Cherry Red 2015
London prog-metal trio drill deeper into a tech-ridden future doom.
Having moved from back to front, THRESHOLD drummer Johanne James not only made his voice heard but also streamlined his art-rock leanings and gave it all the edge and angle only a triangle of players can provide. On their third album now, the band continue to explore dystopian possibilities of the way the world is going with anger and tuneful anguish. Opener “Slipping Away” gives it an uncompromising clang, JJ’s vocals dimming the sharpness of Aaron Waddingham’s guitar riffs that break into a harmonic solo, and “Taking Control” packs a barking condemnation of technology as Dave Lugay’s bass anchors the hook to the ground, yet there’s a light in the gloom.
Just as weighty, “Oxygen” boasts a delicate acoustic fringe thrown onto heaviness, while “Egocentric Suicide” shows a soulful side to the grind, and if “Captain America” tosses a memorable, arena-sized chorus into the fire, “I Know Why” serves a pop melody in a spiky package. Less repetition, and the focus of songs becomes clearer, but that’s the rule of metal game the trio are involved in, and softer the blow – as it is in “Take Your Soul” – the harder it hits. Still, it fits the theme and subject, so the current mission is completed; off to the future now.
***