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Threshold - Clone

Artist:	Threshold
Title:	Clone
Label:	Giant Electric Pea GEPCD 1023
Length(s):	58 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1998
Month of review:	10/1998

Line up

Andrew McDermott - vocals
Karl Groom - guitars
Nick Midson - guitars
Jon Jeary - bass
Richard West - keyboards
Mark Heaney - drums

Tracks

1)	Freaks	5.23
2)	Angels	6.42
3)	The Latent Gene	8.00
4)	Lovelorn	5.41
5)	Change	4.33
6)	Life's Too Good	5.27
7)	Goodbye To Mother Earth	7.58
8)	Voyager II	9.04
9)	Sunrise On Mars	5.47

Summary

Extinct Instinct, the previous Threshold album saw the return of the Damian Wilson. Being one of my favourite prog singers, I was saddened by the fact that as with Landmarq he left also this band. Now a new singer from a band called Sargeant Fury has come to their aid.

The music

Threshold is still Threshold: heavy rhythm guitars, but the music is sprinkled with melodic interludes such as one opener Freaks. The vocal melody is not particularly striking, but not bad either. The album is a concept album by the way, I didn't really check out the lyrics (no booklet included), but in view of the titles this seems an SF-ish story. The vocals are probably less striking now, and possibly more American, enhanced by the fact that harmonies are used. Angels opens with dark organs, while the vocal line is quite accessible and again those harmonies yield a specifically American sound. Then the song becomes a bit harder, the organ is added back, and in between numerous guitarsolo's even a keyboardsolo can be spotted. Not a very interesting track. The song The Latent Gene is more striking and reminds me somewhat of Ayreon. Again the vocals are doubled and the vocal melody is fine, although it seems that the focus is also on the lyrics here, to tell a story. The guitarsolo is quite emotional, and is accompanied by the acoustic guitar. Past halfway the song becomes more riff driven and more powerful. At the end the rather poppy chorus returns. Lovelorn opens bomabstically with strong, wailing guitar (a la Fish's Tongues). Then we move into a moody part, but the chorus is still quite powerful and also quite recognizable, in the sense that I have the feeling I heard it partly before, by the same band that is. Change is with 4.33 the shortest of the nine tracks. It opens like a ballad, but with Threshold that is no guarantee. The first verse shows the right emotions and is sung very well. The first chorus is okay, but the second comes close to Bon Jovi. Under the second verse there is rhythm guitar and an organ in the back make it sound menacing. Life's Too Good has some nice reverb effects. Goodbye Mother Earth opens like a lullabye, but sung to you within a space ship it seems. Still, the song does not stay a quiet one, but later on there's a quiet intermezzo, but although they come close, I find the melody lacking. Also, I'd like to remark here that some the breaks sound somewhat unnatural and it seems more attention should be paid to devising bridges. With 9.04 the longest track on the disc is Voyager II. In the chorus, McDermott shows some balls and emotion, but the verse is a bit lame. The guitar solo is great and afterwards the chorus returns. Then we get some soundeffects after which the music returns with female vocals added, giving the music a strong Gathering flavour. In this track the piano of track nine, the closing title Sunrise On Mars, already starts. This is the ballad of the album, with a beautiful melody, great singing, some female 'ahhs' in the back, organ, acoustic guitar, a rather extended guitarsolo and plodding drumming. The song reminds in some way of Pink Floyd.

Conclusion

After their terrific Extinct Instinct, this is an album I like a lot less. Still the music is riff dominated, but because of the sometimes very accessible vocals and harmonies, the band sound quite American at times. The compositions and melodies do not shine and although sometimes the music can shine (as in Change, Voyager II, Sunrise on Mars), but much of it is just not interesting enough.