you’re head over heels for every last bit of their music. And that was most of the crowd at Orto Bar that night. Even though there were barely a hundred people at the show, the chemistry, the interaction between band and crowd, was exceptional. Knowing entire verses by heart was a huge support for Damian Wilson, especially in the bombastic chorus melodies. The feeling was fantastic. The band right there in front of you in an intimate club atmosphere, which probably reminded the members of Threshold of the early days of their career, when they were fighting their way through stuffy British clubs.
Threshold is a sextet of outstanding musicians. They’ve all carved their musical talent into a brilliant stage interpretation. Whoever you focused on, watching them at their devoted work, their playing left an impression of complete perfection and dedication to the cause. Whether it’s the superb drummer Johanne James, who, with a few transitional escapades that just wouldn’t end, damn-near-perfect precision and explosive swings, delivered one of the best drum performances this club has ever seen, or the melodically infectious, smooth and slick skills of bassist Steve Anderson, West’s refined sophistication on keyboards, or the devilish work of the excellent guitar duo Karl Groom/Pete Morten. Karl Groom is considered a musical genius. Not only is he the prime culprit who committed the crime called Threshold back in 1988, the man is also regarded as one of the most respected producers and music gurus, whom many bands from the British Isles, as well as the old European continent, turn to for advice in the realms of progressive rock and metal. In Morten, Groom has found an equal partner, who isn’t just in charge of holding down the wall of riffs, like Nick Midson once did, but can jump into the wild soloing on equal terms at any moment. In that respect, Threshold have definitely grown another step on stage along their evolutionary path.
As big perfectionists, Threshold of course also polished the blend of lead vocals and backing vocal harmonies. The band’s performance was a textbook example of how to serve this element with great distinction. Alongside the keyboards, the vocal harmonizing (even with West’s vocoder!) is the basic catalyst for the atmospheric crescendo of the ultra-melodic chorus lines. Damian Wilson was excellent throughout. The towering bearded giant impressed fully, not just with his playfully funny side, but above all with his vocal presence, hacking through even the highest registers with vehement conviction.
Threshold are one of those rare bands that get filed under progressive metal with just the right dose of every element of the musical vocabulary. Their sound is complicated just enough to attract demanding musical gourmets, and still so easy to listen to that it can enchant absolutely anyone. In fact, it grabs the attention of anyone who puts any stock in the melodic backbone of musical composition. And needless to say, Threshold approach it all in a strictly homegrown and unique way.
That’s why the show turned upside down before it had even properly started. Simple as that. Once an atmosphere like this, created live, pulls you into the parallel musical world it builds, you lose all sense of space and time. And that was, and remains, its fundamental purpose. Pure perfection and a pure ten out of ten. The experience a year ago at Orto Bar with Fates Warning was similar, except that they managed to swallow their ego more easily and adapt to the club conditions at Orto Bar. Back then the crowd was twice as big, Orto was bursting at the seams, and the show went down in the annals as one that’s almost impossible to top.
Meeting Threshold was unforgettable and one of a kind! We probably saw them in Ljubljana for the first time, the last time, and never again, though that doesn’t mean they won’t find their way at least once more to the Metaldays festival (formerly Metal Camp) in Tolmin, where they already played in 2007. Interestingly, Threshold left out songs from their first two albums entirely, as well as the otherwise excellent “Critical Mass” (2002). From the older stuff, they included the “Extinct Instinct” gem Part of the Chaos, plus the song Angels (“Coda”, 1998), Light And Space (“Hypothetical”, 2001), and they opened the show with Mission Profile from “Subsurface” (2004).
Threshold remain the epitome of top-tier musical adventure, loaded with a highly intelligent dialogue between poetry and musical arrangement. Their music is unique, one of a kind and unrepeatable. Accessible to most, but understood only by those who know how to treat their ears to nothing but the best. Sadly, there are still decidedly too few of those in the Slovenian crowd. Especially among the younger folks, who otherwise wade together into adventures of musical genericness (greetings, friends of Sonata Arctica, Sabaton,…). That’s just how it is. As for Threshold’s show at Orto Bar, we can say only one thing. Guys, thank you for the magic and a one-of-a-kind experience, and I hope next time you’ll muscle your way at least to Vienna, where we’ll catch you on stage again!
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
- Mission Profile
- Don’t Look Down
- Hollow
- Coda
- Part of the Chaos
- Colophon
- Pilot in the Sky of Dreams
- Ashes
- Angels
- Staring at the Sun
- Long Way Home
- The Rubicon
—addendum— - Light and Space
- Slipstream
